If You Endure till the End....You Will Be Saved | SERMON

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Real Truth Daily. This is Daily Truths with Dave Ahlman

[00:00:07] [SPEAKER_01]: Today we talk about the subject of endurance. Endurance, as I said in the opening remarks,

[00:00:15] [SPEAKER_01]: means never giving up. It means persevering through difficulties. It means clinging to Christ despite the circumstances that you're in.

[00:00:22] [SPEAKER_01]: And if I were to guess every one of you, one time or another, and maybe even now, are going through difficult circumstances,

[00:00:31] [SPEAKER_01]: that tests your faith and maybe causes you to doubt and maybe makes you wonder if God even exists.

[00:00:39] [SPEAKER_01]: Endurance is necessary in the Christian faith.

[00:00:43] [SPEAKER_01]: Now the text for today that I think is very fitting is this. It comes from Matthew chapter 24 verse 13 and it reads this way.

[00:00:55] [SPEAKER_01]: But the one who endures to the end, you guys say it, will be saved. The one who endures to the end will be saved.

[00:01:09] [SPEAKER_01]: So today as we go through the outline this morning, we're talking about enduring through things that not only the disciples went through.

[00:01:18] [SPEAKER_01]: As Jesus shared these words, the disciples went through a lot of difficult stuff that challenged their faith and made them wonder if God really was with them in the face of all the things they went through.

[00:01:29] [SPEAKER_01]: The amazing thing is what they went through in their life in the first century is what we go through today. There's a lot of similarities.

[00:01:40] [SPEAKER_01]: And here's the first thing, they went through great persecution in the early church. Many of you know that 11 out of the 12 disciples died for the faith.

[00:01:50] [SPEAKER_01]: They were martyred. Many of you know in the public arena, in that marvelous Roman arena, Christians were put to death.

[00:02:00] [SPEAKER_01]: They were eaten by lions. Many of them lost their jobs. Many of them had their families split apart. Many of them were ostracized in the community.

[00:02:10] [SPEAKER_01]: Many of them were hated for the sake of following Jesus. Here's the thing, persecution comes our way as well. There's no doubt about it.

[00:02:20] [SPEAKER_01]: It may be more subtle, but sometimes it's overt. I've talked to people down through the years who are separated from their family members because they came to know Jesus as Savior, Lord, Redeemer and King.

[00:02:32] [SPEAKER_01]: There's a couple of you sitting here today whose family no longer would talk to you as a result of your newfound faith and devotion to Jesus Christ.

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_01]: Some of you have been passed over for promotion at work. Some of you have been hated by other people as a result of your faith in Jesus Christ.

[00:02:50] [SPEAKER_01]: We go through persecution as believers in Christ. The most ostracized people on planet earth, especially here in America are Christians.

[00:03:02] [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you haven't noticed that, but it seems like Hindus and Buddhists and Mahometans, Mahometans get a pass,

[00:03:10] [SPEAKER_01]: but we as believers are oftentimes ostracized, put down, rejected, ridiculed, made fun of and scorned.

[00:03:19] [SPEAKER_01]: Persecution is very real here in the United States for Christians.

[00:03:23] [SPEAKER_01]: Secondly, the early church Christians were hated. Who hated them? The Jews hated them.

[00:03:30] [SPEAKER_01]: Those who were Old Testament believers but didn't believe that Jesus was Messiah.

[00:03:35] [SPEAKER_01]: When many of their Jewish friends were converted to Christianity, they lost those friendships and they were hated and scorned, ridiculed and abused.

[00:03:44] [SPEAKER_01]: The Roman government hated Christians because they had this statement that said,

[00:03:51] [SPEAKER_01]: the only true God is Caesar and if you bow down to any other God, we will hate you and not only that, we will put you to death.

[00:03:59] [SPEAKER_01]: And so the early church Christians were hated as a result of their faith in Jesus Christ.

[00:04:05] [SPEAKER_01]: But that hatred happens today in families.

[00:04:08] [SPEAKER_01]: I want to tell you about my brother, Denny. Denny has been a strong believer in the Lord Jesus Christ now, actually for about 10 years.

[00:04:17] [SPEAKER_01]: He would watch our broadcast at Peace Lutheran Church and now he watches Daily Truths and he's growing by leaps and bounds.

[00:04:24] [SPEAKER_01]: But his kids went to a university whereby they were told that Jesus does not exist, that Jesus is not God, that he is not Messiah,

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_01]: that there is no heaven, there is no hell, there is no God or there is no devil.

[00:04:38] [SPEAKER_01]: Secular humanism was taught these kids. They went to those schools believing in Christ.

