[Music] you’re watching kcmi TV well I’m glad you join me today and we’re going to take our verse that we want to talk about out of second Timothy uh chapter 2 and verse three and uh Paul is writing to Timothy and and I need to start this out by telling you that um Second Timothy is one of the last books that Paul wrote and he’s writing this from prison so you need to to get an understanding of the context of where this is coming from he’s not preaching to thousands and um he is in prison and it was a horrible

place to be and yet his heart is for exhortation and encouragement and so it’s an amazing thing to see this man of God who has literally been caught up into heaven and received Revelations from the Lord that in his walk with the Lord the Lord has allowed him uh to be in this place you know you would think why would God allow Paul to be in a horrible place but um we we experience these times and so he’s writing to his son Timothy and he says in verse three Timothy therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus

Christ and um the word Soldier here literally means a champion of the cause of Jesus Christ and so uh you know there’s this misconception that when we give our heart to the Lord that everything becomes wonderful and prosperous and there’s great joy and and all of that and there are seasons that we experience that but um in reality when when you become a Believer and you become saved there’s an exchange that takes place you are giving your life to Jesus in exchange Jesus is giving his life to you so now as a Believer you know longer

walk in your own path or into your own desires you are living the life of Jesus Christ and when you read the life of Jesus it wasn’t an easy life one statement he said I have no place to lay my head another time he um was preaching and when he got done the Bible said many were offended uh he endured um scripture says that in his ministry that his own family did not believe in him and he was constantly challenged and so the life of Jesus was not an easy life and so when when you get saved and you give your life to him he is going to

give his life to you and so sometimes it can be a life of hard ship but um when the when he’s writing here uh what I want to talk about is he said Timothy you need to endure hardness like a good soldier and um the word hardness here just simply means suffering Affliction and hardships and first of all I want to say that um it’s not forever this is really what this podcast is about I want you to understand this that that once you give your heart to the Lord and you know you’re 25 years old that um and you live

to be 80 that not every day is just hell on Earth and one problem after another and great suffering uh hardship is seasonal and it produ produces something that that gives us strength and so um he’s talking about this he said endure the the suffering of afflictions and endure the hardships and um hardness um is U are enduring this is this is what he said this is the word I want to focus on this podcast he’s saying endure it and it enduring means to persevere or to hold fast to one’s faith in Christ and so the very fact of the word

enduring means it’s not forever all right he said but when you are there you need to persevere and you need to hold fast to one’s faith in Jesus Christ because uh going through these Seasons uh can be very difficult they can be very painful and um this is something that we need to learn there are some things that you don’t need to rebuke you need to endure them there are some things that God allows and you got to really have the wisdom to differentiate there there are some things that God does does not in

tend for you to rebuke not everything that’s going in your life needs to be rebuked it needs to be endured and so I I want to give you the first example here uh with Jesus and I told you his life wasn’t easy it was not an easy life in the 33 and A2 years he went horrible he went through some difficult things and of course the end of his life uh was was just amazing uh painful and torturous but it was only for a season all right the calvary uh lasted a day actually less than that he died in in about six hours and then he’s

in the grave he goes into the into shio and he liberates Saints and on the third day he comes out of that grave and so in Hebrews 12 and verse 2 um this this is what the writer in Hebrews says about Jesus he endured the cross he didn’t rebuke it he didn’t intercede and say God just um take the cross out of my life one scripture talks about if you’re going to be my disciple you’re going to have to take up your cross and follow me and so the scripture says this about it said he endured the cross and he despised the

shame and so you know nobody wants the cross in her life but Jesus endured it it literally means he went through the transition of it there is an end to enduring all right it’s not forever but you’re going to go through Seasons I had someone call me this morning and asked me to pray with them on the phone and say I’m struggling I I I feel like I’m doing everything right and and what is going on and and I prayed with them and encouraged them that these things are season uh remember the verse that says this weeping may

endure for a night but it’s not night forever God has a son and it says but joy comes in the morning and so the the Reason God is saying you need to endure the difficult seasons is because on the other side there’s something glorious and so this is what happens with Jesus he endured the cross remember what I told you what it means he held fast to one’s faith in God he persevered so he he endures the cross he does not allow this moment in his life to separate his relationship from his father and this is

