Spiritual Endurance | Pastor Jim Cymbala | The Brooklyn Tabernacle

[Music] well let's open the word of god [Music] i want to talk to you about oh an all-important subject for the day we live in you know there are topical sermons that sometimes hopefully are prophetic in the sense that they speak to what the culture the church a lot of people are going through then there's just solid doctrinal teaching that is uh important as foundational for all believers i want to talk to you about what we're going through it's not easy not easy not easy um right now we are all living through a time that none of us have ever experienced people are suffering from loneliness separation this includes me i'm not talking to you out there talking about myself and my wife and everyone i talked to in new york and around the country time of loneliness we can't get together we can't hug churches that are gathering in other parts of the country they're wearing mass they have to keep six feet apart new york i heard is saying that if you're going to sing it has to be 12 foot distancing people are wearing mass you can't hug you can't handshake it's hard to have fellowship we miss it there's loneliness sense of isolation separation there's a pandemic going on there's social turmoil there's an uncertain future and there's unanswered questions like just anything who knows anything about anything right now forget elections when will this end how will it end will there be a a spike back of of the coronavirus nobody knows it seems anything of the end game of this whole chapter of history we're living through and it's hard it's hard emotionally it's hard mentally hard spiritually some people i've talked to are in tiny apartments in new york city and they maybe go out to get food with a mask on and that's it all summer long that's not easy and that sets the stage all of it to be used by the enemy to attack us along a certain line where there's only one answer god has it but many times we're not thinking about it a lot of years ago i went to the naval academy i was recruited out of erasmus hall high school in brooklyn as a basketball player played in the famous back then brooklyn queens versus manhattan bronx richmond hill game and the master square garden 10 on each team i could play a little recruited i skipped a grade went to a prep school because the naval academy where my mom and dad said no he belongs there under lock and key military setting because this boy is a little loose upstairs uh so he needs a little military regimen so i went to a a semi-military kind of prep school for a year in silver spring maryland and then i went and became a plebe united states naval academy and even then we knew the upperclassmen sophomores juniors seniors they would be called third class second class first class they were on their way to a successful career in the navy or if they left the navy you know graduates of the naval academy didn't have a hard time getting a good job a great job but plea beer was another whole thing you were harassed hazed abused verbally physically every way and back when i went it was much harder than it is even now but everybody was saying you know uh you got to make it through this if you can just endure and get through plea beer then you don't have to sit you know uh um at attention as it were eating square meals and and people yelling at you and asking the menu of the next meal and making you march at five in the morning till six in the morning or running uh if you got to demerit or your room wasn't clean you had to keep a white glove on your desk and they could go anywhere and it ended up being dirty they would nail you someone would say if you just get through it just endure it so i learned a little bit about endurance that year and when we had our plea basketball practice first practice and that's why i was there to play basketball they got an appointment from me for me not from new york but from somewhere out in utah or south dakota someone who didn't have a kid to to endorse well that's what i was there for in my mind in my little selfish basketball driven mind so the coach mahoney great coach he had a sign in the locker room fatigue makes cowards of us all fatigue when you get tired it makes you a coward in athletics that's in football and baseball and basketball when you're in shape and you have endurance you get in the proper defensive position you you bend your knees you follow through on your shots you do that but when you get tired they call it a matador defense instead of staying in front of the guy and moving your feet you kind of just stab at the ball the guy goes by you why because you're tired you're tired and tired fatigue makes cowards of us all you don't dare to do the unusual because he's just tired so satan has a whole class in the spiritual realm of temptations the goal of which is not a knockout blow just left right he has that too but just pressure that you have to keep withstanding to bring about fatigue i've done this in the auditorium you just take you know the biggest strongest man in the church if i bring him up on the platform and i just put my full weight on his chest and start leaning you can feel his back start to just get strong and resist and i'm not pushing i'm just leaning just leaning just leaning and then after a while that back and everything else is like i can't take this weight anymore i can't do this anymore and then you stumble backwards so there's a whole set of temptations that we're going through right now that call for something called spiritual endurance it's an endurance test not a sprint not who's starting who's going to keep running do you ever think about this manasseh in the old testament a king i'm going to read the word of god here in a second but manasseh was probably the wickedest king ever that sat in jerusalem on the throne but at the end of his life when he had done everything wrong and god punished him he repented and god restored him do you realize that saul of tarsus was killing christians like it was going out of style but then he became and the end the greatest apostle of the christian church is not how you start it's how you finish do you realize that judas on the other hand was picked as one of the twelve by jesus himself and went out according to scripture laying hands on people and seeing them healed in the name of jesus it didn't end too well for judas did it do you know that the apostle paul who i just referenced had a ministry team traveling with him and there was one man named demas but toward the end of his life he said demas has forsaken me having loved this