HopeLives365

Mark Finley: We do not look at things that are seen. Have you felt down, discouraged, disappointed? Look beyond what is to what will be. Look to the fact that Christ has a plan for your life. Look to the fact that he'll give you strength to handle whatever you've got to handle. Look to the fact of the newness that there is in Christ.

Guest (Male): This is Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message: End Time Survival Strategies. Enjoy and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with Hope Lives 365 and Pastor Mark by going to hopelives365.com. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: Many years ago in a remote country village in North Korea, a Christian family gathered in the living room of their modest cottage for what would be the most memorable night of their life. Their actions that night would be a symbol of their commitment to Christ in the midst of godless atheism. Their village was militantly Communist. All expressions of faith were expressly forbidden. Imprisonment, torture, and possibly even death were the penalty for openly practicing Christianity. Christian literature was strictly forbidden. Bibles were considered anti-government propaganda.

The family owned an old, battered, water-stained Bible. Its cover had fallen off, its pages were torn. It was passed down for decades in the family. Since it was so old and many of its pages were now unreadable, the mother of the family decided to burn the old book. Earlier in the evening, they gathered around an open fire behind their home and quietly prayed as the old Bible slowly burned. Now as they gathered in the living room, Mom sprinkled the Bible's ashes into a glass of water for each member of the family. Together they repeated Bible promises, committed themselves to stand fast, to keep the faith, to never give up, to persevere.

Then each one, mother, father, and children, drank their glass of water laced with the Bible's ashes. This family's actions may seem strange to us. They are a bit unusual to say the least. What impressed me most when I first heard the story was their unwavering commitment to God's word. Their unswerving commitment to Christ the word echoes across the miles, bridges cultural gaps, and speaks to us today. It is the word which strengthens our faith. It's the word which fortifies our minds. It's the word which reveals Christ.

It's the word which unfolds truth. It's the word that exposes error. It's the word which prepares us for Satan's fiercest temptations. God reveals himself through his word. This is why Satan hates the word of God. This is why all the powers of hell want to destroy the word. God's word reveals survival strategies for end-time living. It reveals God's success secrets for end-time living. It clearly shows us how to thrive in life's toughest times. Bible characters discovered these principles and lived by them in the face of overwhelming odds.

They faced persecution, they faced imprisonment, they faced death head-on. If anyone was caught in the midst of this titanic struggle between the forces of good and evil, it was the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul shares eternal truths that will enable us to stand fast in the worst of times. They are the Apostle's attitudes of being. They bolstered his faith, they encouraged his heart, they lifted his spirit in the challenges of life. All the demons of hell cannot destroy the humble child of God who embraces these principles. They are timeless and they're life-changing.

We find the first eternal truth in Paul's letter to the Corinthians, found in 2nd Corinthians chapter three, verses four, five, and six. Survival strategies for end-time. The first principle that we're going to discover is 2nd Corinthians chapter three, verses four, five, and six. "And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the spirit, for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life."

Here's the first principle: Standing fast in the worst of times necessitates trusting God. Where there is no trust, there is no spiritual strength. Did you catch what the Apostle Paul says? Not that we are sufficient of ourselves. But we have such trust through Christ toward God. Paul recognized we're not sufficient for these things. We're not capable of handling the temptations, the difficulties, the challenges that come our way. But our trust is anchored in God. You lose faith when you feel self-sufficient.

The less you feel sufficient, the stronger you become and the more you trust. Our sufficiency is from God, according to the Apostle Paul. The Christian life from beginning to end is one of trust and dependence, not one of self-sufficiency. We're not sufficient, he is. Our righteousness is not sufficient to save us, his righteousness is. In Romans 8:33, I read: "It is God who justifies." Our strength is not sufficient to deliver us, his is. In 2nd Peter 2:9, I read: "The Lord knows how to deliver the ungodly."

Our good works are not sufficient to sanctify us, his are. I read in Ezekiel 20:12: "I am the Lord who sanctifies them." Our power is not sufficient to resurrect our bodies, his is. I read in John 11:25: "I am the resurrection and the life." We cannot immortalize ourselves, he can. I read in John 10:28: "I give them eternal life." And throughout life, our inadequacy is Christ's sufficiency. At times we all cry out from the depth of our being: I'm too weak to cope with life's challenges.