[00:04:44] [SPEAKER_01]: They came out of those schools as agnostics and atheists.

[00:04:47] [SPEAKER_01]: As a result of that they hate my brother.

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_01]: They won't talk to him.

[00:04:56] [SPEAKER_01]: They won't spend any time with him.

[00:04:59] [SPEAKER_01]: They think he's wasting time going to church, watching Daily Truths, reading the Word of God, studying the Bible with other believers.

[00:05:09] [SPEAKER_01]: This happens more often than we know folks. Christians are hated in America today.

[00:05:16] [SPEAKER_01]: And many of you have experienced that. You know what I'm talking about.

[00:05:20] [SPEAKER_01]: If you tell somebody you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ they might quickly change a subject or you might lose a friendship.

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER_01]: That happens. It's part of the price being called a follower of Jesus Christ.

[00:05:33] [SPEAKER_01]: So here's what happens today. We endure through persecution, we endure through hatred and hardship, and we endure through tribulation.

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER_01]: The people in the early church when Jesus spoke these words they went through trials and hardships, difficulties.

[00:05:50] [SPEAKER_01]: They experienced sicknesses. They went through family warfare and difficulties.

[00:05:56] [SPEAKER_01]: They were alienated from their friends. Indeed they had to go through hardships.

[00:06:02] [SPEAKER_01]: Every one of us here today have had to endure emotional or relational or financial or physical hardships.

[00:06:11] [SPEAKER_01]: And it's during those times that Satan will come to us and say where's your God now?

[00:06:15] [SPEAKER_01]: If God really existed why didn't he help you? When you prayed to God how come he didn't answer?

[00:06:22] [SPEAKER_01]: How come you're going through the difficult times you're going through?

[00:06:26] [SPEAKER_01]: Don't some of those teachers that you listen to say that if you believe in Jesus Christ everything in your life is going to be good?

[00:06:33] [SPEAKER_01]: My friends, the Bible says that we must through much tribulation enter the kingdom of heaven.

[00:06:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Just because we're believers in Christ does not mean that we're immune to pain and suffering and difficulty and trials.

[00:06:52] [SPEAKER_01]: As a matter of fact sometimes as a result of our faith in Jesus Christ we go through that.

[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_01]: So tribulation is very much a part of our life. Tribulation was very much a part of the early church, the first century Christians life as well.

[00:07:07] [SPEAKER_01]: So we endure through persecution, through hatred, through tribulation and also we endure through false prophets.

[00:07:17] [SPEAKER_01]: There were false prophets in Jesus' day. Let me explain a couple of them.

[00:07:23] [SPEAKER_01]: One of them was a thing called Nestorianism.

[00:07:25] [SPEAKER_01]: And Nestorianism taught that Jesus basically was just God that he didn't have any human characteristics because anybody who is God can't be a human being.

[00:07:35] [SPEAKER_01]: And so they said if he really was God when he walked on the seashore and he wasn't human being he really didn't leave footprints because nothing that is physical,

[00:07:46] [SPEAKER_01]: nothing that is human can really be God.

[00:07:49] [SPEAKER_01]: So they basically were denying the humanity of Christ.

[00:07:53] [SPEAKER_01]: That's one of the false teachings that was infiltrating the church in Jesus' day.

[00:07:58] [SPEAKER_01]: Another one was a thing called Gnosticism.

[00:08:01] [SPEAKER_01]: Now Gnosticism was a very mythical, mysterious, odd way in order to get in the right relationship with God.

[00:08:10] [SPEAKER_01]: It basically meant the more spiritual you were and the more you dissolved yourself in the world the more you can discover and find out the God within.

[00:08:21] [SPEAKER_01]: That sounds a lot like some of the stuff we hear today, right?

[00:08:25] [SPEAKER_01]: Some of the stuff we hear today tells you that you're your own little God, right?

[00:08:29] [SPEAKER_01]: And you have your own little universe.

[00:08:31] [SPEAKER_01]: Well nothing could be further from the truth.

[00:08:33] [SPEAKER_01]: So these were false teachings that were infiltrating the church at that time.

[00:08:38] [SPEAKER_01]: Do we have false teachers today?

[00:08:41] [SPEAKER_01]: Yes.

[00:08:42] [SPEAKER_01]: In every denomination, in every church, not every church.

[00:08:48] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm talking about every church body.

[00:08:50] [SPEAKER_01]: They are false teachers.

[00:08:50] [SPEAKER_01]: Listen to me.

[00:08:51] [SPEAKER_01]: Anybody who teaches anything contrary to the Word of God or in addition to the Word of God is a false teacher.

[00:09:00] [SPEAKER_01]: Let me give you a couple examples.

