Endurance | Sara Vargas

It's great to be with you. If it's your first time with us here in person or online, you're a special guest. We hope that you feel welcome. We hope that you can feel how much we love special guests. And that includes everyone that's watching the Pando app today as well. You are welcome as well. We're so great to have you. Well, Union, we exist to connect people to God with the gospel of Jesus Christ regardless of your past, your struggles, your pain that you came in with, your doubt. Jesus loves you right where you're at, but he loves you too much to leave you where you are. My hope for you today is that you have some transformation today. We are in this series, The End, the Book of Revelation. Remember Pastor Oddsack, not Revelation's Revelation. And I know some of us grew up afraid to read Revelation. I was one of those. Don't read that. That's scary. But Revelation is actually a love letter. No wonder they didn't want us reading that. It's a letter of assurance. It's the description of an inheritance that already has your name on it. And before John says anything about the beast, the bulls, the trumpets, he opens his mouth in the first three lines that makes everything so clear.

That the end is not about doom and gloom. It's about a new beginning. And so Pastor Odd, he started us off last week with how one of the seven promises of Revelation is God's blessing. No matter what happens, we are blessed. And so we're going to continue where we left off, where John is told by Jesus to write to the seven churches so that they could read this letter and pass it on. And so we talked last week about how John was banished to the island of Patmos for testifying of Jesus. So he must write these letters and send them by carrier. So he begins his letters with a greeting. So if you guys will stand with me today for the reading of the word, it's going to be a lot of teaching in the first part of this message. And so if you take notes, take notes, because I really want you to grasp the essence of what is in these scriptures, how rich it is. So Revelation 1, 4 through 8, John to the seven churches in the province of Asia, grace and peace to you from him who is and who was and who is to come. And from the seven spirits before his throne and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth, to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and has made us to be a kingdom and priests, to serve his god and father,

to him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, even those who killed him, even those that speak name him today, they will see him, and all peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be, amen. I am the alpha, and the omega says the Lord who is and who was and who is to come the Almighty. So Lord, we thank you for this opportunity to praise your name today, Father God. We thank you that we get to read these words and have them transcribe on our heart today, God. Be with us in this room, Lord. Fill us up, show us something new, and most importantly, may we be transformed by your spirit today, Lord. In Jesus' mighty name, we pray. Amen, and church say, amen. Amen, well, you may be seated. So in these verses, we encounter some very profound truths about Jesus, his identity. And they also reveal our calling as his people to be recipients of his grace, bearers of his peace and faithful witnesses in a world that often stands in opposition to God's kingdom. As we explore these verses, let us open our hearts and allow ourselves to be challenged so that we can live as people who have been transformed by the power of God and his presence.

So John is writing to believers who are facing real struggles, confusion, persecution, fear about the future. Is that sounding familiar to anybody? He doesn't start with a warning or commands. Instead, he offers this beautiful blessing, grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and the seven spirits who were before his throne and from Jesus Christ. John is addressing the fullness of God's presence in our lives, the Holy Trinity. First, he says, God the Father, the one who is and who was and still is to come eternal and unchanging. He'll never leave us. And then he addresses the Holy Spirit represented by the seven spirits symbolizing completeness and perfection. God's spirit is present and actively working in our lives today. And Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead. We love to sing that, don't we? The one who faced suffering and death and who now reigns over it all. You see, words matter. And starting off the letter with a greeting and a blessing is encouraging. Think about how we communicate now by text mainly. You know, most of us are let, let's just get to the point people.

You know, I mean, instead of starting with a greeting, good morning, hello, how are you? I've been thinking about you. I hope you're well. It's where you at, what you doing? Answer me, are you ignoring me? We need to talk. Pastor Rod loves to text people. We need to talk just to spin them out. So if he texts you that, don't stress about it. It's more than polite words. John is reminding his church leaders and friends and us that God cares about our daily lives, our worries, our hopes, our dreams, grace and peace are gifts that we need right now. Grace for our mistakes and failures and sins and peace in the chaos and uncertainty around us. This greeting is an invitation to stop and remember that we are not left to face life's challenges on our own. God's grace and peace are real and they are offered to each one of us no matter what we're facing today. John continues on to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father. You know, I know it can sometimes feel like nobody sees or cares about the struggles that we're going through. And man, do we have some struggles happening in our lives?