present world he could he had no endurance for the race fell out fell out it's not who starts is who's finishes that's why paul says i have finished the course at the end of his life i have fought the good fight i've run the race i finished my course finish but to finish you need endurance i remember a game that i played in at fordham in my sophomore or junior year i remember it because some of my family which was rare anyone would ever uh uh see me play because i was up at rhode island uh i transferred there from the naval academy and we were playing fordham at fordham and the game went into overtime and the gym was really hot and i think i lost something like seven pounds of water during the games five six something like a bizarre and i cramped up because of the loss and lack of endurance in that way and i was running down the court and it was like someone was up in the upper tears of the place and fired a rifle at me and hit me in my calf i went down like i was shot and i didn't know what is that what did someone shoot me no it's my calf giving way i need endurance so listen to how important it is to the believer the book of hebrews was written to jewish christians who had noticed that the messiah had not come back as quickly as they thought and now they were being persecuted not by just the romans who had no use for christians but by their fellow jews so the synagogue was uh persecuting them everybody was talking trash to them the romans who had governmental power were abusing them and hebrews we don't know the the author of the book but he's writing to encourage them and in chapter 10 verse 32 listen remember those earlier days after you had received the light when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering wow that's not the christianity we hear about most times on by the televangelists sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated you suffered along with those in prison who had been locked up for their faith and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your own property because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions so do not throw away your confidence it will be richly rewarded you need to persevere to have endurance so that when you have done the will of god you will receive what he has promised for in just a little while he who is coming will come and will not delay and but my righteous one will live by faith and i take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back saith the lord that's from habakkuk but we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed but to those who have faith and are saved so listen to what these people went through because it puts in a little perspective when you say what we're going through and what we're going through is not easy it's harder for some a little easier for others but no one's unaffected by what we're going through and it's hard and for a believer to keep their eyes on jesus to keep trusting to keep loving to not give in to the culture and the hate and the anger no that's not easy it's not easy any time but now under this stress churches can't meet for the most part listen to how some of the other translations that i've studied from bring out what these christians had gone through earlier they had suffered great conflict of suffering taunts injuries heaped upon you insults violent seizures of your goods violent seizures of your goods people just coming in and taking what they belong and you had no recourse no court to go to no legal aid no you're a hated christian you're just spy you followed the jesus of nazareth that's it you lose your job some put in prison torn away from their families so i i have to remind myself when when i feel the pressure of of what we're going through and i do that hello jim you are not tasting what other christians have tasted in history look what these folks have gone through mocked taunted public ridicule some in prison violent seizure of their goods and they kept believing and they kept trusting they actually rejoiced in suffering along with those who were being persecuted but now the pressure was on and the writer says what you have need of is endurance fatigue makes cowards of us all it's sad to see a minister or a christian or a pastor or anyone run out of gas and peter out spiritually that's sad now they're getting involved in things what i was trying to plead with a man who's ready to quit the ministry endurance can't take it can't do this anymore see this is what comes to our mind when we're under this kind of stress hey i can't take this anymore come on that's come to your mind i like when is this going to end when is it going to get back to normal hey i can't take this anymore or i can't do what god wants me to do anymore i'm out afuela gone de maciado too much ah satan has got this strategy so cunning so the writer here says what you need though as this continues like where's jesus when is he coming back i'd like to point out it might be sooner than you think but right now it is what it is you have need of endurance now there's two words used for endurance perseverance patience in the new testament there's two greek words that are used one is jupo monet h-u-p-o-m-o-n-e with a little mark over the e and that is to have endurance and keep your patience in not surrendering to circumstances trials and pressure hupo monet not succumbing and giving up and quitting because of circumstances and the pressures of life then there's an and trials then there's another word mach rothumia m-a-k-r-o-t-h-u-m-i-a which is the long-suffering endurance toward people that we need oh don't we need that both oh my goodness so one is the ability to endure trials and pressure and and just tough situations how about how about coronavirus 2020 and all of its ramifications the other is to be patient with people who just make you want to jump out off of a tall building they torment you they're they're not just unlovely they pester they provoke they torment you to have patience with them like jesus had see jesus had that endurance to go through all the cr while he's preaching the crowd is talking about plotting to kill him the religious leaders he has nowhere to lay his head he's in circumstances a trumped-up trial of just everything and yet never loses his composure never gives up and says get out of here i'm done angels come and just wipe everybody out let's do this over never and he dealt with people disciples he's going to the cross to die for all of us and they're arguing who's the greatest he's washing their feet and they're boasting one against the other that's the other word patience