[00:09:03] [SPEAKER_01]: These two great proclaimers, tremendous speakers are both false teachers.

[00:09:07] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm thinking of Joyce Meyer and Joel Osteen.

[00:09:10] [SPEAKER_01]: They both teach that humanity is basically good, that you are inherently good.

[00:09:16] [SPEAKER_01]: And through somehow doing your best, you can earn God's favor and approval and go to heaven.

[00:09:21] [SPEAKER_01]: It's a salvation by works.

[00:09:23] [SPEAKER_01]: Let me give you another example.

[00:09:26] [SPEAKER_01]: The Pope.

[00:09:28] [SPEAKER_01]: The Pope has told people it doesn't matter what you believe or who you believe in.

[00:09:32] [SPEAKER_01]: You can be a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Moabinan, a Mormon, a Christian, a Jew.

[00:09:36] [SPEAKER_01]: It really doesn't matter.

[00:09:37] [SPEAKER_01]: We all go to the same place and we're going to all end up in the same heaven.

[00:09:42] [SPEAKER_01]: What a false teaching that is.

[00:09:45] [SPEAKER_01]: And here's the problem.

[00:09:47] [SPEAKER_01]: Some people are swayed by that, influenced by that and start to believe those things as if it is the truth.

[00:09:56] [SPEAKER_01]: And so this is why we stay in the Word.

[00:09:59] [SPEAKER_01]: This is why we proclaim the truth from the pulpit.

[00:10:02] [SPEAKER_01]: This is why we adhere to the teachings of Scripture, nothing more and nothing less.

[00:10:07] [SPEAKER_01]: I believe the Bible is the Word of God doesn't just contain the Word of God.

[00:10:13] [SPEAKER_01]: Can I get an amen to that?

[00:10:15] [SPEAKER_01]: And as a result of that, I know that when I stand up in front of you, I'm speaking the truth of God's Word.

[00:10:22] [SPEAKER_01]: Hopefully with boldness and clarity and sincerity.

[00:10:27] [SPEAKER_01]: Because we don't compromise the truth of God's Word for any reason, for anyone.

[00:10:34] [SPEAKER_01]: But that's what's happening today.

[00:10:36] [SPEAKER_01]: And it's important for us to recognize false prophets.

[00:10:41] [SPEAKER_01]: And I've mentioned a couple today and I could mention, I could talk for an hour about some of the false teachings that are out there today.

[00:10:47] [SPEAKER_01]: That's why we need to be in the Word of God and come to church on a regular basis.

[00:10:52] [SPEAKER_01]: So we endure through persecution, through hatred, through tribulation, through false prophets, and then false Christ.

[00:10:59] [SPEAKER_01]: Believe it or not, before Jesus came on the scene, there were a couple guys who said that they were the Christ.

[00:11:05] [SPEAKER_01]: One of them was a guy by the name of Thaddeus.

[00:11:07] [SPEAKER_01]: And a lot of people gathered around him. This is before Jesus ever came on the scene.

[00:11:12] [SPEAKER_01]: A lot of people gathered around him and it came to nothing.

[00:11:16] [SPEAKER_01]: Then there was a guy by the name of Judas the Galilean who also said that he was a Christ.

[00:11:22] [SPEAKER_01]: Some people followed him and it came to nothing.

[00:11:26] [SPEAKER_01]: We have false Christ in our culture today.

[00:11:29] [SPEAKER_01]: As a matter of fact, I had a conversation with someone this week, believe it or not, who told me.

[00:11:35] [SPEAKER_01]: Now he's got mental problems, but he told me that he was the Christ.

[00:11:39] [SPEAKER_01]: And he's gone around to people telling people that he is the Christ.

[00:11:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Back in 1981, if you've watched Daily Trues, you probably heard this, I was in my office as a vicar.

[00:11:51] [SPEAKER_01]: That's an interning pastor and I was sitting at my desk and all of a sudden I looked up

[00:11:56] [SPEAKER_01]: and there in the doorway was this guy dressed in Galilean garb like Jesus state garb.

[00:12:02] [SPEAKER_01]: He had a bandana around his head. He had a long flowing robe.

[00:12:06] [SPEAKER_01]: He stood in the doorway and he lifted up his hand and he said, peace to you brother.

[00:12:10] [SPEAKER_01]: And I said peace to you. Who are you? And he said, I am one of Christ's disciples.

[00:12:16] [SPEAKER_01]: And I said, well so am I. Come on in, let's talk.

[00:12:21] [SPEAKER_01]: And he told me that Jesus had recently been seen in San Francisco and currently was in Dallas.

[00:12:28] [SPEAKER_01]: Right? That the Messiah had returned.