the payoff for Jesus and it says this he sat down Hallelujah after he endured the cross he sat down at the right hand on the throne of God now that doesn’t sound like defeat to me that does not sound like somebody that the devil was just loosing his life and just doing whatever he wanted there are some times where God will say you’re going through a a a a transition you’re going through a difficult time and it’s going to be painful and your flesh feels like it’s being crucified he said persevere I want to I want to read you a

a verse this is out of the Book of Mark chapter 4 and uh it’s the parable of the SE and this is the explanation um and it says these are they who which are sewn on Stony ground who when they hear the word immediately receive it with gladness see this is where this is where a lot of people are they hear the preaching and they like the excitement of the service they love the anointing and they love the prophetic word the personal prophecy see and they’re all in and they’re so excited they’re going to dance and and and all

of this that’s them but verse 17 says but they have no root in themselves and they endure but for a Time CU it says when Affliction and person persecution arises or it comes for the word’s sake remember you got to hold fast to one’s faith in Christ he is the word manifested in flesh it says when the persecution and the Affliction comes for word’s sake it says many or it says immediately they are offended they could not in Ure not every day is a a glorious day not every day does everything go right

not every day do all your dreams come true but I will tell you this that um the rain falls and the just and the unjust but so does the sun you’re going to have those days that uh God blesses you and there’s an open heaven and it’s it’s that long long-term relationship with God that that make your roots begin to go down in the spirit of the Lord and so um the reason Jesus’s life was not easy is because it had purpose all right purpose means that there is a destination that you’re headed

for and the things that the enemy will throw at you is to try to get you to change course and um you know when when you think about wind when a lot of times you know I’ve been on an airplane and they’ll tell us uh it’s going to take longer to get there because we are fighting a headwind but and because we’re and we’re headed to a preset destination we need to get there because we’re going to do something once we get there but if you turn that plane around and you head away from your purpose you know what happens the

headwind becomes a Tailwind the headwind will slow you down but you’ll still get there but if you reverse yourself the Tailwind will speed you up to get you away from where you wanted to to go and this is why uh you have to withstand The Winds of adversity this is why you have to endure this is this is why when when tribulation arises that you’ve already made up your mind it doesn’t matter what the devil throws at me I’m not changing direction um we read about some of these um Great Men of God in in in second

Timothy chapter 3 um we’ll go back there just very quickly because I love what the writer is saying here uh Second Timothy chapter 3 um one of the things he talks about he said people are going to be truce Breakers they’re going to break the uh their their Covenant with God and in um Second Timothy chapter 3 Paul says this he in verse 10 he says you have fully known my Doctrine my man of life my purpose my faith my longsuffering my charity my patience and then remember I told you that to endure means persecution or or it means to persevere

and hardness means suffering Affliction and hardship this is what Paul says he says persecution and affliction you know what that that’s the hardness that he’s talking about to Timothy he said came unto me at at Antioch and Iconium and lstra and he said what persecutions I I endured them I persevered through them they did not separate me from the love of God and then I love this he says but out of them all the Lord delivered me and verse 12 he ends he says yes and all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus Remember to hold

fast to one’s faith in Christ that’s what enduring is all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus are going to suffer persecution this is not not God’s punishment this is what happens when you are headed to advance the kingdom of God that there are going to be Seasons but I want you to get this in your spirit if you can endure there’s a payoff on the other side this is why the enemy is will make it difficult is because he doesn’t want you to reach your goal because there’s a payoff think about um

think about Abraham we think he’s the man of faith and the wonderful times he had with God Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 15 um it says Abraham after he had patiently [Music] endured and we skip over that but uh patiently he endured what was he patiently endured he was given the promise at the age age of 75 and for 25 years while he got old and he watched his loins die and Sarah’s womb die and endured the the ridicule of those around him who had laed at his dream that he was going to have a a son but he patient ly endured he did not

let it go he kept his eyes on the prize he carried the cross and Hebrews 6:15 says Abraham after he patiently endured he obtained the promise you know what I think is going on right now in the world is the enemy is after the remnant he’s throwing everything at us but the kitchen sink and everywhere I go I hear hear people saying pastor you know it’s tough right now well you know that’s because we are enduring we’re in a season of enduring but we are going to do it as a good soldier see when you get saved you

enlist you voluntarily enlist in the army of God and when a man’s in an army he doesn’t determine his own destiny he yields to that who is over him he fights for that cause and you and I are a soldier and we are not living in peace time and unfortunately there’s too many Christians that have went AOL away away without leave they just couldn’t handle it hand listen with every trial the Bible says God makes a way of Escape I I want to give you another verse this is in Matthew chapter 24 and verse