I'm incapable of facing the devil's temptations. I'm unable to handle my daily pressures. I'm just not sufficient for all the stressors that are rapidly coming at me at once. In all of life's assignments, God is our sufficiency. When we have stress at work, God is our sufficiency. When there are problems in our families, God is our sufficiency. When we have health problems, God is our sufficiency. When we have financial problems, say it with me, God is our sufficiency. When we care for elderly parents and just seem to be exhausted, what is it? God is our sufficiency.

When we cope with loneliness, are you coping with loneliness? God is our sufficiency. When we're challenged at school with our grades, sure we study, but we recognize what? God's our sufficiency. When we feel insufficient, incapable, inadequate, God is our sufficiency. I read an amazing story not long ago by a Professor Marilyn Helleberg, who at the time taught English at Kearney State College in Philadelphia. She certainly discovered this principle of absolute trust when she felt so inadequate.

Guest (Male): We'll be right back with Pastor Mark Finley. We thank you for listening and hope you're enjoying today's message. Our mission is to attractively present the Christ-centered biblical truths of scripture in a practical, relevant way to people around the world so that they may experience the abundant life that Christ offers and effectively share with confidence his life-changing truths with others. You can support this ministry and help us reach even more by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now, back to Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: One semester to begin class, she had each student write a statement about themselves. Here's what one student, Quan, wrote. He was from Hong Kong and he said, "I think English is a real bore. My main hobby is harassing stupid teachers, and English teachers are the stupidest of all." Now, the natural response to a comment like that is either to become defensive or to emotionally withdraw from the individual completely. Throughout the initial class period, Quan snickered, mumbled under his breath, dropped books on the floor, and squirmed in his seat. He was extremely disruptive.

That night, his teacher Marilyn, a committed Christian, acknowledged before God that she was incapable of dealing with the problem. She sought Christ's sufficiency. Through prayer she was impressed: Marilyn, see Christ in Quan. See Christ in him. How? He wasn't even a Christian. She continued to ask Christ for his sufficiency to meet this challenge. In the weeks to come, Quan would yawn in class and say out loud, "How boring!" Marilyn ignored him and went on with the lecture. Quan's first essay was sprinkled with obscene language to shock his teacher.

Later, he monopolized classroom discussions by arguing with other students. One day, Marilyn read a poem in class titled "Outwitted" by Edward Markham. Before she read it, she simply said, "This poem is dedicated to Quan." He drew a circle which shut me out, heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win; we drew a circle that took him in. After class one day, Quan said, "Why don't you just give up on me?" Then he confided privately, "You can't let people get too close to you. I play a game in which I try to hurt them before they can hurt me. I've been rejected so many times, I can't stand it anymore."

For one of his final essays, Quan wrote these words: "There are three kinds of teachers: those who are interesting but stupid, those who are intelligent but boring, those who are both boring and stupid like my English teacher." It was the end of the semester when Marilyn read it. Tears came to her eyes. She felt all of her efforts had been failed. She prayed: "Jesus, be my sufficiency. I've invested so much energy in this young man. I'm emotionally drained. I can't take it anymore."

Have you ever felt emotionally drained? Christ is your sufficiency. When Marilyn handed Quan's paper back, she began to cry. He looked up and saw her tears, and she simply wrote on the paper, "Quan, I can't play emotional mind games. You matter to me. I care for you as a person. I'm concerned about you." Then she walked away. While she was sitting in her office crying, overcome with emotion, Quan walked in and placed a note in her hand. "I'm sorry I hurt you. No one else has ever cared for me before. If this has something to do with your Christ, I want to know him too."

In all of life's independence, trust. In all of life's inadequacies, trust. In all of life's challenges, trust. In all of life's disasters, trust. The more capable I feel, the more I need to trust. The more my sufficiency is inadequate, the more I need his sufficiency. The gates of hell shall not destroy the child of God who hangs on in simple trust. Christ is our sufficiency. Trust. The Apostle Paul moves on to the second in this trinity of survival attitudes. His words in the first century speak to a generation living in the twenty-first century.

