Sermon – “Endurance”

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 You therefore must endure[a] hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, and may[b] the Lord give you understanding in all things. 8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. 12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

This morning a message of title insurance in durance. We all know that in this life you will have trouble in this life you will have troubles. Yes we’ll go through periods where things will go smooth. We seem to have no troubles but then all said and some will happen. Some only get sick choro break down for a trade go out or friends will get mad at us will have troubles in this life. Rest assured you deal with people who are going to have troubles but we have to endure because we will have troubles but we have to endure. I want to share a story this morning before I even read my scripture about an athlete who had an amazing amount of in terms and this has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that we went to a ball game yesterday evening we had a good time at the ball game but has nothing to do with that. But this actually was a very famous baseball player and it does have to do with the fact that last week I heard a speech that he gave many many years ago actually gave the speech in one nine hundred thirty nine and the man was Lou Gehrig. He was a very famous football and baseball player actually was famous for baseball but he loved football and baseball but he was a very famous baseball player I want to share a little bit about his life. This is Lou Gehrig signed his very first contract with the New York Yankees in one nine hundred twenty three then over the next fifteen years he led that team to six World Series titles and set the mark for the most consecutive games played. His parents were hand rich and rich and Christina Gehrig. They were German immigrants who had moved to the new country just a few years before their son was. More blue was the only child out of four siblings that survived infancy Lou face a childhood that was shaped by poverty. His father struggled to stay sober and keep a job while his mother in term was a very strong woman who was intent on creating a better life for her son. She worked constantly cleaning houses and cooking meals for the wealthy people in New York. When I when I learned that it kind of resembles the story of Dr Ben Carson very similar. Dr Ben Carson didn’t have a father figure in the home. He had a father figure but not a very good one. But his mother worked very hard as did Dr Ben Carson cleaning homes and trying to provide a better life for son. And that’s what every parent wants to do. Don’t think they want to provide a better life for their children. So she was a devoted parent she pushed hard for her son to get a good education and she got behind his athletic pursuits which were many from a very early age. He showed that he was a very gifted athlete. He excelled in both football and baseball. But after he graduated high school he went to Columbia University. He studied engineering he played fullback but he also made the school’s baseball team where he earned the nickname Columbia Lou from his adoring fans because in one famous game he struck out seventeen batters in one game. That’s that’s a major major fate. But the Yankees they like his bat. He like his bat. That’s why they signed him in one nine hundred twenty three. They signed him and he replaced the aging first baseman Wally Pipp and the change proved to be no small matter because it’s set in motion a streak that established baseball’s longest record for a time of playing the consecutive games he played. In two thousand one hundred thirty consecutive games without taking one night off not one night off he played in every game for two thousand one hundred thirty games. That record stood for fifty six years until Cal Ripken eclipsed that record cow got the nickname the Iron Man. We were at Camden Yards the night he tied Lou Gehrig’s record and then we course watched the night after the night following that he broke the record. Cal Ripken then went on to play many more games because the record is now two thousand six hundred thirty two games. The records held back our Ripken. What both these men have in common. Lou Gehrig played fifteen years for the Yankees all with one team. Cal Ripken played seventeen years for the Orioles all with one team seventeen years worth of consecutive games not missed in the game. So don’t you think that there wasn’t a night whenever these guys might have been tired they might have had some sort of muscles they might have been not the own little well but they endured through it they endured. I’m sure some sickness and some pain some suffering. Now I know this is a story about baseball players but bear with me. Bring this around to a spiritual matter this morning. They endured this game and they endured so many games because they had a passion for the game. You know you might be catching on they had a passion for the sport that they love to play. They had a passion for the game they had a passion for the fans they love the fans Lou Gehrig gave a speech that I was able to see the speech last week because he gave a speech on July fourth. And in that speech he said some may feel. All that I was dealt an unlucky hand in life because Lou Gehrig got out A.L.’s disease but today most recognize that disease or call it Lou Gehrig’s disease. Children this is a disease that affects the muscles and two years after he gave that speech he passed away. But he said people may feel I was a lucky hand he says but I’m the luckiest man in the world to be able to play this game and do what I love to do he says I have so much to live for. So he gave a very famous speech. He has much to live for. Believers are called to endure too much hardship to endure through trials to indorse offering for the cause of Christ not just for the sake of suffering but for the cause of Christ. So now I will look at our scripture this morning. Second Timothy Chapter two verses one through thirteen. You therefore my beloved son be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus and the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses. Commit these two faithful men who will be able to teach others also that you therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engages in war in warfare in tangles himself with the affairs of this life that he may please Him who enlisted him as a soldier and also if anyone competes as in athletics is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hard working farmer must be first to protect the crops. Consider what I say and may the Lord give you understanding in all things. Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel for which I suffer trouble. As an evil doer even to the point of change. But the word of God is not changed. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful saying for if we died with him we also shall live with him if we endure we shall also reign with him. If we deny Him He will also deny us if we are faithless he remains faithful he cannot deny himself if we endure whatever this life may throw at us we will also reign with Him Amen. Isn’t that exciting. If we endure this temporal life we will reign with him. Inori in dorian is not pleasant. Difficulties is not pleasant. No one wants to you know go through these things but we must endure with his strength. Our passage speaks of an athlete a soldier and a farmer. All of these must discipline themselves in order to achieve the goals that they want. The soldier must endure the rigors of boot camp in order to physically and mentally be prepared to endure that which they face in battle correct. I mean they don’t put soldiers to boot camp just for the fun of putting them through it. They have to train them in everything that they think they could possibly indoor while out there on the battlefield. Some go through very harsh and intense training seals for example their training is very very intense very harsh because they get sent where. Most will not go. But they must endure that. You know a soldier does not get halfway through boot camp and say that’s good I’ve endured enough I’m ready to go. I’m done. Now they have to stay till it’s over they have to endure to the end. Longevity we have to endure to the end. The athlete must discipline themselves and train extensively to be able to compete at the highest level of whatever sport they are participating in. You look at athletes say well they only have to work six months out of year. Believe me they are not laying around for the other six months eating cupcakes and getting fluffy you like that and you know they are training intently exercising watching films from the opposing teams don’t all they can do to have themselves in the best possible condition and discipline to be able to compete at the highest level. The farmer must be willing to endure the hard labors of farming if he intends to reap the harvest at the end of the season. A farmer doesn’t plan his garden plant the plants and say that’s good I’ve endured enough I’m going away on a vacation for a few months doesn’t because when he comes back what’s he going to find. Weeds. His farm overgrown and looked like a jungle. He must endure to the end. But all of these again have the same thing in common they’re passionate about what they do. The farmer that I know best is passionate about what he does. He loves to farm absolutely loves his passion about it. Great athletes. That become famous are passionate about what they do. Are you passionate for Christ. Are you passionate about the cause of Christ. The Kingdom of God to endure to the end. They look to the prize their prized might be the Stanley Cup or the Super Bowl ring or the World Series but our prize is a crown of glory and then a prize at last for eternity. All them other problems are temporal. Are you willing to endure whatever comes to receive that prize. Keep your eyes upon Christ and upon that glory Amen. We have to have visions or goals and yes our greatest goal is that to receive that crown of glory to spend eternity with him. But but every church also must have this in Single us that we set things that we wish to accomplish as a church. Yes most importantly to preach the gospel the kingdom of God but we have to have a clear vision because of people have no vision. How are you going to get in the participate the athlete’s vision is that Super Bowl ring or whatever. That’s why they get out there and train and fight and battle. We have to have a vision the church must have the vision and it must be clearly established to work for the cause of Christ and how we do that we need to make clear as some facts about another man this man was not an athlete but this man was so passionate about the cause of Christ that he endured. To me what seen most almost in humanly impossible. Gary’s going to know this man well I don’t know anybody knows of me. The man was John Wesley. We’re not Methodists here but. This man was a founder of Methodism. But what a heart and what a passion for the Gospel of Christ that he had. John Wesley average during a period of forty five or fifty four years to travel about five thousand miles a year five thousand miles every year making in all some two hundred ninety thousand miles the distance of circumventing the the globe twelve times. And children you might think well that’s not really that much but you got to think of when this man lived. They didn’t have cars they didn’t have trains. They didn’t have airplanes. Some of those miles may have been by ship. But most all of those miles was by horseback. So how would you like to hop on a horse and ride around the globe twelve times. You talk about insurance. That’s a great amount of insurance the amount of preaching that he did was immense. John Wesley preached not less than fifteen sermons a week frequently more than that the sermons were delivered mostly in the open air and under circumstances such as to test the nerve of the most vigorous frame. He didn’t matter of preaching what no other man ever did. He preached on average for a period of forty five or fifty four years fifteen sermons a week making in all total forty two thousand four hundred sermons forty two thousand four hundred sermons. And that’s not counting other Exportations and addresses that he gave That’s just sermons. So by today’s standards then the average pastor