with people but when the writer the hebrew says but you have need of perseverance he uses the first word hupomone what you need is that patient endurance under difficult circumstances we're talking trials here with a capital t and yours is are different than mine mine are different than yours and i just want to stop here and say only jesus knows what you and i are really feeling through all of this because we all put on the best face we can hey how you doing praise god praise god even on the phone we do the bump you know just everything's good god is good all the time truth be told this is not easy kids going back to school how they going back to school what are they going to learn not easy i talked to someone from new york city the other day and uh you know police not responding to calls unless it's the lost possible loss of life but if it's material and just uh property like no we're not going like what's going to happen people are calling me and saying what's going to happen what's going to happen in new york what's going to happen to our country what's gonna happen no one knows i i can't take this anymore and then you give into the culture and you become like the people around you instead of maintaining your faith maintaining your love maintaining your humility maintaining your purity one of the reasons pornography is skyrocketing now during this time is that people get flustered can't take it and just say i'm going to let it all hang out i don't care it's not easy they ran out of perseverance so with all that we're going through today and i really feel for all of you i pray yesterday and this morning for all of you is how could you pray for everybody you don't even know who we are you don't even know your own congregation you're right but i can do the best i can like paul prayed for the saints in colossae where he had never even been god knows what i mean when i lift you all up to the lord that god might give you endurance come on we we gotta have endurance can't quit quit now you're near the finish line what are you gonna quit gonna give up let it all hang out be a coward not stand for jesus and the culture is getting more anti-christian by the day friend of mine called from the west coast in one of those cities out there where there's rioting and property damage galore and told me about an african-american pastor who went out with a sign and tried to do ministry among the people that were gathered there and he had some jesus loves you and he wanted to talk and they said they accosted him they have it on video hey blank your jesus blank your jesus i mean we're getting more don't you feel the darkness around us it can be felt you don't feel that of every kind from racist cops from mobs from government from politicians from everything there's a darkness oh my goodness so let me say something practical here that i hope can help you three little things toward experiencing endurance you can't study endurance you got to get endurance you can't study hupamone and macrotheumia and say oh those are interesting words the question comes down like what do you have do you have the goods do i have the goods this is experiential and a lot of times we have churches where the people sit in the pews and they sit there they're not experiencing god in a new fresh deeper way they're just getting more head knowledge about what the bible says but the bible isn't god the bible is the word of god and it points us to god himself who says i'll give good gifts to those who ask and who trust me so number one you have to remember as the writer said here that our hope is for a better and lasting possession listen listen you suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions you had the endurance the faith that even when they ripped it away from you you didn't get bitter and hate and fight back but you said okay you can take that but my real wealth you can't touch because it's with god in heaven and that's going to be for eternity oh pastor jim don't give us that pie in the sky in the by and by no i'll take three of those that is christianity the blessed hope that jesus is going to come back that everything here is temporal and will be over in a second but i know this is all i know it's not a second it's 30 years 50 years 70 years 90 years i know but that's nothing compared to being ushered into time without end no more time we're going to be with the lord and then we'll live in our permanent dwelling with our permanent riches no chase no citibank what god has waiting for us and imagine to be running and be going and now quit and stop and lose all of that for what because we ran out of perseverance because we quit running the race we give up we can't don't do it i love you don't do it don't do it you know the only saying it's always too soon to quit so paul the writer i should say goes on and says you need to persevere so that when you've done the will of god you will receive what he has promised in just a little while he who is coming will come and my righteous one will live by faith and i take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back obviously there are people who shrink back otherwise god wouldn't say i take no pleasure in those who shrink back so what are we going to be run all the way and have endurance and finish the race and endure whatever we have to endure or are we going to shrink back and stop believing stop trusting stop loving stop being kind act like the people around us and i don't mean just smoking weed and getting high and living in immorality and sleeping around i'm talking about the whole spirit of the secular culture around us so we got to realize how close we are to the finish line and what's at stake that's number one to help our endurance that's motivation motivation coach would say all right we're playing this game we win this game we go to the ncaa tournament so practice is over all right get up in the balcony of the of the of the arena and start running up and down the steps guys would run until one of them one time near me threw up out of exhaustion why were we doing it because if we're in better shape and we have endurance we can win and go to the big dance the ncaa tournament which we did we put up with all of that to go to a tournament that nobody remembers now the writer is saying what are you going to quit you're going to quit believing jesus walking with jesus and lose out on eternity and all that god has for us don't do it don't do it it's a lie number two the endurance we need is a gift from god it's not something you work up don't try to have endurance please that will break my heart