But Jesus's love is not distant, distant and it is demonstrated by his sacrifice, by his blood. He has set us free from sin. Jesus stepped in to our messy lives and brought hope. Think about the moments in your life when you've been trapped by mistakes, you regret or cycles that you can't break or that back-sliding sin you keep going to. Jesus' sacrifice is the answer to those moments. By giving his life, he breaks our chains as we just sang, not just once, but every day that we turn to him. His forgiveness, But Jesus, he doesn't stop at forgiving us. He gives us a new identity and purpose. And John says that we are made into a kingdom and priests. That means that you and I matter to God and our lives have meaning. We're invited to serve, to care, to love and bring hope to others right where we're at. At work, in our home, in our community, with our friends. We are not just recipients of grace, but we are partners in God's work. Our calling is to live out this new identity every day, showing others freedom and purpose that Jesus offers. Every one of us has a testimony of what God has done for us. And we are to share it with others. You know, it's easy to get caught up in the busyness of everyday life, work, deadlines, bills to pay, family commitments, kids' schedules,

and the constant noise of bad news on TV and social media. But in the middle of this, the idea that Jesus will come again, can feel distant or even irrelevant to our lives. But John's words remind us that there is more to our story than what's happening in our lives right now. When John proclaims behold, he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him. He's speaking to people who are tired, who are anxious and often afraid. He's reminding them, and he's reminding us that no matter how overwhelming life gets, history is moving forward to a day where Jesus will return and set things right. The promise of Jesus' return means that our struggles aren't ignored or forgotten. For some, his coming will be the answer of prayers and fulfillment of hope, but for others, it will be a wake-up call, how we live now, whether we choose to trust Jesus and let his love shape our lives matters not just for today, before eternity. And John, he ends the greeting reminding us again of who God is, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come. That is the Lord and ruler of our past, our present, and our future. What a promise to be able to capture and be part of. Well now that we've discussed Paul's encouragement

and greeting to us, we're gonna spend the rest of our time together focusing on the very next verse. And I believe it's where we all get stuck and discouraged. And for some of you, this is the exact place that you are today. So let's be encouraged together today. Revelation 1-9. I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God's kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. The Apostle John is our partner in suffering. He's our partner in God's kingdom and he is our partner in endurance to which Jesus calls us. Because Jesus tells us in John 1633 here on earth, you will have many trials in sorrows, but take heart because I have overcome the world. You see Jesus, he's very clear about the trouble and the suffering that is guaranteed in this life. And Paul is telling us that Jesus calls us to endurance. And I feel that this is a timely message since endurance has been a theme for many of us this year. Like relationship strains, loneliness, grief and loss, mental health struggles, illness, and just uncertainty. Remember, John is in the middle of his own struggle when he's writing this. He isn't writing this from a place of comfort or success, but from exile in the islands of Patmos. Isolated, cut off from his community, his friends,

his family, because he was faithful to Jesus. And as I'm sharing this word today, Pastor Rod is traveling through dangerous places to be a believer. He told me the one thing that he is most inspired by is the patient endurance and strength and faith of the believers in the Middle East. They are pressed on all sides. They are persecuted but not struck down. Even though their lives are extremely difficult, they feel called to share Jesus no matter what it costs them. And for some of them, that could mean death. Endurance means to suffer through something difficult or painful without giving up. But spiritually, it is a steadfast waiting and perseverance. Spiritual endurance moves us from survival mode into a process of inner transformation and spiritual maturity when we turn our focus to God and others instead of ourselves. Many of you guys are stuck in survival mode right now. And God is trying to get you to the inner transformation. Scripture repeatedly encourages us to endure. And it's not just a suggestion. It's a calling for every believer. You may be in a trial of spiritual endurance today and not even know it. So here's some trials that are common because I want to put some language around it so you know how to fight it. The first one is spiritual dryness.

Sometimes we call this in a wilderness season or in the desert. It's feeling disconnected from God and your sense of purpose. Feeling like you're stuck and no longer moving forward. Enduring allows God to give us supernatural strength and perseverance through suffering in that season. We will always be tempted just to give up in that slide. But as we endure, God will give us everything that we need to get through. Oftentimes, what we see as dryness is actually a deep cleansing or purging that is needed to move forward in a healthy way. Colossians 1.11 says, "Be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need." Next is the testing of faith. Moments when life's unfairness or tragedies cause you to deeply question your core beliefs and values. We've all had seasons that are hard. Most of us are in seasons right now. Seasons that just don't make sense because there is a gap between what God has promised you and what you can see. Or maybe you just don't understand what God is doing in this season. James 1.12 says, "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial for when he has stood the test he will receive. He will receive the crown of life." Steadfast, under trial, is the key here. Because it's easy to come here and praise and hallelujah when your bills are paid, when the kids aren't acting up, when your marriage is good,