would possibly preach twice a week. They would have to live to be four hundred. We’re going to have it four hundred twenty four years old to preach as often as many times as John. They did. Yeah I don’t know what age and his literary labours were immense as well while travelling five thousand miles a year and preaching two sermons a day frequently as often as five times a day. He read extensively. He read not less than one thousand two hundred volumes on all subjects. His journal showed that he read not only to understand but to severely critique his authors as well. Maybe that’s what he didn’t do sleep Garrick’s of window display but in durance what an example of indoors. That’s not to mention all the other things that he endured while they’re doing that traveling you know robbers and bandits and all that stuff you know makes me tired just thinking about all he had to endure. Couldn’t imagine. Do you ever get tired or overwhelmed. Do you ever get tired overwhelmed with life and the things that life throw at you and wonder if you have what it takes to endure. Well if you do the very first very first verse of our passage enlightens us on how we can endure it. I don’t know if you caught it. It said be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. That is how we endure some a question will have a strong and Grace go together that seem like they just don’t fit together because grace and strength this kind of seem opposite but they are not. It’s said to be strong in the grace that is in Christ we did not rely on our own strength because if we tried to rely on our own strength we will fail. John Wesley did not rely on his own strength. He relied on the strength of Jesus Christ. If you expect to indoors in this light you must rely on Jesus Christ. That’s how we endure verse four said that no one engaged in warfare entangled himself with the affairs of this life that he may please Him who enlisted him as a soldier. I want to read this to you in a amplified version. The amplified version reads No soldier when in service gets in tangled in the enterprises of civilian life. His aim is to satisfy him please the one who enlisted him. Now let’s be honest with one another it’s hard not to get caught up in the things of civilian life because we live in this world. We have our families in this world. We have our homes in this world we have our jobs in this world our holidays are in this world. There are so many things to tug at our passion strings so many things to talk in our hearts. How do we find that right balance. Maybe by letting some of the words of this song penetrate our souls that says Oh so are you we’re in trouble. No light in the darkness you see there’s a light in the there’s a light for a look at the savior a life more abundant and free. Then refrain goes on to say turn your eyes upon Jesus look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His Glory ingrates. That’s how we endure. We turn our eyes upon Jesus. I want to read the second verse of that it says through death into life everlasting he passed and we follow him there over us sin no more have dominion for more than conquerors we are more than conquerors we are in Christ we can endure we can overcome but it’s only to destroy. Again through Christ but not around when we look at the world around us today. It seems like many have lost the heart to endure because in-door requires commitment. It requires long jeopardy. You look at the average length of marriages today and it reveals a lack of insurance. I found the list and it varies from country to country. Those that the average the longest average is in Italy and it’s only eighteen years. Next is Canada thirteen point eight years France the average married just thirteen years. So you know I haven’t mentioned the US yet. Twelve point two years is now the average for marriage in the United States Japan Anglin in South Africa and eleven years is the average length of a marriage eleven years. What part two for death do us part that we not get any more. If we work hard to but serve the Lord till death comes in dollar means long give it take as long as I still have breath. How about jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the average worker today will have twelve to fifteen jobs in their lifetime. Wow that’s a lot of job changes. And some of it I know does not come at their own choosing. But sometimes it does. Sometimes it does. To seek bigger and greater things because there might be a lack of loyalty. As I mentioned those two athletes that I mentioned they stuck with the same team for their entire careers. But you watch sports today and look how they jump from team to team the team the team following the money following the money because there’s no loyalty there. You have to be loyal if you expect to endure if we expect to endure. We’re close with Second Corinthians Chapter eleven. The apostle Paul. He says I speak as a fool. I am more and Labor’s more abundant in stripes above measure in prison more frequent frequently in death often from the Jews five times I’ve recently received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods once I was stoned three times I was shipwrecked a night and a day I had been in the Deep in journeys often in perils of water in perils of robbers and perils of my own countrymen and perils of the Gentiles in perils in the city in perils in the wilderness in perils in the sea in perils among false brother and in wariness in toil and sleeplessness often apparently John Wesley could say that too and sleeplessness often in hunger and thirst in fasting often in cold and nakedness besides the other things what comes upon me daily my deep concern for all the churches who is weak and I am not weak. Why could he say I am not weak because he had a passion for Christ. He endured more than we probably could ever think of. And Doreen because he was passionate for Christ. Do you have that endurance in you. I pray that we do but if we don’t we know where we can find the strength to endure and is in Christ. So that’s my prayer for us that we will endure to the end that we won’t give up. And as long as we keep Christ be force with the consecrate we will be able to endure whatever this world throws out of say men.