You Have Need of It! (Endurance)
Hebrews 10:36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
Hebrews gives us the most severe and serious consequences for not enduring. Four times the author warns us of the terrible consequences of not finishing our race of faith. We are warned that in order to finish this race and do the will of the Lord and receive the promise- we must have endurance. This is a NEED, not just practical wisdom. This means it is life or death. It is the difference between finishing and not finishing.
In the Bible, endurance is the ability to persevere in a task or calling, to withstand difficulties. It can also mean the ability to get through a trial without wavering or compromising. It is the ability to withstand hardship and unpleasant processes or situations without giving way; to withstand with courage despite fatigue. Endurance means getting through the trial without compromising or wavering. Continuing Christian commitment in the face of difficulty.
The endurance of Christians in the face of persecution and temptation underlies most the New Testament. Paul used athletic imagery to summon Christians to faithfulness as they prepared themselves for the race of life
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may [a]obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize [b]is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
The repeated failures of Israel to maintain faithfulness to God in the exodus and at later times provided the New Testament writers with forceful models of the nature of tragedy and unrealized hopes among God’s people. These examples are given as clear warnings to Christians about turning or retreating from the way of faithfulness.
1 Corinthians 10:1-12 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us [a]tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now [b]all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our [c]admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
Endurance is an inherent part of authentic “believing” and is expected of every Christian. Inadequate believing withdraws in times of affliction, but true commitment endures until the end.
How do we run with endurance?
Have a mind to never quit
Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the [a]author and [b]finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Paul equated the Christian walk to the athletes in the Roman games. I like to relate it to the disciplines of exercise. Marathon running- have you ever run a marathon? I have never ran a sanctioned marathon, but I have ran 30 miles around a track. It took me 8 hours (this was 20 years ago) I wanted to see how far I could go. At 30 miles, I was tired and my feet hurt. I proved to myself that I could in fact run a marathon. I could not walk the next day. But before I went out, I set my mind that I was going to finish a marathon distance, no matter what.
Ask anyone who does a sport- it is mind over your body. Because at some point, your body begins to scream at you to quit. In a marathon, it is almost always around the 20 mile mark. Your body wants to quit. Your feet burn. Your knees hurt. You will want to quit.
Endurance is only built through the pain. It is the point at which you say, this hurts. I am in pain. I don’t like this. I want to quit. But you do not, you keep going in the face of adversity.
You have to have the will power to say, “even though this hurts, I am going to keep going. Even though I am hated, ridiculed, persecuted and afflicted; I have a goal. I will not quit. I want the prize. I want to see Jesus face to face and have Him say, ‘Well done.’” This is endurance.
Navy Seals- an elite unit of soldiers, they weed out those who want to quit because in their line of duty, it gets hard
God spoke a similar word to Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 12:5 “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you,
Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the [a]floodplain of the Jordan?
Jeremiah was experiencing some minor persecution from some men and he complained to God. And God replied to him- Jeremiah you have a much greater calling to even more wicked men then these. How will you endure the flood if you cannot endure a little sprinkle?
WE have to have the same mind that was in Christ-
Isaiah 50:7 “For the Lord God will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced;
Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.
This was a prophecy spoken about the Messiah. That He would endure affliction, persecution, trials, pain and suffering because His mind was set on the cross and the joy that His pain and suffering would bring to many.
I wanted to quit in 2019. It is the only time I have ever wanted to quit the ministry. I was hurt. The church was almost destroyed. My husband looked defeated and it hurt my soul to watch him. I wanted to protect his heart. I wanted to quit. The Lord poke to me, “The enemy does not have to destroy your life, he only has to render you defeated and he has won.”
Quitting was not going to be the mark of my life.
Is your mind set to endure at all costs?
Unhinder yourself.
Paul tells us in order to endure we must cast off all sin and weight-
One of the things I know about running is that if you run with clenched fists and tight shoulders, it will restrict your circulation. I had a coach tell us to run like you are pouring tea. Apparently Faith had a coach tell her to run with Barbie hands (illustrate the above). Losing weight helps your run. Ex: girl who ran for UTSA, lost 2 lbs and shave off a second
Cast off the sin- this should be a no-brainer. Sin, rebellion and disobedience will hinder your walk with the Lord. We should know this. We should be fleeing from even the appearance of sin and unrighteousness. We should not be going places and doing things that do not honor the Lord.
What weight is hindering you? IT may not technically be sin, but it is something that is weighing you down and has the opportunity to become sin to you or another.
- Addictions: This could be something that is not sin to begin with, but you allow it to become some form of habit or addiction that you are unwilling to let go because you continually cry freedom- even though it has out you back into bondage.
1 Corinthians 6:12 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
Everything is permissible (allowable and lawful) for me; but not all things are helpful (good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things). Everything is lawful for me, but I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power.
- EX: Caffeine, food, tattoos, shopping
- Bad doctrine: Wrong beliefs about the Lord and His Word. These can weigh down our hearts, distract us, and deplete our energy. Paul told the Galatians, “YOU were running so well! Who hindered you?”
Galatians 5:7 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
You were running the race nobly (well). Who has interfered in (hindered and stopped you from) your heeding and following the Truth?
- Ex: guy at the gym, all his energy is in studying instead of doing the will of the Lord, serving, evangelizing, giving. He is missing the mark. Cling tightly to Scriptural truth
- Wrong thinking about others and ourselves- if you do not see yourself through the lens of Scripture and what the Lord says about you, you will be hindered. New creation in Jesus
- Distractions. “When the enemy sends distractions, they never look like distractions until they are finished distracting you.”
