25-0122wc Transcript

Teacher: Mike Mathis

(0:04) I thought for tonight I would talk about a lesson that I had put down on the notebook that I have. (0:23) The little ones, the pages now are starting to get yellow from age. (0:34) And it’s dealing with enduring.

(0:39) When I look at enduring in the scriptures and look at the word endure in the concordance (0:56) where we get the word endure, whenever it would appear, there are meanings to that word endure. (1:13) In one place, then you go to another place, you see endure, it means another. (1:23) And it kind of clarifies what endure means, such as we see that it has meanings such as to hold up, be strong, (1:48) remain to bear, carry, remain under.

(1:56) So as we look into the scriptures, and I’m going to do that, (2:04) what time that we can spend looking at where we find the word endure or endured in one place. (2:22) And consider just what endure in these passages mean. (2:35) For instance, we’re going to look at hold up, be strong, firm.

(2:48) And the first place that we’re going to look at is in 2 Thessalonians 1, verses 4-5. (3:14) We’re going to start with verse 3. (3:48) It says, (3:48) Have your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, (4:02) which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, (4:09) that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you also suffer. (4:20) Now that in verse 4, it says in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure.

(4:34) Let’s keep in mind that it means to hold up or to be strong under these persecutions and tribulations. (4:47) And it seems that these Thessalonians did indeed go through persecutions and tribulations. (5:04) And he said that they endure these, they hold up under these persecutions.

(5:16) And he said also that it is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God (5:27) that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you also suffer. (5:36) Now I’m going to read the rest of this chapter. (5:40) It goes to verse 12.

(5:44) Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, (5:52) and to give you who are troubled rest with us, (5:58) when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, (6:05) in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God (6:10) and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (6:17) They shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord (6:25) and from the glory of his power when he comes in that day to be glorified in his saints (6:34) and to be admired among all those who believe because our testimony among you was believed. (6:46) Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling (6:56) and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith with power (7:05) that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you (7:11) and you in him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

(7:22) So he’s really telling them they endure the tribulations and these persecutions. (7:38) God is going to take care of those that persecute them (7:44) because they don’t believe and they don’t obey the gospel. (7:51) And he says that God’s going to take vengeance upon those that know not God (7:58) and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(8:04) The next passage that I’m wanting to discuss is in 2 Timothy 4, 1-5, especially in verse 3. (8:33) But I’m going to read starting with verse 1. (8:38) I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ (8:44) who will judge the living and the dead at his appearance and his kingdom. (8:51) Preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season.

(8:57) Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. (9:06) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine (9:13) but according to their own desires because they have itching ears. (9:19) They will heap up for themselves teachers (9:23) and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.

(9:32) But you be watchful in all things. (9:37) Endure afflictions. Do the work of an evangelist.

(9:42) Fulfill your ministry. (9:45) I didn’t realize it but there’s twice here that endure is mentioned. (9:55) The first one is in verse 3. (9:58) That is the one that you want to pay special attention (10:04) because it says for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.

(10:16) Sound doctrine will not be held up or supported but they’ll turn away from it. (10:30) There are those that when you give them the word (10:37) which the sound teaching comes from and you show it to them, (10:45) they just seem not to want to accept it. (10:50) They just want what they want (10:54) and then they’ll go aside and find the teachers that teach the way they want to hear.

(11:08) They’ll turn away their ears from the truth (11:14) and therefore they take falsehood and propagate that. (11:28) But holding up the sound doctrine and being sound (11:36) are going after things that are unsound. (11:43) That’s all they want to have.

(11:48) Yes, you teach the truth but what about this? (11:55) What about that? (12:00) Well, why not we pay attention to what is said? (12:06) But then Timothy as an evangelist then (12:11) Paul exhorts him to be watchful in all things. (12:19) He’s got to be…​ (12:22) If anyone is preaching the word, giving the word, (12:27) he’s going to have to be on his toes, ready in season, out of season. (12:36) Because at any time we can hear from those that will bring up just any sort of doctrine.

