Endure: The Danger of Ritualistic Faith

• Signs of the Times 00:00:00 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor introduces the biblical signs preceding Jesus' return, including wars, famines, and earthquakes, noting that no one knows the specific hour of His return.
• Eschatology and End Times 00:06:13 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor defines eschatology as the study of the end times, referencing the book of Revelation and encouraging study of the subject while clarifying that Jesus' primary focus was preparation rather than detailed timelines.
• Current Cultural Climate 00:07:09 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor connects biblical signs to current global events like the Russia-Ukraine conflict and political polarization, noting the coldness of love among people.
• Preparation vs. Fear 00:09:34 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor clarifies that Jesus' warnings about the end times were intended to prepare disciples for persecution and hardship, not to scare them, emphasizing that believers cannot stop these events but must maintain their relationship with Christ.
• The Principle of Endurance 00:10:12 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor identifies 'endurance' as the non-negotiable principle for believers amidst the signs of the end times, citing Matthew 24:13 as the central takeaway.
• Endurance and Sovereignty 00:15:54 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor introduces the two key aspects of why Jesus told disciples to endure, starting with the concept that enduring accepts God's sovereignty.
• Definition of Sovereignty 00:16:16 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor defines sovereignty using Logos software, stating it means God reigns universally and invincibly with absolute ownership, authority, and control.
• Control vs. Trust 00:16:57 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor discusses the human desire for control versus the need to trust God, using examples of driving, flying, and hang gliding to illustrate when it is appropriate to let others be in control.
• Fear and Snare 00:20:12 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor cites Proverbs 29:25 to explain that the fear of man is a snare that causes us to want control, whereas trusting in the Lord provides protection.
• Eschatology and Control 00:20:53 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor questions the motivation behind studying end-times details, suggesting it may stem from a desire for control rather than genuine preparation.
• Biblical Examples of Endurance 00:21:53 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor lists biblical figures (Abraham, Job, Joseph, the friends of the paralyzed man, the woman with the issue of blood) who endured because they trusted in God's sovereignty.
• Sovereignty and Endurance 00:25:43 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor links the willingness to endure hardship directly to the belief in God's sovereignty, stating that enduring proves God is sovereign enough to handle any situation.
• Salvation and Hope 00:26:33 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor argues that salvation is not about making life easy but about providing hope in difficult times, allowing God to reveal and heal past pain.
• The Parable of the Sower 00:27:22 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the parable to explain that only those who hold onto God's word and endure produce fruit, identifying testing, worry, and riches as enemies to endurance.
• The Remnant 00:34:06 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor discusses the biblical concept of a 'remnant'—a leftover group of believers who love and honor God even during times of destruction, urging listeners to ask if they are part of this group.
• Sovereignty of God 00:36:08 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor challenges the congregation to believe in God's sovereignty, asking why they would not trust in someone who knows and sees everything.
• Endurance and Hope 00:36:33 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor asks if the congregation is willing to endure and have hope when circumstances do not improve, linking this to a relationship with God.
• Salvation and Foundation 00:36:56 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor connects enduring faith to seeing healing, restored relationships, and the dissipating of anxiety, contingent on having a firm foundation in God.

• Sermon Illustration 00:11:11 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts a childhood story from when he was 10 or 11 years old, where he broke his jaw in two places during a baseball practice after being hit by a pitch. He describes the subsequent six weeks of having his mouth wired shut, the difficulty of eating (specifically mentioning V8 juice and milkshakes), and the hope he found in knowing the wires would eventually be removed.
• Sermon Illustration 00:13:35 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal story about having wires on his teeth for six weeks, enduring the difficulty with hope that it would end, and then struggling to eat a cheeseburger afterward because his jaw muscles had atrophied.
• Sermon Illustration 00:18:31 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts a story about hang gliding in Lenore, North Carolina, where he trusted the experienced pilot to be in control rather than trying to manage the situation himself.
• Sermon Illustration 00:22:21 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the biblical story of Abraham being tested to sacrifice Isaac, enduring the journey up the mountain in faith that God was sovereign and would provide.
• Sermon Illustration 00:22:53 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the story of Job, who lost everything but never cursed God, enduring until God reminded him of His sovereignty and restored Job's life.
• Sermon Illustration 00:23:40 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the story of Joseph, who endured betrayal and imprisonment because he knew God was sovereign and would fulfill His dreams.
• Sermon Illustration 00:24:07 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the story of the friends of the paralyzed man who endured climbing the roof to lower their friend to Jesus, trusting in His sovereignty.
• Sermon Illustration 00:24:28 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the woman with the issue of blood who endured going through the crowd to touch Jesus, trusting in His sovereign power.
• Sermon Illustration 00:23:40 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts the story of Joseph, who endured betrayal and imprisonment because he knew God was sovereign and would bring his dreams to fruition.
• Sermon Illustration 00:24:10 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes friends who endured climbing through a roof to lower a paralyzed man to Jesus, resulting in his healing and forgiveness.
• Sermon Illustration 00:24:28 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor mentions a woman with an issue of blood who endured pushing through a crowd to touch Jesus' garment and was healed.
• Sermon Illustration 00:24:59 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes Jesus enduring humiliation, beatings, and death on the cross for the sake of humanity's salvation.
• Sermon Illustration 00:26:41 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about God revealing the source of his past pain and offering healing through salvation.