[00:12:32] [SPEAKER_01]: Now you guys know that when Christ returns, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess

[00:12:40] [SPEAKER_01]: that Jesus Christ is Lord. When he comes back, everybody will know it.

[00:12:48] [SPEAKER_01]: He'll come suddenly, quickly, unexpectedly on silver clouds of glory

[00:12:54] [SPEAKER_01]: and everyone will meet him in the air and he will separate believers from nonbelievers,

[00:13:01] [SPEAKER_01]: the sheep from the goats and everybody will see him.

[00:13:06] [SPEAKER_01]: The Bible says clearly every eye shall see him.

[00:13:11] [SPEAKER_01]: So when people are walking around today and this is a sign that Jesus return may be imminent.

[00:13:16] [SPEAKER_01]: When people are walking around today saying I am the Christ, follow me.

[00:13:19] [SPEAKER_01]: Everybody know that that's just another thing we have to endure until Christ comes back.

[00:13:27] [SPEAKER_01]: So persecution, hatred, tribulation, false prophets, false Christ and increased lawlessness.

[00:13:35] [SPEAKER_01]: We see more crime in our culture than ever before.

[00:13:40] [SPEAKER_01]: People are flooding our borders coming into our country doing heinous things.

[00:13:46] [SPEAKER_01]: And here's the thing, when a person knows Jesus Christ, we're under the leadership,

[00:13:52] [SPEAKER_01]: authority and lordship of Christ and we want to live for him.

[00:13:58] [SPEAKER_01]: The scriptures clearly teach what's right and what's wrong, what's fair and what's foul.

[00:14:05] [SPEAKER_01]: And when a person knows Christ suddenly they're under the teaching and tutelage

[00:14:10] [SPEAKER_01]: of the Word of God so that they can discern truth from error right from wrong.

[00:14:16] [SPEAKER_01]: But because Christianity is on the decline in America, lawlessness is on the rise.

[00:14:23] [SPEAKER_01]: There's a corresponding element to belief in Christ and a willingness to obey the law.

[00:14:29] [SPEAKER_01]: Let me say that again.

[00:14:31] [SPEAKER_01]: There is a willingness in the part of the believer in Christ to want to obey what God says.

[00:14:37] [SPEAKER_01]: And if a person doesn't know Christ and the Spirit of God is not living in their hearts,

[00:14:42] [SPEAKER_01]: guess who's dictating how they live and what decisions they make.

[00:14:47] [SPEAKER_01]: They're sinful flesh and Satan himself.

[00:14:56] [SPEAKER_01]: So despite all this, despite the things we go through as believers in Christ,

[00:15:03] [SPEAKER_01]: what do we do? We endure. We endure.

[00:15:07] [SPEAKER_01]: And how do we endure? We endure by clinging to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

[00:15:15] [SPEAKER_01]: By faith acknowledging that he lived for us, that he died for us and rose again for us.

[00:15:22] [SPEAKER_01]: That he truly is the bread and the water of life, the resurrection and the life,

[00:15:29] [SPEAKER_01]: the way, the truth and the life.

[00:15:31] [SPEAKER_01]: That he was lifted up on a cross to die for sin, for all the wrongs of our life,

[00:15:36] [SPEAKER_01]: making payment to God for those wrongs.

[00:15:39] [SPEAKER_01]: The three days later, just as he predicted, he rose from the dead.

[00:15:44] [SPEAKER_01]: And because he rose from the dead to defeat death, all those who trust in him have eternal life.

[00:15:50] [SPEAKER_01]: This is what we call the gospel and we cling to Christ no matter what.

[00:15:57] [SPEAKER_01]: Satan hates the fact that I'm preaching what I'm preaching today.

[00:16:00] [SPEAKER_01]: And he will try to make you fall asleep or think about the weather or think about your vacation

[00:16:06] [SPEAKER_01]: or think about your sickness or think about your kids.

[00:16:10] [SPEAKER_01]: But I want to tell you, as we cling to Jesus Christ, to his life, death and resurrection,

[00:16:16] [SPEAKER_01]: then what happens? We receive his gifts and his gifts are unparalleled.

[00:16:24] [SPEAKER_01]: Pardon for our sin. Peace for tomorrow.

[00:16:29] [SPEAKER_01]: The assurance that when we leave this place, we will be in a much better place.

[00:16:36] [SPEAKER_01]: That the best is yet to come. That the presence of Jesus is with us.

[00:16:42] [SPEAKER_01]: That when we're facing difficulties and trials in life, the presence and the power

[00:16:47] [SPEAKER_01]: and accompanying spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ will get us through.