They were important then, but they're much more important now. Here are his hopeful words: "Since we have this ministry, we do not lose heart" (2nd Corinthians 4:1). He continues on in verses eight and nine: "We are pressed on every side, but we do not lose heart." In other words, all the stressors and pressures of life do not cause us to become discouraged. In Christ, we have a confident, positive attitude. Christ's grace enables us to cope with all of life's unbearable stressors. We are perplexed, but we do not lose heart.

What does the Apostle mean when he says we're perplexed? In other words, in life there are unanswered questions. There are many things we simply cannot understand, but that does not destroy our faith. What we do know is far more significant than what we don't know. The one who has changed our heart is more important than the unanswered questions in our mind. We are persecuted, but we do not lose heart. The trials of life do not obscure our view of Jesus. He is larger than all of our difficulties.

We may be pressed or stressed, but we do not lose heart. We may be perplexed or baffled, but we do not lose heart. We may be persecuted or afflicted, but we do not lose heart. Here's why: "Therefore we do not lose heart, though the outward man is perishing" (2nd Corinthians 4:16). Get this: the inward man is being renewed day by day. The great heroes of faith lived lives of incredible moral courage. Joseph did not lose heart when he was betrayed by his brothers. Elisha did not lose heart when surrounded by thousands of enemy soldiers.

Daniel did not lose heart, a captive in a foreign land. Jeremiah did not lose heart when he was being sawed into. Moses did not lose heart wandering in the wilderness. Peter did not lose heart even when he was condemned by the guilt of his sin in denying his Lord. Persecuted, stoned, shipwrecked, imprisoned, the Apostle Paul did not lose heart. The only way we will not lose heart is if our inward man, our inward person, is being renewed day by day. Renewal occurs day by day.

When God's people Israel wandered in the wilderness, manna fell from heaven each day to supply their needs. God provided their daily food. Each morning, except on Sabbath, the Israelites gathered the manna. God gave them manna sufficient for that day. If they missed gathering it each morning, they went hungry. God offers us nourishment in his word. Today's supply is inadequate for tomorrow. In every heart there is a hidden hunger to know God. There's only one way to satisfy this inner longing. Jesus said, "This is life eternal, that they might know me" (John 17:3).

We get to know him through his word, the Bible. There's one prime way to build strong faith. One way to build courage. One way not to lose heart: live in the presence of God every day. My dear friend Robert Wong lived in the presence of God even in a Communist prison. His inner person was renewed every day. He was in solitary confinement for four years. He was imprisoned in labor camps for 15 years. At this time, his family was not allowed to visit him.

He was denied access and could only write a hundred Chinese characters a month to them. On one occasion, the number 115 came to his mind. He remembered that that was the number of the hymn in the Chinese hymnal, "Give Me the Bible." So in one of his letters that he wrote home, he said, "Mother, mother, I'd like a notepad of 115 pages." And she looked at that and said, "What is he saying? What is he saying? A notepad of 115 pages."

Now in those years, when the prisoners could only write a hundred Chinese characters a month home—and that's very little—they could request things like soap, flour, and eggs. And so his mother sent him a parcel of some flour, some eggs, some soap, and a notepad. She made sure it was 115 pages, and she said, "I've sent you the notepad of 115 pages and be sure to wash with your soap." She knew as she thought about it that page 115 in the Chinese hymnal was "Give Me the Bible."

So when she said "Wash with your soap, it'll make you clean," he knew something. They would make bars of soap maybe a foot long and you chop off each little section. Well, in that soap, it hollowed out, she had placed a New Testament. It was amazing; his mother included a copy of the Bible. It was that New Testament, the Bible, the precious book of God, that sustained him for days, for weeks, for months. He drew courage from its pages. His inner person was being renewed day by day. Heroes of faith down through the centuries have drawn courage from God's word.

Corrie ten Boom tells the story of a financial crisis in her father's watchmaking shop. She kept the books and there wasn't enough money to pay the bills. An extremely wealthy businessman entered the shop and looked at one of the most expensive watches. After examining it, he decided to buy it. He gave Corrie's father, Mr. ten Boom, the money. In passing, he said, "I want to buy this watch because I have a very expensive watch that doesn't work. I've taken it to a young watchmaker in town, but he couldn't do anything with it."