• Sermon Illustration 00:34:18 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the biblical story of Noah, who was found as a remnant of believers when God wiped out the earth due to destruction.
• Sermon Illustration 00:34:36 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the prophet Elijah, who felt alone but was reminded by God that a hidden remnant of believers still existed.

• Pastoral Charge 00:11:03 ▶️ 📄
  > Shout the word 'endure' and point to oneself while declaring 'I will endure'.
• Pastoral Charge 00:15:49 ▶️ 📄
  > Choose to endure through difficult circumstances.
• Pastoral Charge 00:21:19 ▶️ 📄
  > Examine personal motives regarding the study of end-times prophecy.
• Pastoral Charge 00:36:01 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor invites the congregation to close their eyes and internally examine their belief in God's sovereignty and their willingness to endure.
• Pastoral Charge 00:37:00 ▶️ 📄
  > Raise hand and verbally affirm trust in God's sovereignty, salvation, and foundation, followed by a public prayer of commitment.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus speaks of certain signs that will precede His return.
[00:00:07] He tells us we'll hear of wars and rumors of wars.
[00:00:11] There will be famines and earthquakes.
[00:00:14] Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
[00:00:20] And concerning that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, not even Jesus Himself.
[00:00:29] How should we respond in light of this?
[00:00:32] Some are fearful, others are disinterested.
[00:00:36] Some are ready, others are not.
[00:00:40] So it bears repeating again, since these are the words of Jesus for his followers.
[00:00:46] How should we respond in light of them?

[00:00:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Yeah!
[00:00:57] Hello, everybody.
[00:00:58] Good to see you.
[00:01:01] My name is Michael Singer, and I'm a pastor up at our Lake Norman campus.
[00:01:05] Also part of our teaching team, which I love here at the church.
[00:01:08] We get to have live communicators at all of our different campuses.
[00:01:12] I always love coming back to Central.
[00:01:14] Central is my home spot where I started out.
[00:01:16] Yeah!
[00:01:18] Yeah, somebody give that lady some money.
[00:01:20] Kim Munson over there.
[00:01:21] Thank you, lady.
[00:01:23] We're so glad you're here.
[00:01:24] We also have some people that are joining us live stream, so let's just shout out these people real quick.
[00:01:28] We have North Carolina, Wyoming, Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, California, Vermont, Iowa, Florida, New York, Connecticut, Texas, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, and Dominican Republic.
[00:01:41] Y'all make some noise for everybody watching live stream.
[00:01:44] Thank you for being here with us.
[00:01:46] Thank you for watching.
[00:01:48] I don't know if you saw the video, that guy that was on the video a moment ago, the preview talking about some announcements.
[00:01:53] I didn't really think he did a great job.
[00:01:57] I mean, gosh.
[00:02:00] So I need to reiterate one of the things he mentioned because he just was pitiful.
[00:02:05] So starting tomorrow night, Monday, for six consecutive weeks, we have Equip 101 and Equip 201.
[00:02:11] And if you've never done it, I would encourage you to just jump in with 101.
[00:02:14] But our whole vision here is to equip people.
[00:02:17] We want people to experience Christ's freedom.
[00:02:19] We want them to walk it out in everyday life and enjoy that.
[00:02:22] But we want to equip you.
[00:02:24] We don't want to be a place where you just come to hear someone preach on a platform and that's all we get.
[00:02:29] We want you to have every aspect of God in your life because we all have to walk out of this building and we all have to face life.
[00:02:35] And so Equip is wonderful for building a strong foundation.
[00:02:38] Even if you feel like, Michael, I know all the foundational things.
[00:02:41] There are some smart people in there teaching that.
[00:02:44] So please sign up for Equip 101.
[00:02:46] Sign up for Equip 201.
[00:02:47] 201 just goes deeper and broader in the things of God and those foundational things.
[00:02:53] I promise you, you won't regret it.
[00:02:54] Regret.
[00:02:55] Regwet it.
[00:02:57] I guess that's when you're upset, you pee yourself.
[00:02:59] Regwet it.
[00:03:05] Sorry.
[00:03:05] This is not starting very well.
[00:03:11] But it's fun, right?
[00:03:12] It's fun.
[00:03:14] You won't regret it.
[00:03:17] So sign up.
[00:03:17] Starts Monday, six consecutive weeks and have a great time.
[00:03:20] And let's just give it up for our senior pastors.
[00:03:22] I love the fact that...
[00:03:24] We get to do things like that.
[00:03:26] I love the fact that we want to equip people.
[00:03:28] We want people to be able to have a strong relationship with God and let Sunday be one great aspect of that, but so many other aspects to grow.
[00:03:36] All right, let's get into the message today before I keep messing up words and just making this very interesting.
[00:03:43] So we've been talking about Signs of the Times.
[00:03:44] Y'all been enjoying this series, Signs of the Times.
[00:03:48] I want to jump right into this main passage of scripture and let me just set it up real quickly but Jesus and the disciples are walking out of the temple and the disciples are almost looking around at the temple and all of its beauty and they're like oh Jesus look at how beautiful all this is and Jesus tells them don't get wrapped up in all the beauty of this temple because this entire thing is going to be torn down
[00:04:13] Matter of fact, stone by stone is going to be uncovered and they're going to be broken apart.
