Endurance: The Resilient Virtue

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(Rom 5:3 KJV) "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;"

(Rom 5:4 KJV) "And patience, experience; and experience, hope:"

(Rom 5:5 KJV) "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

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Endurance is admired in swimmers, bikers, and marathon runners, but have you considered its importance in the Christian life? The Christian journey is a long, hard walk that requires the endurance of an Olympic athlete or Tour de France cyclist. This sermon reminds the hearer of its value and how to implement it in one’s life.

1. Honesty: The Complete Virtue (2 Kings 12:1-16)

2. Godliness: The Serious Virtue (1 Cor. 10:1-13)

3. Contentment: The Learned Virtue (Phil. 4:10-13)

4. Usefulness: The Impact Virtue (Luke 5:1-11)

5. Endurance: The Resilient Virtue (Rom. 5:3-5)

Introduction:

On a consumer flight from Portland , Maine , to Boston in the summer of 1987, the pilot heard an unusual noise near the rear of the aircraft. Henry Dempsey turned the controls over to his copilot and went back to check it out. As he reached the tail section, the plane hit an air pocket, and Dempsey was tossed against the rear door. He quickly discovered the source of the mysterious noise. The rear door had not been properly latched prior to takeoff and it fell open. Dempsey was instantly sucked out of the jet.

The copilot, seeing the red light on the control panel that indicated an open door, radioed the nearest airport requesting permission to make an emergency landing. He reported that Dempsey had fallen out of the plane and requested that a helicopter be dispatched to search the area of the ocean.

After the plane had landed, the ground crew found Henry Dempsey holding onto the outdoor ladder of the aircraft. Somehow, he had caught the ladder and managed to hold on for 10 minutes as the plane flew 200mph at an altitude of 4,000 feet. What is more, as the plane made its approach and landed, Dempsey had kept his head from hitting the runway, a mere 12 inches away. According to news reports, it took several airport personnel more than a few minutes to pry the pilot’s fingers from the ladder.

That is a picture of endurance—the ability to hang on when it would have been easier to let go. Many people are blessed with certain attributes, but endurance jumps to the forefront for success in any endeavor. Endurance is the key that keeps us from giving up and letting go.

Endurance “the power of going on in spite of difficulties.” Popular colloquial phrases describe it as: “Keep on keeping on.” “Hang in there.” “Put up with it.” “Stick-to-itiveness.” “Don’t quit.” Its synonyms are determination, perseverance, tenacity, plodding, stamina, and backbone. When endurance is used in the Bible it means “to abide under,” “to bear up courageously,” and “to tarry or wait.”

Henry Dempsey would just say it is holding on for dear life.

The Bible considers endurance a priority. Paul expressed its importance in character development,

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(Rom 5:3 KJV) "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;"

(Rom 5:4 KJV) "And patience, experience; and experience, hope:"

(Rom 5:5 KJV) "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

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The writer of Hebrews also knew that perseverance was mandatory in the pursuit of character.

(Heb 10:36 KJV) "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise."

The following practical secrets will enable you to develop perseverance.

1. Accept the Unchangeable

Accept those things in life that cannot be changed. William Barclay described endurance as “the courageous acceptance of everything life can do to us and the transmitting of even the worst event into another step on the upward way.” Let’s face it, some events and circumstances are inevitable. Sometimes life is not fair. Injustices creep into every one’s arena. Sometimes, in one way or another, we fall out of unlocked airplane doors.

It helps to remember that God is in charge of our lives. His desire is for us to grow in the likeness of his Son. So whatever enters our life—unfavorable circumstances, tragic events, or irritating people—is for the development of character. Be it good, bad, or indifferent our response to life’s irritants forms our character.

The oyster and its pearl provide a beautiful picture of a positive response to life’s irritants. The pearl is a product of pain. An alien substance—a grain of sand—slips inside the oyster’s shell. On the entry of that foreign irritant, all the resources within the tiny, sensitive oyster rush to the spot and begin to release healing fluids that otherwise would have remained dormant. Eventually the irritant is covered and the wound healed by a pearl. No other gem has so fascinating a history. It is the symbol of stress. The precious, tiny jewel is conceived through irritation, born of adversity. Had there been no wounding, no irritating interruption, there could have been no pearl.

J. B. Phillips understood this as he paraphrased James 1:2-4: “When all kinds of trials crowd into your lives, my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realize that they have come to test your endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find you have become men (and women) of mature character.”

2. Adjust to the Obstacles

A young naval captain was commanding his first battleship. As it pierced through the ocean one night, a light was spotted in the darkened distance coming directly toward the ship.

The commander radioed, “Alter your course ten degrees.”

The reply came shortly, “No, you alter your course ten degrees.”

