Run With Endurance, Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ S.

One within doors is pandemic file set forth.

I just wanted to be able to be done. You one you just keep running. Why don't know when the race is going to be over budget but I do.

I'm asking you to run with endurance. That's part joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie when Pastor Bill Gebhart now is once again he shows us how God's word meets our world that he moved away and up is designed to give us perspective about what were all going through. He said let me offer you a small amount of perspective. I want you to imagine that you were born in 1900 when your 14th birthday.

World War I breaks out and ends on your 18th birthday 22 million people perish in that war.

Later in the year. The Spanish flu epidemic hits the planet and runs until your 20th birthday. 50 million people die from it when your 29th birthday. The Great Depression begins unemployment reaches over 25%. The world GDP dropped 27%, and that runs until you're 33 years old in the country nearly collapses along with the world economy.

When you're 39 World War II starts you on even over the hill yet and you can't quite catch her breath and on your 4040 first birthday. The United States is fully pulled into World War II between your 39th and 45th birthday.

75 million people on earth die smallpox was an epidemic until you were in your 40s. It killed over 300 million people in your lifetime.

At 50, the Korean War starts 5 million more perish from your birth until your 55 you are dealt with the fear of polio epidemics each summer. Your experienced friends and family contracted polio and everyone new one. Someone who would have been either paralyzed or died at 55. The Vietnam War begins doesn't end for 20 years, 4 million people perish. In that conflict. During the Cold War, you live each day with the fear of nuclear annihilation on your 62nd birthday. You have the Cuban missile crisis to the tipping point of the Cold War life on our planet as we know it almost ended and when you'd turn 75. The Vietnam War finally ends that's for everybody who was born in 1900 and who lived to be 75. How did they endure all that he said you see perspective is an amazing art.

Let's try to keep things in perspective your parents and grandparents were called one door. All of the above and you are called to stay home and sit on your couch. This put this in perspective, we need that. It doesn't matter when you live on earth.

It doesn't matter since the time of Adam and Eve.

Life has always been and will always be very difficult. That's why the Bible tells us as believers that life is a race and that we need to run with endurance.

It also says life is a boxing match and we need to fight to the very end and that we are to toil and labor throughout our entire life.

Three words that I find in the New Testament for all of us to understand the plight of our lives as we go through this pandemic endurance, perseverance and patience.

Open your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 10 Hebrews chapter 10 verse 36. The context is as it the writer is addressing Jewish believers who have been gone through at least 20 or 25 years of tremendous persecution and are tired their worn-out from that persecution and so he tells them in verse 36 of chapter 10, for you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God.

You may receive what was promised. What you wanted them to say what you hope God would say Thomas what you need is deliverance and I'll do that for you don't get that you get what you need is endurance. Remember he says in chapter 11 verse one. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen the assurance of things hoped for, is always something future and this whole point is that's the perspective of faith were always looking to the future. We have a certainly a hope for the future. Meanwhile, indoor or for how long. I mean, this is gone on for months now. Well, when you go to Genesis. You get to the chapter 11 of Hebrews. He goes to the Hall of Fame of faith and Enoch walked with God.

Apparently, almost every day for 365 years is a long time. And God took him up Noah.

Just imagine his life was building an ark for about hundred years on dry land. Now would you do with how would you do that hundred years, then 100 hours or hundred days or hundred weeks hundred years that he was delivered with his family. Abraham endured because God told believers home and Abraham said nowhere. He said I'm not going to tell you just go. Just imagine what that would be like, and then God promised them that he's going to finally have an air he's already 75 and by the way, after he told him that he said you have to endure for the next 25 years before you get the boy. God's nation Israel was put into slavery in Egypt for 400 years they lived as slaves. They were God's people living as slaves. God told Moses that had have to endure 40 years as an Egyptian prince and then 40 more as a shepherd in the land of Midian before he could be people 40 more years. He had to endure and then when you get to the end of the chapter he talks about all the people that endured all their life. Some of them were sawn in two, with wooden sauce on them with the gate and they never got anything except when they want to be with the Lord. That's of the Hall of Fame of faith is all about their faith allow them to endure. So when you get the chapter 12 the writer of Hebrews says. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us is as clear as it can be. Let us one with endurance the race set before us with this pandemic.