(12:50) He says, endure afflictions. (12:55) That would be be strong under these afflictions (13:00) just like the Thessalonians were being under the afflictions. (13:08) And thus we find that he is to do the work of an evangelist to fulfill his ministry.

(13:21) So in this we have then the word endure. (13:30) Then in Hebrews 11 and verse 27 (13:42) we find that Moses endured. (13:50) And that word is past tense.

(13:57) In this verse it says, (14:00) By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king. (14:07) For he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. (14:15) Again, there’s this meaning of be strong, firm.

(14:23) And that’s what we find in Moses being firm. (14:31) And verses 24 or 26 says that (14:39) By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, (14:49) choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God (14:54) than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, (15:00) esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. (15:09) For he looked to the reward.

(15:14) The reward is the reward that awaits all who will endure the things that take place in this life. (15:29) And that is the reward that God gives. (15:34) And so Egypt had no treasures.

(15:43) He was found by Pharaoh’s daughter. (15:50) But when he became of age, says he refused to be called her son. (15:58) And therefore he chose to suffer things.

(16:06) And he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. (16:13) That’s God. (16:15) Moses was strong.

(16:20) And we should be as Moses. (16:26) Then we come to the definition of to remain. (16:36) And the scripture that has that meaning there is, (16:46) well there’s a couple of scriptures that I’m going to look at.

(16:50) The first one is John 6 and verse 26 and verse 27. (17:04) Jesus answered them and said, (17:08) Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek me not because you saw the signs, (17:17) but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. (17:23) That’s after he fed those, I believe there was about 5,000 of them.

(17:37) But at any rate, another occasion was 4,000. (17:44) But he told them, he says, (17:46) You are not because you ate of the loaves and were filled. (17:54) Do not labor for the food which perishes, (17:58) but for the food which endures to everlasting life, (18:06) which the Son of Man will give you.

(18:09) Because God the Father has set his seal on him. (18:18) So he says that for the food which endures, (18:29) you know, the food, the physical food that we eat, (18:37) it doesn’t last very long. (18:42) Maybe the portions that we really don’t get to for a while spoils.

(18:52) And we like to have our physical body satisfied with food. (19:04) But this food, after we eat it, after a while, we get hungry again. (19:12) But what he’s referring to is the spiritual food.

(19:17) And that is what remains or endures to everlasting life. (19:30) And it’s the spiritual food that we are to partake of. (19:40) Remember in the fifth chapter of Hebrews, (19:44) that the Hebrew writer tries these people (19:49) because they were still on the milk of the word, (19:56) which milk is for newborn babes.

(20:01) They didn’t grow. (20:02) They didn’t go to the meat of the word. (20:07) The solid food.

(20:11) And so this is the spiritual food that we are to have. (20:18) And it endures forever. (20:22) And in 1 Peter 1.25, it says, (20:27) the word of the Lord endures forever.

(20:33) It remains forever. (20:36) And as I told the kids in the teen class when I taught them, (20:46) I told them, God is eternal. (20:51) That which comes from him, that his word, it’s eternal.

(21:00) And the church or the kingdom is eternal. (21:08) And we should go after that which is eternal, which is forever. (21:17) And then endure means to bear or carry.

(21:27) In Hebrews 12, and I have it right here, (21:34) one, or rather, well, I’ll begin with verse one. (21:41) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, (21:49) let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, (21:56) and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (22:06) Endurance is part of endure.

(22:13) Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, (22:19) who for the joy that was set before him, (22:22) endured the cross, despising the shame, (22:28) and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (22:35) For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, (22:44) lest you become weary in your souls. (22:51) So Jesus endured the cross or bore his cross.

(22:59) He carried his cross to the place where they crucified him, literally. (23:07) And he was put to death, he was nailed on that cross, (23:15) and on that cross he died. (23:18) And he endured such hostility from sinners.

(23:24) Those that put him to death are really hostile against him. (23:33) And he endured this. (23:37) He bore it, and he did it for us.