"May I see the watch?" Mr. ten Boom inquired. In a moment, the experienced watchmaker had it running perfectly. Mr. ten Boom then said, "You'll not be needing this new watch. Yours will work just fine now." As he returned the man's money, Corrie was quietly listening to the conversation from a distance. Her heart sank to her feet. Immediately she lost heart. Her courage ran away like a dog running from its master and she exclaimed, "Papa, how could you? How could you? You know how much we needed the money."

He simply said something like this: "Corrie, have courage. Trust in the Lord." In the presence of the Lord, our courage is renewed. In the presence of the Lord, our strength is restored. In the presence of the Lord, our faith is revived. In the presence of the Lord, our hope is rekindled. In the presence of the Lord, we do not lose heart. Here are the Apostle Paul's end-time survival attitudes: one, we are not sufficient, live a life of trust, dwell in the presence of the Lord. Secondly, we do not lose heart, live a life of courage, trust in the almighty God.

And thirdly, we do not look at things that are seen. Live a life of hope and of joy in the promises of God. Paul concludes his thoughts on end-time living with these words, 2nd Corinthians chapter 4, verse 18: "While we do not look at things which are seen, but at things which are unseen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal." He echoes this in Colossians chapter 3. The Apostle Paul echoes these words in Colossians chapter 3: "If you were raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God."

"Set your mind on things above, not on things on earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:4: "When Christ who is our life appears, then you shall also appear with him in glory." As Christians, we look beyond what is to what will be. We look beyond today to tomorrow. We look beyond the night to the morning. We look beyond the present to the eternal. We look beyond our tears to joy. We look beyond sickness to health. We look beyond earthly poverty to heavenly riches.

We look beyond heartache to happiness. We look beyond Earth's problems to heaven's solutions. We look beyond time to eternity. We look beyond disaster to deliverance. We look not to what we see but by faith grasp the eternal joys we cannot see. Here are three directly inspired survival attitudes. We are not sufficient. Do you feel insufficient? Do you feel incapable of doing some task for God? Trust, trust, and trust some more. We do not lose heart. Has your courage been evaporating?

God beckons you into his presence for a new dose of trust and courage. Courage comes from knowing Christ. The more you read the word of God and you see how Jesus gave Israel victories. See how Jesus triumphed in the New Testament, especially in the book of Acts. And you see how the disciples defeated the principalities and powers of hell. The more courage you have. And the more you see how Jesus, although he was harassed, although he was crucified with nails driven through his hands and a crown of thorns jammed upon his head and blood running down his face.

He went into the tomb, but he rose again, triumphed over the principalities and powers of hell. The more we see in the Bible the triumph of those biblical characters, the triumph of the New Testament church. Yes, there was martyrdom, yes, there was persecution, yes, there were times of difficulty, but the church moved on. The gospel was spread. Certainly, in the life of Christ, we see victory, not defeat. We see triumph, not overcome. He was not overcome; he triumphed.

We do not look at things that are seen. Have you felt down, discouraged, disappointed? Look beyond what is to what will be. Look to the fact that Christ has a plan for your life. Look to the fact that he'll give you strength to handle whatever you've got to handle. Look to the fact of the newness that there is in Christ. Here are God's end-time survival attitudes: faith is trusting God in the difficulties of life as a friend, knowing for certain that he'll never do me any harm.

Courage is the tenacity to hang on, never give up, knowing God's strength will get me through. Vision is the ability to look beyond today to tomorrow. It's seeing the future through God's eyes. It is the ability to grasp the reality of eternity today. For all the challenges of your life, God wants to give you an extra dose of faith, courage, and vision.

Guest (Male): You've been listening to Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you've enjoyed today's message and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at hopelives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now, a final thought from Pastor Mark.

Mark Finley: Let your heart be filled with courage today. Look beyond what is to what will be. Your body may be racked with pain, but one day you'll have a new body. You may be going through discouragement, loneliness, disappointment, but know for certain that Christ is with you. Take new courage, my friend. God's not done with you yet. Take new courage, my friend. Christ is with you, says, "Lo, I'm with you always, even to the end of the world." Let's pray.

Father in heaven, we thank you that you're with us. We thank you you'll never leave us or forsake us. Help us know we are not sufficient but you are. Help us never lose heart because in the presence of Christ there is courage. And help us look beyond what is to what will be through all eternity. In Christ's name, Amen.