The race set before us. I just wanted to be over. I just want to be done using a new one with endurance. You just keep running. Why don't know when the race is going to be over gotchas, but I do. I'm asking you to run with endurance. That's hard. That's hard. Dr. Hendrix, who is a mentor of mine at Dallas seminary used to say that our seminary had plenty of guys to be called shooting stars or they just come out of there. They shine brightly, and then a fizzle and hit the ground. I remember once and we were going to graduate. He was looking our whole class of a breakfast and he said gentlemen, I'm not impressed. He said I like to know where y'all be 40 years now. Then I'll be impressed with you saying we doing door and by the way, when you are in the ministry and understand the ministry. It's amazing how many people have three year ministry's five-year ministry six-year ministry. Seven. Your ministers and their done they down door says you have to endure. Notice he said this is how we do it fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and the perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him.

He endured the cross, you want to know what it's like to endure. I don't even know what it's like and neither do you.

For the joy set before him.

That's his hope that's a people to spend eternity with him. You and me.

He endured the cross, I don't think any of us can even imagine. I don't think our imagination would take us to the point of what it means to bear the sins of the world and have it be the judge of a holy God for his wrath on and the reason he endured.

And remember, he said no one takes my life. I give it.

He does it by choice, but he said, is for the joy that set before me. As I look at my hope to the future. That's what I do. He said indoor the words, give us insight. The main word used for endurance in the New Testament is who Paul Monet who Paul Monet means to line yourself up under its military term. Yourself up under from a corporal in your captain. I lined myself up under you. I am a you I endure this. That's what it says who Paul Monet its use.

49 times in the New Testament. It's very important to God. He keeps telling us this over and over again that you need to endure boy you need to persevere, you need to keep on keeping on.

The other word is macro through Mexico and it's even worse if it implies to endure with patients that are, you endure with patient know what we think endurance means you got a grinder to get a grandparent. That's endurance gotchas know that's not that I want to endure with patients to be patient about this. You feel very patient needs. These usual patient. But let this go on Lord I'm good said my hopes and you he said no you need to endure with patients. It really requires our faith to be an action here. I want to go to Romans chapter 5 Romans chapter 5 pulse makes a great statement here.

He says in verse one therefore, having been justified by faith on that's a great thing.

That's how were all declared righteous by God by our faith, having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have obtained an introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand and we exult in hope of the glory of God. That's our standing as believers but just too great versus and then he says and not only this, but we exult in our tribulation. Some translations say we consider all joy. That's what James wrote.

Remember in James one. Consider all joy, my brother, when you encounter various trials. He said we exult and our tribulation. Why, because tribulation brings about perseverance who Paul Monet endurance seat.

Sometimes you can choose to endure or sometimes the circumstances make you endure cinnamon if you've ever been, had surgery. What are your choices. You gonna take this. You see, you're going to have to and he says yeah we exult in tribulations they force us to endure you starting to get this idea that God seems to think that endurance is good through tribulation. You'd be right. That's exactly what God is saying. As James said, consider it all joy. Notice what happens. He says not only this, we exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance.

Perseverance brings about what proven character what you mean enduring tribulation changes you enduring tribulation and trials change that's how your and my character is shaped what is it we will endure. He said we get proven character. Net brings about hope and he said hope doesn't disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Notice that connection, enduring change, character, hope.

He said that's the way this works is an amazing thing why I say that is this and I want to think about this how you go through these days. Right now may be the most maturing time in your life as a Christian, your opportunity to spiritually mature during this may be the greatest time in your life to mature as a believer you need to think about that instead of we want to whine and complain about it and we want solutions right away and always Temple is always the government needs to do something a medical doctors need to do some that's what we need, but maybe what we really need a spiritual.