[00:16:55] [SPEAKER_01]: This is what it means to cling to Jesus. This is what it means to receive his gifts.

[00:17:01] [SPEAKER_01]: And when the trials mount and the difficulties come and the persecution rises

[00:17:07] [SPEAKER_01]: and the false Christ are present and the false prophets are there

[00:17:12] [SPEAKER_01]: and all these things are trying to undermine and destroy your faith.

[00:17:17] [SPEAKER_01]: We will stick to the Lord Jesus Christ. Did you hear the children's message today?

[00:17:24] [SPEAKER_01]: Here's Jesus walking on water. He's approaching the disciples.

[00:17:30] [SPEAKER_01]: They think it's a, you guys say it, a ghost.

[00:17:36] [SPEAKER_01]: Lord Jesus, if it's really you, tell me to get out of the boat.

[00:17:43] [SPEAKER_01]: Come on Peter, get out of the boat.

[00:17:48] [SPEAKER_01]: My friends, when we're persecuted, when trials mount and false prophets come

[00:17:54] [SPEAKER_01]: and false Christ are present and increased lawlessness is all around us

[00:18:00] [SPEAKER_01]: we get out of the boat. Are you with me? We get out of the boat.

[00:18:05] [SPEAKER_01]: We say no matter what comes my way, no matter what trials I face,

[00:18:11] [SPEAKER_01]: no matter what false Christ are around me, no matter what false teachings

[00:18:16] [SPEAKER_01]: around me, I will fix my eyes on Jesus and endure to the very end.

[00:18:25] [SPEAKER_01]: My friends, Christianity is not a sprint.

[00:18:27] [SPEAKER_01]: By the way, how many of you have been watching the Olympics?

[00:18:34] [SPEAKER_01]: Have you ever noticed that the guys that run like 100 meters, they are ripped.

[00:18:40] [SPEAKER_01]: Have you noticed that? They are absolutely ripped and they have buffed bodies

[00:18:46] [SPEAKER_01]: and they're six foot or whatever they are, 190 pounds

[00:18:50] [SPEAKER_01]: and they have these huge muscles and stuff on their legs because they're sprinters.

[00:18:57] [SPEAKER_01]: Have you seen the long distance runners?

[00:19:00] [SPEAKER_01]: It looks like they haven't eaten for like a month, right?

[00:19:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Have you seen them? And I've thought about it.

[00:19:07] [SPEAKER_01]: No wonder they don't have any weight to carry around at all

[00:19:11] [SPEAKER_01]: and they can run forever. That's us.

[00:19:15] [SPEAKER_01]: Guys, Christianity is not a sprint. It's a marathon

[00:19:21] [SPEAKER_01]: and we don't believe in ones saved always saved.

[00:19:27] [SPEAKER_01]: We don't believe that once you put your trust in Jesus,

[00:19:30] [SPEAKER_01]: you're immune to any of this stuff we've talked about today

[00:19:33] [SPEAKER_01]: and you're going to end up in heaven. No, it is a marathon

[00:19:36] [SPEAKER_01]: and we endure through these things

[00:19:38] [SPEAKER_01]: and Jesus gives us strength, reward and sacrament

[00:19:41] [SPEAKER_01]: to continue to run the race to eternal life to completion.

[00:19:46] [SPEAKER_01]: I love what it says in the book of Hebrews chapter 12.

[00:19:49] [SPEAKER_01]: Therefore, since we're surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,

[00:19:52] [SPEAKER_01]: let us draw off everything that hinders and every sin

[00:19:56] [SPEAKER_01]: that so easily entangles us

[00:19:58] [SPEAKER_01]: and let us run with perseverance, endurance, how?

[00:20:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Fixing our eyes on Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith

[00:20:09] [SPEAKER_01]: who for the joy set before him endured the cross,

[00:20:12] [SPEAKER_01]: scorning at shame and is seated at the right hand of God.

[00:20:17] [SPEAKER_01]: We run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

[00:20:23] [SPEAKER_01]: Clinging to Christ, receiving as gifts,

[00:20:28] [SPEAKER_01]: never giving up on our faith relationship with Jesus Christ.

[00:20:34] [SPEAKER_01]: Let it be so and let it be done

[00:20:37] [SPEAKER_01]: to the glory of God's holy and saving name

[00:20:41] [SPEAKER_01]: and all God's people said amen.

[00:20:45] [SPEAKER_01]: And now may the peace of God

[00:20:46] [SPEAKER_01]: which surpasses all understanding

[00:20:48] [SPEAKER_01]: guard your hearts and minds, your faith in Christ Jesus

[00:20:52] [SPEAKER_01]: until life everlasting. Amen.