[00:04:17] And then it says this in Matthew chapter 24 verses 3 through 14.
[00:04:23] It says, While he was sitting, talking about Jesus, on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, Tell us, when will these things happen?
[00:04:32] When will this temple be destroyed?
[00:04:34] And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?
[00:04:39] Jesus replied to them, watch out that no one deceives you.
[00:04:43] Isn't it interesting that he didn't really answer their question yet.
[00:04:46] The first thing he said is make sure nobody deceives you.
[00:04:50] For many will come in my name saying I am the Messiah and they will deceive many.
[00:04:54] You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars.
[00:04:57] See that you are not alarmed because these things must take place, but the end is not yet.
[00:05:03] For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
[00:05:07] There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
[00:05:10] All these events are the beginning of labor pains.
[00:05:14] And anybody, any lady that's had birth in here, it's just the beginning.
[00:05:20] Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and they will kill you.
[00:05:23] You will be hated by all nations because of my name.
[00:05:26] Then many will fall away.
[00:05:27] They'll betray one another and hate one another.
[00:05:30] Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
[00:05:33] Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold.
[00:05:38] But the one who endures till the end will be saved.
[00:05:43] this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come there's this word eschatology eschatology just means study of the end times and a lot of times in church or if you've been around church for a while you're familiar with the bible at all a lot of times when we think of the end times we think of revelation revelation is that book that talks about some stuff that's sometimes hard to understand but it's talking about
[00:06:13] The end times and these things to come yet Jesus is mentioning just a broad stroke for his disciples about the end times and if you want to get really wrapped up in studying the end times you're really curious you want to get into the details of the nitty-gritty of it there are a lot of great books that have been written out there there's actually a gentleman that uh we used to know back in the day in the early days of the church pastor troy had a great relationship with this gentleman by the name of jay zen who at the time was a pastor i think he
[00:06:42] is not pastoring but begin to write a lot of books and he wrote a lot about eschatology the end times he wrote a lot of discipleship books walking through this and just unpacking that and i would encourage you uh to check that out check out other books but dive in as much as you want to dive in or if you just want to have a general idea it's good to know that the end times are coming and it's good to have a general idea of like oh that's interesting
[00:07:09] And I think if we stop and look at our world today and we read a passage of Scripture like this and we read things like wars and rumors of wars, we think of all the things going on around the world.
[00:07:20] We think of Russia and Ukraine.
[00:07:21] We think of Israel, Palestine, Hamas.
[00:07:24] We think of all these things that are going on.
[00:07:26] We think of the love of many growing cold.
[00:07:29] and we think of how paralyzed and how polarized our country is and even around the world and how we talk about we need to love each other but nobody seems to be doing anything to do that it's just growing cold people are angry at each other people are mad at each other nobody wants to sit down and talk about anything anymore when we think about all that we think about this current climate and i think it's a very unique time at least for me in all the 48 years of my life this is a very unique time and it gets you thinking
[00:07:57] Man, is this the last of the last days?
[00:08:00] And here's the great thing.
[00:08:03] Jesus said that nobody knows the hour.
[00:08:07] There are people, I imagine there were times where the disciples probably thought, Jesus is going to come back.
[00:08:14] I remember people were drinking purple Kool-Aid thinking, Jesus is coming back.
[00:08:19] Or somebody's coming back.
[00:08:20] Maybe not Jesus.
[00:08:20] I don't know what they were thinking.
[00:08:22] They at least thought the world was going to end.
[00:08:23] And then how many of you were around for Y2K, the year 2000?
[00:08:26] Boy, we thought computers weren't going to work.
[00:08:30] I wish that would have happened.
[00:08:31] I wouldn't have to deal with a computer.
[00:08:35] But like nothing happened.
[00:08:36] We were all worked up.
[00:08:37] We don't know the hour, but Jesus is clear.
[00:08:41] His word is clear.
[00:08:43] There are signs of the times.
[00:08:44] So when he's telling his disciples this, I wish he would have said, here's the signs of the times.
[00:08:51] People are gonna reunite.
[00:08:53] Family members that were broken and hurt, that hate each other, they're gonna come back together.
[00:08:57] You're gonna see all the world come together.
[00:08:58] You're gonna see people accept my gospel.
[00:09:01] You're gonna see people being willing to sit down and listen to who I am and know that I'm the Savior.
[00:09:06] Nations and groups that never got along are finally gonna get along, but he doesn't say any of that.
[00:09:12] Most everything he says is not fun at all.
[00:09:15] It's not good.
[00:09:16] It's not nice.
[00:09:17] It's not pleasant.
[00:09:18] It's not something that we would ever want to look forward to.
[00:09:20] The only part of that that's good is he says that his word and who he is will be spread around to all the nations.
[00:09:27] That's the good part, that the gospel of Jesus Christ will be made known to more people than it ever had been before.
[00:09:34] But he's not trying to scare the disciples.
[00:09:36] Just like this whole idea of the signs of the times or us even thinking about
[00:09:41] What's going on currently in our cultural climate in this day and age is not to scare us.
[00:09:46] He wasn't trying to scare the disciples.
[00:09:49] He was just trying to prepare them.
[00:09:52] He was trying to prepare them to know that these things are going to happen and what you do with me and your relationship with me is paramount when all this stuff goes down.