(23:42) Now the last passage that I’ll look at is in Matthew 10. (23:54) It’s in Matthew 10. (23:58) I’m going to look at verses 16 through 22.

(24:07) Now this is when Jesus called his twelve, (24:14) and he sent them out on the limited commission. (24:23) And he told them in verse 16, (24:27) Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. (24:33) Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

(24:40) But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils (24:46) and scourge you in their synagogues. (24:51) You will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, (24:58) as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. (25:03) But when they deliver you up, (25:06) do not worry about how or what you should speak.

(25:11) For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak. (25:18) For it is not you who speak, (25:20) but the spirit of your fathers who speak in you. (25:26) Now brother will deliver a brother to death, (25:31) and a father his child.

(25:34) And the children will rise up against parents (25:37) and cause them to be put to death. (25:42) And you will be hated by all for my namesake. (25:49) But he who endures to the end will be saved.

(25:59) So in this Jesus is saying that all these things will come upon us, (26:07) but he wants us to endure. (26:10) He’s telling these disciples that they’ll be delivered up (26:16) before kings and governors and such, (26:21) and that they will be uplifted, persecuted. (26:29) And then the sad thing is that families, (26:35) within the families, (26:37) brother will deliver a brother to death, (26:40) and a father his child, (26:43) and the children will rise up against parents (26:46) and cause them to be put to death.

(26:50) So he’s saying all these things will be fought about, (27:01) and when they…​ (27:04) He said you will be hated by all for my namesake. (27:09) So we need to endure this, (27:13) just as the Thessalonians were enduring, (27:21) and Timothy was told to endure, (27:27) if we endure to the end. (27:31) And for this consideration under, (27:35) in this passage, (27:38) endure has a meaning of to remain under.

(27:45) We’re remaining under these authorities, (27:51) remaining under as they are uplifted, (27:55) them, (27:57) and then the families. (28:01) It’s hard when the families are dealing that way (28:06) with other members of the family, (28:11) brother against his brother, (28:14) father against the children, (28:16) children rising up against the father. (28:20) Well, we see that, (28:22) and it’s sad that families are like that, (28:26) but members endure these things, (28:33) and he tells us that even we’ll be hated by men (28:43) for his namesake, (28:46) and we are to endure to the end, (28:49) and we will be saved.

(28:51) So that’s the lesson for endure, (28:56) I thought I would present this, (29:01) or endure. (29:04) We may be going under stress even now, (29:09) some of us may, (29:12) but we just need to remember God is with us. (29:18) Jesus is with us.

(29:20) And he says to endure to the end, (29:29) and you shall be saved. (29:33) If there are no comments or questions, (29:39) then let’s have a word of prayer. (29:45) Father in heaven, we humble before you, (29:48) thanking you for granting us (29:52) this time that we have spent to study your Word.

(29:58) We pray, oh Father, that indeed (30:02) we will endure to the end. (30:08) I know that we don’t have the heavy persecution (30:16) that those who lived it in the first century, (30:25) but we do know there are those (30:27) that are in countries that do persecute, (30:33) and they are in danger of being put to death. (30:38) But they live strong for you, (30:43) and they do certainly endure these afflictions.

(30:48) Help us, Father, to be faithful to you, (30:53) no matter what. (30:55) We pray, oh Father, for this country (30:57) that the religious freedoms that we have (31:01) will not go away, (31:06) that we can come together (31:09) and not fear for our lives (31:12) that we would be molested (31:16) because we gather together to worship you. (31:23) Help us, Father, as we leave this place, (31:27) and those who are on the phone, (31:30) that we, as through our lives, (31:36) live faithfully to you, (31:38) we’re told to be faithful unto the end, (31:42) and we shall receive the crown of life.

(31:47) Father in heaven, be with us, (31:49) guide us, guide us, and direct us (31:52) until the time that we can meet again. (31:57) This is our prayer in the name of Christ, (31:59) our Redeemer. (32:00) Amen.