The undaunted captain angrily sent a message, “Alter your course, I am a destroyer.”

The reply came quickly, “Alter your course, I am a lighthouse.”

Sometimes we have to adjust our way to fit the realities of life. Solomon wrote,

(Prov 22:3 KJV) "A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished."

Some circumstances are unavoidable. Disappointments are certain. Obstacles are sure. Losses will occur. The person with perseverance acknowledges the road blocks and makes adjustments.

Thomas Carlyle noted, “The block of granite that was an obstacle in the pathway of the weak becomes a stepping stone in the pathway of the strong.”

When the obstacles of life are stacked before us we can adjust by going around, climbing over, or tunneling under.

Are you allowing intrusions to distort and disfigure your life? Are their circumstances or people in your life that you have been trying to change? Why not transform these obstacles into growth blocks by learning to adjust?

When we adjust to the detours of life God reveals some of his marvelous handiwork off the beaten trail. Don’t think of adjustment as failure, think of it as an education. Hang on, see what God has in store for you around the next bend in the road.

3. Abide with Patience

Someone once said, “You can do anything if you have patience. You can carry water in a sieve —if you wait until it freezes.”

Unfortunately, most of us aren’t that patient. When we need it, we usually pray, “Lord, give me patience . . . and I want it now.” Or, as Margaret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister, said more eloquently, “I am extraordinarily patient provided I get my own way in the end.”

But one can’t learn patience by listening to a sermon unless the sermon is so long they have to practice it while they listen. Nor can they learn patience by reading a book unless the book is so boring that they have to muster up patience to finish it. The only way to learn patience is by facing this hurly-burly world, taking life as it comes. It is holding on, gritting your teeth, clinching your jaw, riding out the storm.

And that is not easy. Joyce Landorf writes, “God’s waiting room is the most difficult aspect of the Christian experience.”

In the Greek language, the term for patience is often translated “long-suffering.” It’s a compound word. The first part means “long or far.” The second part means “hot, anger, or wrath.” Putting it together we literally have “long-anger.” We have an English expression “short-tempered.” We would not miss the meaning very far if we called patience “long-tempered.” Patience is that ability that keeps us from blowing up when events don’t go our way or losing our cool when others upset us.

Believers are exhorted to display patience. James wrote,

(James 5:7 KJV) "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain."

(James 5:8 KJV) "Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."

James shows how the farmer demonstrates patience. A farmer cannot make it rain or give growth. He must rely on God to act in the most wise and merciful way.

The secret of patience is abiding. We must learn to rest and endure under the load of pain and suffering. We abide under the load of pain and suffering by abiding with a God who is faithful. We must not only learn to abide in Christ but also abide with Christ under the struggles and the pressures in life.

4. Affirm the Presence

As we progress toward a life that resembles Jesus Christ we must always remember that God is with us. Sometimes God is like a teacher instructing us with the construction. Sometimes God is a fellow-worker challenging us to excellence. Sometimes God is a spectator encouraging us to keep on keeping on. Whatever situation we find ourselves, God is always with us.

Isaiah described this miracle:

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(Isa 40:28 KJV) "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding."

(Isa 40:29 KJV) "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."

(Isa 40:30 KJV) "Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:"

(Isa 40:31 KJV) "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

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The secret is found in affirming God’s presence. The world says give up, drop out, run away. God says to just trust me, lean on me, and fall into my arms. God is with you to support and sustain you. To give you hope, courage, and strength to continue. He has promised,

(Exo 33:14 KJV) " . . . My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest."

Ignance Paderewski, Poland’s famous concert pianist and prime minister, was giving a series of concerts. A mother, wishing to encourage her young son’s progress at the piano, bought tickets for a performance. When the night arrived, they found their seats near the front of the concert hall and eyed the majestic Steinway waiting on stage. The mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy eventually made his way through a door marked, “No Admittance.” When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.

Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” His mother gasped, but before she could retrieve her son, the great piano master appeared on the stage and quickly moved to the keyboard. He whispered to the boy, “Don’t quit—keep playing.” Leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon, his right arm reached around the other side, encircling the child, to add a running obbligato. Together, the old master and young novice held the crowd mesmerized.

In our quest for contagious character, unpolished and incomplete though we may be, it is the Master who surrounds us and whispers in our ear, time and again, “Don’t quit—keep playing.” And as we do, he augments and supplements until a work of amazing beauty is created. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best but the results aren’t exactly graceful flowing music. But with the hand of the Master, our character can truly be beautiful. Our responsibility is to not quit, to keeping playing; his part is to fashion a masterpiece.

Remember God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips the called. And, he’ll always be there to love and to guide you to great things.

Conclusion:

· Are you close to quitting? Please don’t do it.