[00:10:03] That there's nothing we're going to do to stop it.
[00:10:06] There's nothing we're going to do to change it.
[00:10:08] That these events are going to happen.
[00:10:12] I want to focus on one particular verse in this entire passage that I just read.
[00:10:16] because you and I could discuss and we could disagree about tribulation are we going to go before tribulation happens we're going to be here during tribulation or
[00:10:23] We're going to go after Tribulation.
[00:10:24] We can discuss and have conversations around all these different things, what we think about this and what we think about that.
[00:10:29] But I want to pull a principle out of this passage of Scripture that in the midst of all these signs of the end times, in the midst of us seeing all these things, wars and rumors of wars, people hating each other, believers being hated for their belief, all those things in the midst of it, there is a principle that we are called to.
[00:10:48] that is not arguable, that we can't disagree on.
[00:10:52] Jesus himself said, in the midst of all this, this is the principle to extract.
[00:10:57] It's found in verse 13, it says, the one who endures till the end will be saved.
[00:11:03] Everybody shout endure.
[00:11:05] Come on, shout it again, endure.
[00:11:07] Now point to yourself and say, I will endure.
[00:11:11] When I was about 10 or 11 years old, I was standing on third base at my baseball practice.
[00:11:17] and I'm standing on third and our coach is pitching and he pitched the ball to home plate and it went past the catcher to the backstop and at this particular practice field the backstop was pretty far away.
[00:11:30] Now when this happens, the first thought for me as a runner is that I'm gonna steal home base.
[00:11:37] Now typically what happens is the pitcher runs to home base in hopes that the catcher will get the ball, throw it back to the pitcher, and they can tag me out.
[00:11:45] That's the whole plan.
[00:11:47] I start running fast.
[00:11:50] I was fast back then.
[00:11:51] I feel like that was the fastest I got.
[00:11:53] I don't think I got ever any faster than back then when I was 10 or 11.
[00:11:57] I was fast and I was moving.
[00:11:59] I had no concerns.
[00:12:00] I looked over the pitcher the coach he hadn't even left the mound he wasn't even coming in so I'm like there's nobody to tag me I got this easy I'm running I'm about a step away from touching home plate and I look over at the catcher and I'm looking this way and I see the catcher finally grabbed the ball
[00:12:18] And he grabs that ball and in one motion, sidearm, he throws it as hard as he can sideways.
[00:12:25] And I'm looking at him and when I see his hand do that, I turn my head and the baseball hits me and breaks my jaw in two places.
[00:12:34] I had to have my mouth wired shut for six weeks.
[00:12:37] Let me just tell you, if you want an adventure in life and you want to figure some stuff out real new, wire your mouth shut together for six weeks.
[00:12:46] I'm like 10 or 11 years old.
[00:12:47] This is detrimental for a kid like this.
[00:12:51] So I had to learn a lot of things new.
[00:12:54] The obvious one is eating.
[00:12:56] I no longer could just eat whatever I wanted to.
[00:13:00] I had to figure out what can I put in a blender and actually get down my throat.
[00:13:03] And when my mouth was wired shut and my teeth were together, the biggest gaps I had for stuff to go through was in the back of my mouth.
[00:13:13] I tried kiwi fruit one time.
[00:13:14] Doesn't work.
[00:13:15] The seeds clogged the holes up and I couldn't get anything down.
[00:13:18] I could do a milkshake from Burger King, but McDonald's?
[00:13:21] I couldn't do their milkshake.
[00:13:22] It was too thick.
[00:13:25] I had to learn how to like V8 juice, y'all.
[00:13:29] Ugh!
[00:13:30] I told Lake Norman I'd rather lick a dog's back than drink V8 juice.
[00:13:35] My daughter asked me if that was a country saying.
[00:13:37] I said, I don't know, but I'm from the country and I like to say it, so maybe it is.
[00:13:43] VA juice, oh, but I figured out I drink VA juice all the time.
[00:13:46] I did very well.
[00:13:47] I had to figure out was I gonna be able to talk at all?
[00:13:50] My sixth grade teacher said, Michael, you got your mouth wire shut, you still talking.
[00:13:54] So I did figure that out, I learned how to talk.
[00:13:57] I had to carry around wire snips with me because if I were to get sick to where I was gonna throw up, start to be gross, I had to wire snip so I didn't like choke to death on myself.
[00:14:05] It was crazy, it was a wild time.
[00:14:07] But I figured out I had to endure a lot of new things.
[00:14:10] But I knew, the one thing I knew is that six weeks when I get these bad boys off, I'm back to regular life.
[00:14:16] And man, that created so much hope in me.
[00:14:19] Even though I had to endure all that, I had hope that six weeks it was going to end.
[00:14:25] Six weeks came.
[00:14:25] They snipped them off, got them all done, and my hope almost got dashed in one instance.
[00:14:30] Here's what happened.
[00:14:31] I told my mom, when I get these wires off, all I want is a cheeseburger from McDonald's because I wanted to experience heaven.
[00:14:45] I grabbed that cheeseburger, and I went to bite.
[00:14:48] Nobody in the medical community, nobody, thought to tell me, hey, Michael, you haven't used your jaw for six weeks.
[00:14:55] Those muscles are not gonna really know what to do, and they're gonna take some working back into.
[00:15:00] So when I took that first bite, I was like, and then I just started to cry.