We may need to grow and this as we endure, it will make us grow.

That's what it says notice and five. He says that endurance is connected to hope is a direct connection between what you endure and how you hope. Our hope allows us to endure. See that's the whole point versus like all things work together for the good are designed to give you and me. Hope Paul said in the Philippians I run the secret of contentment is what you mean. I run to be content in a palace or a person. I've learned to be content with much of nothing. I've learned to be content when I'm healthy or not healthy. I've learned to be content, and any and every circumstance. Why, I hope.

See I have hope for when you have that in your life. The maturity level you have.

You and I become impervious to the trials and tribulations of life. Just imagine that your to appoint spiritually in your life and when the trial come up comes up you view it as an opportunity.

All great Lord this give me a chance to really mature.

That's hard for us to think that way when we want Lord make it go away. Make it go away. That's would lie when I just want to go away. That's not enduring the question is do I have the strength to do this seat. I think for all of us what we keep thinking is that all sounds good but I know me I don't have the strength for this.

I don't and I want to tell you of course not. Why you does anybody that's not the way this works you see is not a matter how I muster up enough strength to be able to endure this is not the way it works. Go with me to Ephesians chapter 3 Ephesians chapter 3 verse 14. The apostle Paul says, for this reason I bow my knees before the father from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name from. He says that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with the power through his Spirit in the inner man. Was he telling you who's going to strengthen you, God says, yeah, I'm praying you understand this pause I would pray could get this. I would pray that you would understand that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory.

How many riches are in the glory of God infinite pieces member.

This comes from the infinite glories and power of God to you and me, to be strengthened with power minimus power to great word love this work power we get the word dynamite that's will be called dynamite dynamite has a lot of power doesn't you see an explosion like the one we saw last week and brewed whole good power.

That's a grain of sand on all the oceans compared to the power of God. God says that's a power I have for you. I just don't feel very strong.

I don't know if I'll hold up pieces. No I give you the power think about how the power of God has worked in your life. The power of God is what saved you. Romans 116 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone how are you saved by the power of God, the power of God empowers us to witness Jesus said, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses what I get the power to witness other people's I give it to you.

I was saved by the power of God. I witness by the power of God. He said the power of God makes his overflow with joy and peace moments 1513 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit where I get my joy from the Holy Spirit when I got my hope from Holy Spirit.

That's it. That's my power.

I'll give you that power the power of God gives us confidence for everything it comes to our life, he said to Timothy for the spirit of God does not make us timid.

He gives us power, love and self-discipline. The power of God provides everything we need a lovely Peter wrote his divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Key phrase everything you need everything in it who knows everything you need God who gives you the power for everything you need done. Sadly, what's the only thing that can stop this. You you don't believe it on your say you believe because I read the Scripture to that's not believing member Tony Evans that believing is acting on the fact that you believe God is telling the truth, you have to act upon what God says yes act like he's telling you the truth or that's what gives us the power you see when you read these verses you come to this conclusion.

You never can say you know I can't do this. I can't look that's get this straight. Every good thing spiritual in your life.

You can't do any of this. You can't do any of you can't get saved except for God. You can grow except for God. You can't serve except for God, you can't. You can't you can't but he can.

That's the Christian life, and more importantly it's not only you can. He can but he will. That's what he sent and I will do this I will give you my power to go through something Westerberg never if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like to listen to the message one more time remembering a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio program at Fellowship in the Word.

We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make his broadcast possible with all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly with just the one time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is of the sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service at fellowship monitored visit our website FVC Nola.org that FVC Penn of LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastoral sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sensors are looking for, or you can search by title. Once you find the message you are looking for.

You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon on listening and anchoring.

And remember all this absolutely free of charge. Once again our website is FVC Nola.org forecaster Bill Gebhardt injuries and heart thanking you for listening to fellowship in order