oh i heard pastor symbolic preach a message i'm going to endure no you're not neither will i endurance is not something that's taught or worked up by us you don't turn over a new leaf you don't your lips and say i'm going to tough this out no listen colossians 1 verses 1 11. he's praying for the church in colossae and he says that you may live a life worthy of the lord and please him in every way bearing fruit in every good work growing in the knowledge of god now listen being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might strengthened with all power oh we're going somewhere he said i'm praying that god will strengthen you with not just power all power what according to what according to god's glorious might or according to the glory of his presence so that you might what climb every mountain know that you might do this great thing that you might preach to a hundred thousand people no so that you might have great endurance and patience he uses both words colossians 1 11. why don't you memorize it before you go to bed tonight when i was growing up we people sought god for power and now people don't even ask god for power but paul was praying for them but they're christians i know you could be a christian and have no power obviously why would he pray for power if they all had power i pray that you might have all power according to his glorious might so that you might have great endurance and patience because that's what you need to finish the race enduring that's what we got to pray for got to pray got to pray got to ask god god just made it that way he will give things to people who ask him other people live without it because they don't have the faith and humility to say god i need power i need endurance i need your holy spirit to give me spiritual power how would jim symbol as weak and human and carnal as he is naturally how would i ever muster up spiritual endurance against satan and the situations we go through how would i ever get that no god never asked you to do something that he doesn't have a promise that he'll give you it love one another but he has to give us the love he gives faith he gives power for endurance oh blessed holy spirit what's that song we sing congregation come holy spirit oh how we need you come holy spirit we need you paul's praying that you might be strengthened there with all endurance because it's hard we need endurance do we not need endurance come on i'm not the best preacher in the world i know that but i mean really do we not need endurance all of us me all of us pressure tension temptation stress trials difficulties loneliness feeling of separation anxiety about how things will work out we don't need endurance come on we need endurance i need endurance one last thought i gave you the hope that's before us so that we finish the race come on that's motivation why run out of gas when there's just a minute and a half left in the game come on we're up by three a minute and a half left we're gonna win if we keep fighting keep running number two the endurance we need comes from god so don't look inward look upward third you can only have endurance one day at a time today as you listen to me is sunday god is not giving anybody endurance for next friday zero the only gives endurance for the day that we live as the length of your day so you shall your strength be every day give us this day not just our daily bread give me today lord my daily endurance give me the power of the holy spirit that i can endure circumstances and people that are just tormenting overwhelming oppressing oh no i'm not going to quit when you have the spirit strengthening you in the inner person you can say no to that voice that says ah give it up i will not you're a liar you're a liar satan i rebuke you i resist you in the name of christ when we don't have endurance it's like yeah i'm a victim it's so hard so hard no one knows the trouble i've seen no one knows the trouble you and i will see if we lose our endurance but god's going to help us but remember day at a time i still used to think you is like a car you know you fill up on sunday and it carries you through the next sunday listen it won't even carry you through monday lunch every day this is the day new day give us this day our daily bread jesus taught them to pray that way everything's daily dosage like vitamins and some of us who want to cut corners no i had a good bible study i do that was two months ago you haven't picked up the bible since come on open that word read it trust it call on the lord get the faith that the word gives and go to god god you know what i need today you know what i'm feeling you know the temptations you know the inner pain you know the loneliness you know the stress i'm putting up with can i pray with you our father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread our daily strength give us the endurance that we need help my brothers and sisters along with me help me carol my children my children's children help us to have endurance to keep running one more day just one more day not asking about december not thinking about new year's eve just today lord just today 13th of september can you bring us through today if we wake up tomorrow morning god be there for us and help the people please god i plead with you in the name of christ your son help your people to have endurance help us to shake off lethargy and fear and anxiety and be strong in the lord and in the power of his might help us not be ignorant of satan's devices that he comes to wear us out but we are not going to lose we're going to finish like paul and say i have finished my course i have run the good race i fought a good fight please god give us that strength we need today so that we can bring great glory to you we prayed in christ's name amen god bless you and i love you and remember every single day we're doing devotions in the book of acts that'll be a blessing just get to brooklyntabernacle.org for our daily devotions monday through friday blessings have a great day [Music] you

Channel: The Brooklyn Tabernacle

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Keywords: Brooklyn Tabernacle, God, Brooklyn, New York, The Brooklyn Tabernacle, Jim Cymbala, Jesus, Holy Spirit, pandemic, Scripture, Covid 19, Pastor Jim, Pastor Jim Cymbala, New Testament, Old Testament, bible, Bible, Tabernacle, Jim, Cymbala, Brooklyn Tab, Endurance, Social, Injustice, Depression, Fear, Isolation, Quarantine, Loneliness, Questions, Pastor Cymbala, Spiritual Endurance

Id: Q-8gH4kjI6c

Length: 36min 54sec (2214 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 13 2020