Overcoming Obstacles

Intro

One of the most famous and decorated military members of all time is a guy who is still alive today: Marcus Luttrell. Marcus Lattrell is a retired Navy Seal who is most well-know from the movie “Lone Survivor,” a movie that depicts Marcus and his 3 teammates being ambushed by Taliban forces, an ambush that left everyone dead except for Marcus. Throughout this ambush, Marcus sustained a broken back, broken scapula, broken leg, broken nose, concussion, and multiple gunshot wounds. In other battles, he was hit with sniper fire, injured by grenade shrapnel (lost some of his left hand), broken ribs, damaged kidney, and severe concussions. He underwent reparative surgery on his leg and stomach after surviving a helicopter crash.

Marcus is most well known for his extraordinary ability to endure through suffering and trials. He never quit. He never laid down.

In 1956, Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Peter Fleming, Roger Youderian, and Ed McCully were spear by tribesman in Ecuador, where they flew in to attempt to bring the Gospel to an unreached people group. They never gave up, to the point of death, for Christ. Their wives and children continued to minster to that same tribe until almost all of them came to faith in Christ.

Paul, the author of the passage we are reading from, was a man who was beaten, imprisoned, starved, mocked, ship-wrecked, snake bitten, and likely executed by the Romans.

Jeremiah was a prophet who spent his whole life preaching and warning a nation of Isreal that refused to listen to him, yet remained faithful.

David stayed faithful to God even when he was on the run, hiding for his life, for 7-10 years.

Job was a man who lost everything and endured because of his faith in God.

Abraham was a man who was willing to endure the agony of slaying his own son to follow the will of God.

Throughout the Bible, we see a very important lesson: true faith requires great endurance, and great endurance only comes from true faith.

As we examine 2 Corinthians 6, I pray that this Word of God will encourage us and compel us to continue to press onward for the cause of Christ and the salvation of the lost, even when times are difficult and even when it would be easier to just give it up. Let’s pray.

1) The Time is Now

a) Is Your Salvation Authentic?

To receive the grace of God “in vain” means to receive it to no end, or with no results.

Jesus describes 4 results of the Gospel seed in the Gospel of Mark

The seed that falls on hardened heart that Satan snatches away before it can take root

The seed that is only received in a shallow way, which may cause initial excitement, but no fruit.

The seed that is choked away by earthly desires and worres.

The seed that falls on good ground and produces fruit.

Which are you? The quickest way to find out is to check on your endurance and steadfastness

b) Is Your Salvation Accelerating?

The love of Christ compels us, but to what?

The day of salvation is today!!

over 100,000 people die every single day without Christ

one every 2 seconds

We are promised that there are people around us ready to be saved, we’re given everything we need to give them to good news, so what are we going to do?

2) The Trials are Never-Ending

a) Our Reputation

Paul’s endurance and his character gave him credibility in ministry. He was known as a man who endured through hardships and refused to allow himself to be a stumbling block for others coming to Christ. Dying to self leads to a life rid of hypocrisy and character issues. Dying to self and allowing the righteousness of Christ to live through you gives you the reputation He requires.

b) Our Presentation

We “present” ourselves as ministers of The Gospel, not only through triumphs, but through trials.

Are you willing and ready to endure trials for Christ in a way that can only be explained by Christ?

c) Our Complications

We are to live in Christ with “much patience”

The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume μένω

ménō.

1. This word means a. “to stay in a place,” figuratively “to remain in a sphere,” b. “to stand against opposition,” “to hold out,” “to stand fast,” c. “to stay still,” and d. “to remain,” “to endure,” “to stay in force.”

tribulations: physical/mental/social adversity

Needs: state of distress due to need

Distresses: oppressive and constricting condition

Stripes: Beatings

Imprisonments

Tumults: Violent group disturbances/disorder (stephen)

Labors: strenuous work (physically or spiritually or emotionally)

Sleeplessness

Fastings

d) Our Salvation

How do we as believers overcome all of these obstacles?

By walking in:

Purity: Clean, transparent living

Knowledge: God-given revelation and application

Longsuffering: endurance of pain (caused by hardships, caused by others, etc.)

Kindness: warm-hearted, considerate, gentle, sympathetic, Christlike

How do we access these traits? Through the person of Jesus Christ and a personal relationship with Him. You will never be able to live this life without Him. You won’t even desire to live this life without Him. We desperately need Him. He gives us the ability to endure and live this life on mission through

The Holy Spirit (hagios pnuema)

We can walk in purity and transparency as the Spirit convicts us and guides us and protects us and teaches us.

We can know the knowledge of the Word through the Spirit

We can longsuffer through pain because the one who has longsuffered the sin and the pain of the universe lives within us

We can live in kindness because He who Is kindness lives within us!

Sincere Love: authentic love; without hypocrisy

Word of Truth: Biblical Truth, the word of Jesus

Power of God (dynamis) ; possessed power!

Armor of Righteousness: HIS righteousness imputed to us

“I am who you say I am”

Through a relationship with Jesus, we can endure through:

honor and through dishonor

through praise and through slander

being treated as imposters (deliberate deceivers) yet being true

being unknown (unacknowledged) but known

known distinctly, as true, valid, loved, a personal acquaintance that necessitates a reaction

dying (in water, to self) yet living (In Christ)

Disciplined, but never killed.