[00:15:06] I know.
[00:15:07] Oh, it was sad.
[00:15:08] I finished that cheeseburger, though.
[00:15:13] No doubt.
[00:15:16] I had to endure a lot, but I had this hope.
[00:15:19] Six weeks it was going to be done.
[00:15:22] We don't know the end of the days.
[00:15:23] We don't know the exact time.
[00:15:25] Sometimes when we're going through hard circumstances, we don't know when that circumstance is going to end.
[00:15:29] I had the caveat of knowing that there was six weeks.
[00:15:31] That's why Jesus said that we have to endure.
[00:15:33] So we have to find hope.
[00:15:34] Where do we find that hope?
[00:15:35] If we can't find it in a time, we have to find it in the Almighty One who can deliver, who can change, who can grow, who can do whatever.
[00:15:42] That no matter how bad it gets, that we are gonna be good, but we have to endure.
[00:15:47] There's no two ways about it.
[00:15:49] We either choose to endure or we get destroyed in the process.
[00:15:52] Those are the options.
[00:15:54] As I talk about enduring today,
[00:15:56] I want to talk about what I think are two key aspects of why Jesus told the disciples that day to endure and why he tells us as believers to endure.
[00:16:04] The first aspect of enduring that I think is so important is that enduring accepts God's sovereignty.
[00:16:11] Enduring accepts that God is sovereign.
[00:16:16] I have this study software on my computer for the Bible it's called Logos and I was searching back and I just put in this word sovereignty and I loved the the first definition that popped up and I want to read it to you says this about sovereignty it says to affirm that God is sovereign is to affirm God reigns universally and invincibly
[00:16:39] God's sovereignty implies His absolute ownership, His absolute authority, and His absolute control over all things.
[00:16:49] How many of y'all, when you are driving in a car, you don't like to ride with someone else, you prefer to have control of the wheel?
[00:16:57] Just raise your hand up and don't be scared.
[00:16:59] Nobody's going to hell over this.
[00:17:02] Okay, I was talking to one of the young ladies going on the cruise and the ladies went on their cruise and she's like, I got to be on a plane, I got to be on a cruise.
[00:17:09] I was like, what's the problem?
[00:17:10] She said, I'm just, I'm not going to be able to be in control.
[00:17:14] I know there are times my wife has put her hand on me and said, you need to calm down right now because I'm about to jump into some situation and take control.
[00:17:24] A buddy of mine reminded me, he said, Pastor Michael, do you remember, this is Sean Batson, he was like, do you remember of the drive-thru windows, how you do?
[00:17:32] And I'm like, oh boy, my family knows this very well.
[00:17:35] When I go through a drive-thru window, before we get up to the window, I don't even like going when there's a group of people.
[00:17:41] Because the last thing I want to do is sit at that drive-thru window and go, hold on, I'm trying to figure out what everybody else is trying to figure out what they want.
[00:17:47] We were sitting in that car and I'm going, alright, everybody know what you want?
[00:17:50] What do you want?
[00:17:51] What kind of drink you gonna get?
[00:17:52] What sauce?
[00:17:52] Do you want sauce with that?
[00:17:54] I'm fighting everything and if we don't have it lined out, I am parking that car and we walk it in.
[00:17:59] And everybody's ordered.
[00:18:00] That's the kind of control I like.
[00:18:03] I like to be in control.
[00:18:04] I'm not trying to look like no dummy in front of that, you know, thing.
[00:18:09] But there are moments and times where you want other people to be in control because they have some credentials that are good.
[00:18:17] Like when I walk onto an airplane, no matter how scared I am, I don't want to walk up to the cockpit and say, hey, Jim, I got this today.
[00:18:24] I don't care if I did sleep at a Holiday Inn or whatever that commercial is.
[00:18:28] I want that person to be in control.
[00:18:31] Jalae and I in August celebrated 20 years of being married.

[00:18:35] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Yup.

[00:18:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
yeah yeah i don't know y'all are clapping for her because she had to put up with all this she called me and we were planning on just getting an airbnb just past hickory and uh we were just going to do some different things go to blowing rocket stuff and so she called me one day and was like hey you want to go hang gliding and it's funny when i told people we were doing this they thought i suggested it was her
[00:19:03] She thought I was going to say no, and I said, sure, let's do it.
[00:19:07] So we show up, Lenore, North Carolina.
[00:19:09] If you have not been hang gliding, you need to do that.
[00:19:12] I'm not like some thrill seeker like heights, but hang gliding is a blast.
[00:19:17] But when we showed up to that property in Lenore, do you know what the guy didn't say that I was thankful for?
[00:19:23] He didn't say, all right, sir, there's the hang glider.
[00:19:26] That plane is going to pull you up.
[00:19:28] You grab onto the bars of that hang glider.
[00:19:30] Good luck.
[00:19:32] He didn't like leave me in charge and I've never hang glided.
[00:19:36] Is that the right?
[00:19:36] I don't know if that's the right word.
[00:19:38] Here's what did.
[00:19:39] Here's what happened.
[00:19:40] The guy who had taken nearly 3,000 people up in the sky with zero accidents,
[00:19:44] The guy that had a parachute inside his vest on his chest, that's the guy that flew us up that we were tandem with.
[00:19:51] That's the times that I want somebody else to be in control.