13 He that shall endure unto the end you know what that tells me that there is a end to what you’re going through so I’m struggling my health well there’s an end because there’s healing on the other side I’m struggling with my children well there’s an end because prodal are coming home I’m struggling in my business well there’s an end because God said if you test me I will rebuke the devour for your sake Hallelujah that there is an end but he that shall endure until the end the same one shall be

saved not destroyed not forsaken not through thr by the wayside but he shall be saved and so I want to end this today because um I was praying a couple days ago and and and this really come up in my spirit um the Bible talks about in John he says love not the world neither the things in the world for If any man loveth the world the love of the father is not in him so I quoted that scripture to you because he’s saying there is this world we live in this world okay in this Cosmos but then he talks about those who

are not worthy of the world to come so according to the Bible there’s an end to this world because there’s another world coming and those of you that stud the scriptures understand this that the world that is to come is an eternal world all right it’s going to operate under different values um the money that we have here won’t be worth anything in the world to come the rules will be different there will be no devil um we will not have to live by faith we can reach out and physically touch Jesus and sit with him

so it is a glorious world and it is an eternal world but here’s where we are today as men and women we have to pick what world we’re going to live in and this is sadly this is a horrible mistake that so many people are making they’ve picked this world they’ve put all their eggs in their basket for this world they their pursuit of Finance and their pursuit of being happy and their pursuit of of whether it’s fame or abundance uh homes uh when you pick this world but you have to violate the laws of the world to come

then it means that this is the only world that you’re going to be happy in I pick the world to come and so when you pick the world to come the Bible says that while you’re here you are an alien and you’re a stranger you’re pilgrims we don’t belong here we are left here because God needs people to become Harvesters that are going to bring in the last Harvest he needs people to preach the gospel he needs the church and we are a part of the church many members but one body but I choose to live in another world in

the spirit because this world I mean I don’t know eschatology nobody knows um I would be shocked if in within 10 years the Rapture has not taken place um I’m not saying it going to but I feel in my spirit that the time of Christ coming back is much nearer than we believe and we are the only generation that has seen end time signs come to pass starting with the formulation of the nation of Israel and we’re seeing Wars rumors of wars uh we’re seeing Antichrist spirits and so um I really believe that there’s going to be so many

people that sow their soul out to be prosperous in this world and they’re going to find out that I did it just for 7 years 10 years even if it’s 20 years and then when this world comes to an end and the Eternal world comes that lasts not billions but trillions of years without without there’s no ending and with sorrow they will realize I didn’t endure to the end you hold your or ground I don’t care what you’re going through God will give you the strength to go through it if you’re in the will

of God the devil cannot kill you and there are times where when you cry out to God after many many times for healing or an answer then God will say today’s the day and enduring means it’s not forever whatever you’re going through is not for forever you will Hallelujah be happy again because on the other side you get to sit down with the right hand of God and the Bible says this in Ephesians that Christ has made you and I to sit with him spiritually even right now we are sitting with Christ in Heavenly

places so I want to encourage you let your roots go down deep don’t let the persecution or the afflictions or the difficulties that you’re going through right now make you quit finish the race and I will tell you this I you I I ran for probably 30 years outside miles and I raced in high school and I can tell you this the hardest part of the race was about the last mile you’re tired you used up energy and that’s where you have to reach down inside and just determine I’m going to finish this race and this is why so many of God’s

people are fatigued it’s because you don’t know it but you’re close to the finish line so you reach down inside and you get a second wi of the ru of God and you let God strengthen you because you are going to finish strong and you are going to sit down on the right hand of God and you are going to obtain the promises of the Lord that is a promise of God well God bless you I’ll see you next week for more information about Kent Christmas Ministries International or regeneration Nashville go to Kent christmas.org or

regeneration nashville.org and for the latest updates or videos follow us on Facebook and subscribe to us on YouTube God bless you