but continuing to praise God in the trial is where breakthrough comes from. I've talked to way too many of you, way too many of you, that I know you and I know your character one way, but when something happens in your life, when something is out of your control. I don't know that person that's calling me on the phone. And so steadfast, I am the same person, I am grounded, I am not moved by my circumstances because I know the Lord is working things out for my good. Being steadfast is refusing, refusing to allow your mind to spiral into the worst case scenario and every terrible outcome. It's taking your thoughts captive and saying, "God has not forsaken me, God cares about me and I will trust in him and his plan for my life." Next we have spiritual warfare and opposition, facing internal temptation or external hostility and mockery from the world for holding on to your spiritual convictions. God Rod's been dealing with in the Middle East the entire time. These we call them fiery darts. In an ancient military formation, arrows would be dipped in a flammable resin and set on fire and then shot into the enemy lines to cause chaos, fear and destruction. But spiritually, fiery darts are toxic thoughts, doubts and temptations shot at you to cause chaos, fear and destruction. These darts, they're intended to cause shame so you run away from God. Cause doubt and suspicion so you lose trust and spark resentment and offense to destroy families and relationships and especially inside the church. And since the devil does not play fair, he will make sure you are vulnerable, spiritually dry, lonely, physically and emotionally exhausted to shoot his shot. This all tells us in Ephesians 16 to take up the shield of faith which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. You see the shields of the roaming soldiers would be covered in leather and soaked in water so that if a fiery dart hits, it would be put out instantly, recognize the pattern of sudden, negative, toxic and chaotic thoughts. They are not your thoughts. Treat them as fiery darts that are being put out by your shield of faith.

This is a place, fiery darts. I'm going to talk more about this later, but fiery darts is something that will never go away as a Christian, never. Suggest because you got through one battle, there's another coming up next. So what I'm saying is that you have got to get great at reflecting fiery darts. Because if you don't, you will be consumed by fire before you know it. And the enemy knows this, fiery darts. We got to extinguish them every time. Since we have the battle of the ego, it's the lifelong internal struggle to overcome pride. in pursuit of humility and love instead. One Peter 5, 5 through 6 says, and all of you clothe yourself and humility towards one another. For God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble. So humble yourselves under God's mighty hands that He may lift you up and do time. To endure is to choose humility over pride and to serve others instead of yourself. Humility brings blessing, but it requires you to lower yourself under God's mighty hand, the Scripture says. I've been doing a deep dive in research on New Age, because I want to know why it's so appealing to people. But everything in New Age is about me. It's about themselves. And there's no submission to God. So basically, you become your own God in New Age. And that got me thinking about how many ego-driven Christians are walking around. Christians who would be quick to condemn New Age, but who are operating in the same way.

Because God opposes the proud and favors the humble. Pride is one of those things that if you cannot quench it, if you can't move from pride to humility, it is going to eat you up. Your entire life, pride will be in the middle of everything that you do if you do not learn to quench it. It'll be in your marriage. It'll be in raising your children. It'll be in the middle. You won't be able to connect to God on a deeper level because of pride, because it is the exaltation of self instead of God. It's serious. Humility is the key to moving God's hand. And then we have the pain of waiting. A lot of times, we're just in seasons of waiting, enduring seasons of silence where prayers seem unanswered, requiring patience and trust in God's timing. Romans 5, 3, 4 says, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Surrendering to God's timing will release the pressure of the timeline, allowing this time for endurance to build your character and spiritual maturity. You see, the scripture says that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and a person with good character produces hope. Well, this is showing us the model for promotion.

The scripture is saying, you want to be promoted. You want to go from where you are now to over there. The scripture tells you exactly what to do. It's endurance. And it's endurance that builds you up and promotes you. I know you guys hate to hear this, but there is purpose in suffering. I stand here as a person who has been through every one of those spiritual endurance trials that I mentioned. And I still go through them, especially the spiritual warfare. The difference is now I have become a master of endurance. The enemy, the enemy, he's sick of me. He is so sick of me because he can throw those fiery darts at me, and they're going to come right off. He can try all he wants, but I know how to endure through good seasons and bad. So what does that look like? So I know you guys want to have the answers, and guess what? This doesn't happen overnight. It takes years. that I personally have been praying for from God for years. And I have seen glimmers of hope. And I just know that what I am seeing, the Lord is going to bring to pass, but still it is a struggle and it hurts me, especially when it involves other people that I love. But in this season, the Lord has been teaching me something so relevant. And I think this will speak to you today that I cannot get in the way of what the Lord is doing. I cannot get in the way. Listen, I know that you have the best intentions for that loved one. I know that in the drop of a hat that you could fix their problem today. I know that you have a word that you feel is just so good, you could speak it to them and their life would transform. But the Lord is saying, do not get in the way of what I am doing today. Because how