[00:19:54] That's why Jesus is saying we have to endure because endure recognizes there's a God who's sovereign that knows way more than I do and I don't need to know everything.
[00:20:02] And the minute I try to know everything, I don't need a God anymore.
[00:20:06] So I'm gonna lean into the one who does know everything.
[00:20:10] But it is hard to give up control.
[00:20:12] Proverbs 29 25 says this the fear of mankind is a snare but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected fear causes us to want to be in control either fear of someone else and what they think or a fear of what's about to unfold fear wants us to keep us in control but the word tells us that's a snare it'll snag us it'll choke us out every time but when we trust in God when we realize God you're sovereign and I'm going to endure I can trust your sovereignty because you are the one
[00:20:42] that created the heavens and earth.
[00:20:44] I didn't do that, so I can trust you.
[00:20:46] When we lean into that, then we are protected.
[00:20:51] Control could even keep in.
[00:20:53] When we think about this topic of the signs of the times.
[00:20:55] I think it's a great question if you are super interested in to get into all the details of the end of the times and knowing what this means and figuring out what this means and looking at the current things going on in our culture and our world and going, oh, you know what?
[00:21:08] Revelation talked about this and that lines up with this.
[00:21:11] No matter how much you want to get into the details of it, the best question to ask ourselves is why do I want to know those details?
[00:21:19] Do I want to know them so I can feel prepared?
[00:21:21] Or do I want to know them because it makes me feel like I have some control?
[00:21:26] That I can actually know what goes on and I feel a little safer because though I don't know the day, I at least have an idea and can see some stuff working.
[00:21:34] That's a great question that we have to ask ourselves.
[00:21:37] Philippians 1 verse 6.
[00:21:39] It says, I'm sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion into the day of Christ Jesus.
[00:21:47] That is our hope, that even in the midst of hard times we can endure because the one who started the work
[00:21:53] he's a finisher he looks at you and me and he goes I started to work in you and I know it's hard and I know that thing you thought was gonna happen got real difficult and you think it's not gonna happen anymore but I am somebody who likes to finish and I'm going to finish what I started if you'll just endure and hold on when you look at the Bible there are tons of people that understood this principle of enduring because God was sovereign God named Abraham Abraham and Sarah had their only son Isaac
[00:22:21] and as soon as they had him God said I want you to take your son and sacrifice him and kill him
[00:22:25] Abraham had to endure up a mountain with his son carrying the wood that he was going to sacrifice his son on and he had to endure in hoax and faith that there was a God who was sovereign enough that was going to meet him at the top of that mountain and his son was going to live and that's exactly what happened as he endured up that mountain believing in God's sovereignty when he got up there God redeemed the situation he restored his son and he had a ram in the bush
[00:22:51] To put and to sacrifice.
[00:22:53] There's a guy named Job.
[00:22:54] He lost everything.
[00:22:56] Even on my worst day, I don't even have a smidgen close to what Job went through.
[00:22:59] Job lost everything.
[00:23:01] And he had some questions for God, but he never cursed God.
[00:23:03] He shared God his heart, but he never cursed God.
[00:23:06] And then when you get to the end of Job, God waited about 30-something chapters to say anything.
[00:23:11] And when he spoke, all he did is reminded Job of his sovereignty.
[00:23:16] and Job said you're right I lost sight of things I was I was starting to question you on this but I don't need to question because I can endure because you're sovereign and the minute Job got back in line with his sovereignty and he was okay with enduring through it God restored everything twofold in his life that he ever had a guy named Joseph had a dream God gave him a dream
[00:23:40] and then he had his brothers almost kill him and then throw him in a pit then he ended up in jail being wrongfully accused but he still used his dreams and his gifts and he endured through it all because he knew that God was sovereign and he knew that God was going to do something on the other side and he didn't retaliate against his brothers when he saw him again because he knew that God was sovereign
[00:24:00] And because he knew that, that dream that he had when he was a boy got brought to fruition when he was an old man and made it all happen.
[00:24:07] There was a young man paralyzed on a mat, couldn't move.
[00:24:10] His friends picked him up.
[00:24:11] They endured.
[00:24:12] When they got to the crowd where Jesus was at the house, they couldn't get in so they endured climbing up on the roof.
[00:24:17] They endured busting that roof open.
[00:24:19] They lowered their friend down.
[00:24:20] Their friend's sins were forgiven and he was restored and he walked because they knew there was a sovereign man inside that house by the name of Jesus.
[00:24:28] and they got into him there's a woman with an issue of blood 12 years she bled she went out into the crowd should have never been out there based off of Jewish law should have never been running through that crowd because she was unclean but she knew there was a sovereign man walking through the city that day she didn't need to talk to him she didn't need to have a conversation she just needed to touch his garment she knew that was enough so she endured through that crowd and when she got to the sovereign Jesus and she touched the hem of his garment she was healed and she was restored there was a man named Jesus he gave up everything in heaven
[00:24:59] ultimate humility gave up everything and he came down to earth he was berated by the religious leaders he was talked bad about he was beat and even when he was like if there's another way do it god but he said i'm willing to endure because you're sovereign he left the side of god where he was sovereign along with god and he endured and in enduring he was following the sovereignty of his father god
[00:25:27] And He died on that cross for you and me.