I am easily distracted. I go out to the garage and forget why I was out there because I get distracted. What distractions are hindering you? People try to pull you into their strife and problems- these are distractions. You have a race to run, you cannot get involved in things that DO NOT concern you. Do not chase people who do not want to be caught! Distraction. Do not get caught up in a work that God has not ordained for you. Distraction. One of the greatest times in our church planting history was in the beginning when it was hard. Social media was not a big thing. We were just busy building a church and didn’t have time to worry or be concerned about what others thought about us.
More distractions: Self-centeredness, Career ambition, pursuit of money, fame, want to be known. Entertainment/hobbies, even good things can hinder our run. Social media- how much time do you spend scrolling, watching stupid cat videos?
- Ditches. We can fall into ditches.
Proverbs 26:27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, And he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.
Th above is referring to digging a ditch for someone else to fall into- whoa to you. But if we are not careful, we can dig our own ditch and it can become our undoing
The most dangerous ditch is offenses. Who has been at this church longer than 15 years? How many times have you been hurt or offended by myself or someone else? And you are still here. I am still here and I have been hurt more times than I can count. But I have already decided that quitting is not an option. Besides that, you have no right to take up an offense against anyone.
The second kind of ditch are extremes we can fall into. I am a very black and white person, I have to guard against falling into a ditch. You can fall into the ditch of being all Word and no Spirit, and you can fall into the ditch of being all Spirit and no Word. YOU can fall into the ditch of “I am the greatest!” and you can fall into the ditch of “I am the worst”. A man should look at himself soberly. Here’s another ditch: “It’s all on me!” And the opposite “I need not do anything because it’s all on Him”. Overworking/ too busy v. laziness. Exercising too much v. not doing anything for your health. Spending all time with people v. isolation.
Find the GODLY balance in things. Throw OFF the weight!
Run with likeminded people.
Let “US” run with endurance. We are in this with others. We are not running alone, neither are we meant to endure alone. There are people you will have to separate yourself from if they are hindering your walk, even good people can hinder you. Bad company corrupts, but walk with the wise and you will be wiser.
Find likeminded people to go out with you. Jesus sent them out 2×2
Luke 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed [a]seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.
Paul had Silas. Luke had Paul. Barnabas had Mark. Peter had James and John. Aquila had Priscilla. They rarely went out alone.
Here’s what I know. Sometimes, yes. You have to do it alone. “Though none go with me.” But there is strength in numbers. The enemy attacks overtime is isolation. You are more apt to be deceived and believe your own lies. I knew a lady that went around to churches, refusing to submit anywhere, not in relationship with anyone because she was an “OT” prophet. Wrong century lady. She was way off on everything she prophesied. The NT says the gift of the prophets is subject to the prophets. Let one prophecy and the other judge.
God establishes His Word in the mouth of 2-3 witnesses. Law of witnesses:
2 Corinthians 13:1 This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”
It is God’s design that he should not be alone. We are called to walk with others.
Look unto Jesus
Christians are not superhuman, not even the apostle Paul. Most of us, along with the early Christians have failed the Lord in times of persecution and temptation, just as Peter did during the dark days of the crucifixion. But failure does not mean we are rejected. Peter’s restoration was for us a model of hope beyond painful denial. Just be aware that restoration can and often involves serious consequences.
Because Scripture takes human weakness seriously, we need to realize the crucial necessity of divine support. Thus, prayer is a vital part of enduring.
Prayer keeps our focus on the Lord, and not on yourself, our problems, our circumstances or on what others do/or do not do.
Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
Prayer will help us to avoid temptation. How about you go to the throne in the beginning for strength, instead of going to the throne afterward in regret and repentance? Part of my daily prayers is the Lord’s prayer, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”. A life rich in prayer will keep you from the hour of temptation. Peter failed because he did not stay awake and pray when the Lord told him to.
Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Prayer will deliver you from trouble, and when you fall into a pit that someone else dug for you.
Acts 12:5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but [a]constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.
Prayer prepares you for your mission.
Acts 14:23 So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Prayer will meet all your needs and requests. Believe that God hears and will answer.
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
Prayer shows the Lord that you are serious about enduring. Your mind is made up. You will endure. You will not be tripped up. No weapon formed against you will prosper because you are serious and watchful. You will not be caught off guard. The enemy will be defeated; and you will be victorious because the Lord is on your side
1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.
Prayer is a key element in adequately arming the Christian for endurance in the battle against the forces of evil. This battle is a lifelong one. To finish the race by keeping the faith offers to the one who endures the anticipation of a reward that is symbolized in a “crown of righteousness”
2 Timothy 4:6-8 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
Last, I can endure because I know how it all ends.
I READ THE END OF THE BOOK FIRST. It’s true. I like to know how things end, so I read the last chapter of a book. During the Olympic Games, I google who wins a race. I don’t like being surprised about things. I like to know how they end. It does not change the excitement for me, in fact, it makes it even more exciting watching how it all unfolds. I don’t tell anyone else, Matt likes to be surprised so I let him. I keep it to myself, but I have to know! It’s just the way I’m built, welcome to my world.
The first book of the Bible I ever read was Revelation. True story. I know how it all ends. So when things go bad in this world, I don’t get upset, I know how it all end. When evil seems to prevail over good, it spurs me to more prayer but I don’t get upset, I know how it all ends. I don’t worry or have anxiety over current events or even future events, I know how it all ends. God was so good to show me the things that were going to happen and how it all ends in order to encourage and strengthen me to endure through it all. He’s a good, good Father.
Revelation 21:3-7 “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”
It all ends with Jesus being high and lifted up and me with Him. I’m good with that. No matter how the race looks, I know how it ends.
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