we believe people are going to receive things are not the way that they receive things. And only God can transform them. We are not God. We have to release them to the Lord. We have to release the situation to our Lord. We have to release our finances to the Lord. We have to release our job to the Lord because there is nothing that we can do in our own power to change it. Get out of the way of what the Lord is doing. I focus on responding to difficult situations with grace and wisdom. I don't fall into a victim mentality anymore. I don't say, why Lord? I don't want to be your greatest soldier. Yes Amani, I don't want to be your greatest soldier. Respond to situations with grace and wisdom. My character is the same in the good times and the bad. Yes, do I get angry? Do I cry tears? Absolutely. But my character remains the same. Who you see on stage? Who you see off stage? Who you see praising the Lord is the same person you see in my home. Is that you? Are you a different person? Do you put on different masks for different things? Or are you the same person? I don't see hardship and trials as punishments. Listen guys, the worst point of my life. Most of y'all know my testimony, the worst point in my life. I was about to leave my husband who was pseudo-sile, a drug addict. I was at my last straw. And the Lord stepped in and said, do this. And I did it. And fast forward 18 years, here we are in a beautiful vibrant church. But it's because I did not see that as punishment. I saw it as God is doing something in our lives to build our testimony. I stay faithful to prayer and worship and reading my Word. It doesn't depend on my mood. Why is it that we just, we run to the Lord when things are chaotic? But the preparation is the days that are good. Stay faithful in good seasons and in bad. I don't do anything in my own strength. Listen, control and all of us have to conquer. It's a form of pride. Controlling every outcome of everything. Your spouse, your friends, the schedule, your work, everything, control is everywhere. But that is doing things in your own strength and wondering why things falter and fail and don't turn around.

Because we don't do things in our own strength. We submit to the Lord and allow Him to work all things for good. I am completely submitted to God's timing and will. As I mentioned earlier, I've been praying for something for years, but I believe in God's timing and will, and it has to be done that way. Because when we force something outside of God's will, it's manipulation. But when we allow the time, when we allow God to do the actual telling in people's hearts, it is legitimate. Submit to God's timing and will. One Peter 4, 12 through 13 says, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through. Guys, don't be surprised when something else pops up tomorrow. Don't be like, oh my gosh, I can't believe this happened. Don't be surprised. Guess what? The more you're not surprised, the enemy is gonna try less and less. Because that person is unmoved by what I throw their way. Don't be surprised. As if something strange was happening to you. Instead, be glad for these trials because they make you partners in Christ in His suffering so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to the world.

You see the enemy of this world? He wants you just to give up. He wants you to run away from the pain and the trials and the fiery darts so that you never partner with Christ. Do you see that? He wants you to quit. He wants you to throw in the towel because the enemy does not want you to partner with Christ. And Jesus calls us to endure just like He did on the cross. The Greek word for endure is whopono, whopono, I'll mess that up, whopono. Yes. The root words being hypo under and mino to remain. So endure literally means to remain under when you feel like giving up. Remain under the shield of faith. Remain under the hand of God. Remain under the garment of humility. Remain under his glorious power to remain under requires you to get low, to submit yourself under the will of God. Our patient endurance showing up, doing good, holding on to hope is a testimony in itself when the world sees us persevering through pain, clinging to our faith and loving others, even when it costs us something and it's hard, that's when our lives speak the loudest. Because our struggles are not wasted. Our suffering is never the end of the story.

It is the beginning of our testimony. And Revelation speaks right into our present reality. In a world filled with anxiety, division, depression, uncertainty, we are invited to receive God's grace and peace. for our everyday lives, patient endurance. It's not just about surviving, it's about living with help and courage, trusting that Jesus walks with us through every challenge and every trial. Will you stand with me today as we pray out? (gentle piano music) - Lord, we thank you for this opportunity today, Lord. To come to the altar, Lord, to lay down the trials that we have been going through and struggles we have been going through and on our own, Lord. We thank you that we get to partner with you in suffering God. And so Lord, I ask right now to reveal to anyone in me in the audience the spiritual trial that they have been going through God so that we can minister to them today, Lord. Do they feel distant from you, Lord? Do they feel like they're in a stuck place and can't move forward, God? (gentle piano music) Lord, do they feel like every day they just have fiery darts being thrown at them and they don't have their shields and things to put up God. Lord, do they feel like they still struggle

with pride and ego and are unable to submit to your ways, Lord. Lord, do they find themselves in a season where their faith is being tested, that things have happened in their lives, God. Pain has happened, Lord. Things with their family has happened, Lord. Sickness has happened, God. Death has happened, God. Anxiety seems to fill their days, God. Is there something going on in one of their lives, Lord, that they need to come to the altar and repent, God? Lord, we thank you for your blessing and your promise and revelation, Lord. This is not the end, this is the beginning, God. We thank you, Lord, for your promise, for your words, have John beautifully laid out your character that we can strive to be like God. We thank you, God, for what you're doing in our lives. And we praise you and honor you. And Jesus, mighty name, amen and amen. - Come on, can we thank God for His word that has come to us this morning?