[00:25:31] Whenever we think about the end times, no matter what things we hear, no matter what things we see, no matter what things that line up, we have to ask ourselves, am I going to endure?
[00:25:43] Because if I'm willing to endure, then that means I'm willing to say that my God is sovereign enough.
[00:25:48] That no matter how bad this gets, that God is still sovereign.
[00:25:53] Enduring accepts that God is sovereign.
[00:25:57] But enduring is also a part of salvation.
[00:26:01] Enduring is a part of our salvation.
[00:26:05] When we truly give our life to God, when we truly move past maybe the emotions and feelings that are involved with understanding there's a God who loves us and we accept the relationship with Him and we invite Him into our life to lead our life, when we truly walk in that, do you know it's not easy and it doesn't make life easy?
[00:26:25] Don't ever let anybody tell you that salvation is some easy thing.
[00:26:31] It's not about ease.
[00:26:33] It's about hope.
[00:26:34] Salvation is not about making life easier.
[00:26:36] It's about giving us hope whenever life gets tough.
[00:26:41] I love salvation and my relationship with God because the things that have been dark in my life that I could not see, God took the veil and he ripped it open and said, that is where that pain comes from, Michael.
[00:26:53] That is why you act the way you do, Michael.
[00:26:56] Now you can do something about it.
[00:26:57] You can let me in to heal it.
[00:27:00] Salvation is hard because we see a lot more, but it's hopeful because now we have one who can change that and who can heal us and who can correct and who can make us better and who can show us the sin that has been tormenting our life and can turn our lives around in just a moment.
[00:27:19] Jesus is talking to a crowd of people
[00:27:22] One day, and he tells this parable.
[00:27:24] It's a parable about a farmer who's throwing seeds out.
[00:27:27] As that farmer throws seeds, the seeds land on four different places.
[00:27:32] Some land on the side of the road, and the birds just take them.
[00:27:37] Some land in rocky soil, and because it's shallow, there's not enough moisture, and they try to grow, but they die out.
[00:27:44] Some grow or are tossed amongst thorns and they start to grow up but the thorns and everything choke it out and it never lives and die it ends up dying and then some it says was thrown on good soil and after the crowd is kind of gone Jesus has his disciples come over to him and they're like uh excuse me master can you can you tell us what you meant by that parable
[00:28:08] And so when he breaks it down to them and he talks about the good soil, I want you to hear what Jesus said in Luke chapter 8 verse 15 about the good ground the seed landed on.
[00:28:18] It says, But the seed and the good ground, these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring produce fruit.
[00:28:33] By enduring, it means we have to be willing to take the truth of God's Word as the seed in our life, grab onto it, hold onto it, but if we want to see fruit, we have to be willing to endure.
[00:28:48] The benefit of the good ground is only when we are willing to endure through the hard times of life.
[00:28:54] When we're willing to push through.
[00:28:56] I also love this passage that Jesus talks about with this parable of the sower and the seed because he tells us in that scripture what the enemies to enduring are.
[00:29:08] He talks about times of testing.
[00:29:10] that that's an enemy to us enduring that when life hits and we're tested we lose somebody we have you know get a get a diagnosis that we don't like this hard time a good friend you know leaves us that we've had for a long time when we're tested it's easy for us to be choked out by the vines and choked out by the thorns another enemy to enduring would be worrying
[00:29:33] Anxious.
[00:29:34] The Bible clearly tells us don't worry about anything.
[00:29:38] God takes care of the birds and see those beautiful flowers?
[00:29:40] He's taking care of them.
[00:29:41] How much more is He going to take care of His children?
[00:29:45] Another thing that is an enemy to enduring is riches and pleasures of life.
[00:29:51] That we maybe hear God's Word and we think, man, I want that.
[00:29:56] But then we begin to indulge in the things of life.
[00:29:58] We begin to chase the dreams that we have, chase the things that we want, and we get so wrapped up in the riches and the pursuits of life that it just dies out and those weeds come in and choke it out and it never has a chance to grow because we aren't willing to endure in order to understand and see the fruit that Jesus intended for us.
[00:30:19] Here's what Hebrews chapter 10 says, verse 32 through 36.
[00:30:22] It says, remember the earlier days?
[00:30:26] When after you had been enlightened, so Paul is talking to people that have accepted Jesus, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings.
[00:30:34] Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way.
[00:30:41] For you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, because you know that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession.
[00:30:50] So don't throw away your confidence which has a great reward.
[00:30:54] For you need endurance so that after you have done God's will you may receive what was promised.
[00:31:00] Doesn't that sound exactly like what Jesus told his disciples?
[00:31:03] The one who endures will be saved.
[00:31:05] The one who endures will receive the promise.
[00:31:08] In other words, Paul is saying, look, don't let the things of life squash your confidence.
[00:31:13] Don't let the scary things that you hear around you squash our confidence.
[00:31:19] Don't let it.
[00:31:20] Endure.
[00:31:22] Because if we grab onto God's Word and we're willing to endure, then it's the endurance that produces and allows us to experience the very best He has for us, to experience the promises that He's laid out for you and me.
[00:31:37] One of the great things about endurance being a part of salvation is that it's not only part of our salvation, but when we walk out and endure, we actually get to reveal salvation to other people around us.
[00:31:50] Here's what Paul said.
[00:31:51] He's talking to Timothy, 2 Timothy 2, verse 10.
[00:31:56] This is why I, Paul's saying that for himself, this is why I, Paul, endure all things for the elect, so that they also may obtain salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
[00:32:08] Paul is like hey look I've endured prison I've done all this I'm doing it for those that have a relationship with God I'm doing it for the elect I'm doing it even for the Jews that haven't believed because if they see my life and they know that I was the guy that killed people but now I'm the guy talking about a man Jesus who can save and change and deliver and restore people if they see me enduring and living out my salvation then maybe that will give them enough to want to know a true and living God for themselves
[00:32:39] Jesus, He didn't die just so He could get back to heaven and be by God's throne and go, whew!
[00:32:47] That was rough down there with those people.
[00:32:49] They didn't even believe who I was.
[00:32:51] He wasn't doing it just to get off earth and get back to God.
[00:32:55] He died and He endured for you and me.
[00:32:59] It was all for our salvation.
[00:33:01] Here's what Hebrews 12, 3 says.
[00:33:03] It says, For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself,
[00:33:09] So that you won't grow weary and that we won't give up.
[00:33:13] If you will stand to your feet with me.
[00:33:16] So we won't grow weary and we won't give up.
[00:33:23] Jesus endured all that he endured so that you and I could have new life.
[00:33:30] So that you and I didn't have to be bound by all the troubles and things going on.
[00:33:36] So that though we hear rumors of war, though people hate each other, though the love of many grows cold, nation rises against nation, though all these things are happening, we can rest in His hope and we can stand in His assurance because He is sovereign.
[00:33:57] When you read the Bible, there's plenty of times where destruction happened.
[00:34:03] But I always love what God did.
[00:34:06] In the midst of moments of destruction, there was always what was called a remnant, meaning there was a leftover group of people that were willing to love and honor God.
[00:34:18] God was ready to wipe out everyone on the earth.
[00:34:21] Everyone!
[00:34:22] But he found a man named Noah, who loved him and honored him.
[00:34:27] And through that man,
[00:34:29] He allowed the rest of humankind to stay around and He birthed a new generation of people through that man.
[00:34:36] There was a prophet named Elijah.
[00:34:38] Probably did one of the greatest miracles of the Bible.
[00:34:40] It was like the highest moment you could ever have.
[00:34:43] And the next page he's like running for his life and he's done and he feels like he's the only one that's left that loves God.
[00:34:50] And God reminds him, you're not the only one Elijah.
[00:34:52] There's a remnant of believers that you don't even know about and they're waiting and I'm gonna pull them up and I'm gonna draw them out.
[00:34:59] When Judah and Israel were conquered by other nations, there was always a remnant of people that loved God.
[00:35:06] Do you know the question that is very easy to ask especially nowadays for us in this climate that we live in it's very easy to say when is it going to get better and that's the wrong question I'm here to tell you that question will never have an answer that's going to make you feel good because it's not going to get better Jesus told his disciples all the stuff he said
[00:35:34] There's nothing in that list that I would call better.
[00:35:38] It's not going to get better.
[00:35:40] Here's the only question we need to ask.
[00:35:43] When everything's crazy around us, not is it going to get better.
[00:35:47] The question is, am I a part of the remnant?
[00:35:52] Do I have a relationship with God?
[00:35:55] Is my life solidified on a sound foundation?
[00:35:58] Do I have hope when everything doesn't get better?
[00:36:01] If you will, just close your eyes with me.
[00:36:04] That's the question I have for you today.
[00:36:08] Do you believe God is sovereign?
[00:36:11] And if you don't, why not?
[00:36:15] Why not believe in someone who knows everything, sees everything, and will have our back, and gives us a hope in heaven?
[00:36:25] Why not rest in Him instead of worrying about all the stuff going on?
[00:36:30] Do you know He's sovereign?
[00:36:32] Will we endure?
[00:36:33] Are you willing to endure right now?
[00:36:35] Do you want that relationship so that you can put your life and your hand on a firm foundation and you can put your life in good soil where as you endure through life and you look to the hope of a sovereign God and you understand that salvation is key but there's going to be enduring that you'll begin to see the fruit in your life that God always intended.
[00:36:56] You'll begin to see healing in your life that God intended emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
[00:37:00] you'll begin to see relationships restored you'll begin to see the anxiety and the worry that you've been carrying for so long that God will just allow it to begin to dissipate if you want to if you want to endure if you want a relationship with God if you want to believe that God is sovereign today then today's your day all I want you to do on the count of three is to raise your hand one two three just lift your hand up say God I trust your sovereignty I see hands going up all over God I trust your salvation
[00:37:28] God I trust in your foundation just raise your hand up no matter what craziness goes on I can rest in you I can have hope in you I can have belief in you I trust in you today God once you put your hand up you can put it down is there anybody else just raise your hand up say God I want you I want you I want to say a prayer
[00:37:49] and as we say this prayer I want you to say it loud so you can hear yourself especially if you raise your hand everyone here join in with them if you're watching online and you gave your life to the Lord I want you to say this prayer as loud as you can say God I love you and I thank you that Jesus endured with me in mind so today I call you my sovereign God because Jesus died for me
[00:38:18] and he was raised from the dead for me I will endure no matter what comes I can have hope because I know you the God of heaven the God of earth and the God of my life so I rest in you in Jesus name Amen