In Greek Mythology, stories tell of a great battle between the Olympian gods, led by Zeus, and the even more ancient Titans. The Titans lose the battle, which is why Zeus becomes the king of the gods.
One of the Titans Zeus defeats is named Atlas, and as punishment he is condemned to stand at the westernmost end of the earth and hold up the heavens for all eternity.
It’s actually a common misconception that Atlas holds up the earth. He’s actually holding up the spheres of the heavens, standing at the western end of the Atlantic Ocean (that’s where we get the name).
I bring this up because the image of Atlas struggling under the weight of this massive sphere has become iconic. We’re still depicting it thousands of years later.
Why does that image resonate so much? Well, I think it’s because it is the perfect symbol of what it’s like to endure. To keep on struggling against something insurmountable.
As with all Greek Mythology, what the story of Atlas is really depicting is a very human experience that we all face from time to time: enduring the weight of our broken reality.
ENDURE
In fact, this challenge to endure - to carry on, to have grit in the face of adversity - this challenge is so universal, that the biblical authors also talk about a lot. And that is what we’re exploring in this series. Biblical endurance.
To do that, we’re actually spending all five weeks of this series looking a specific Greek word the Bible’s authors use to talk about it:
hypomonē - perseverance, steadfastness, patient endurance
As Amy said last week, the word shows up 32 times in the New Testament. And it shows up dozens of times in the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint). For example,
Psalm 40:1
I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.
In the Greek version of that verse, the words “I waited patiently” are actually hypomonē twice in a row. “I endured, I endured, for the Lord to help me.” Put simply, the word is all over the place and it speaks to something fundamental to the human experience: the need to endure in a broken world.
Now, the word hypomonē is made up of two parts:
hypomonē
hypo - "under"
monē - "to stay/abide/exist"
Literally, then, hypomonē means staying or existing under something. Endurance is remaining below, kind of like Atlas with the heavens on his shoulders.
But here’s what makes the biblical approach to endurance so fascinating. In Greek mythology, this is considered a curse for Atlas. Having to endure such a heavy weight is proof that he was defeated.
But the biblical authors take a very different approach to the concept. To them, the need to endure is not necessarily a curse at all. In fact, it can sometimes even be a blessing.
For one thing, it’s in our endurance that God often meets us. Like Psalm 40. “I waited patiently (hypomonē) for the Lord and he turned to me.” God shows up when we’re bearing heavy weights.
But not just that. To the biblical authors, endurance can even shape our character in a positive way. We grow in our faith even as we remain below.
For example, in the passage Amy explored last week, the Apostle Paul wrote that:
Romans 5:3-4
We can rejoice… when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance (hypomonē). And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.
So having to endure, according to Scripture, is not always a curse. Sometimes it can be a blessing. It deepens our faith, it shapes our character, and it gives God a chance to show up. That’s what this series is all about.
Today, we’re going to explore the most provocative angle on this concept in the Bible: The idea that sometimes the need to endure in the first place can be a sign that we are exactly where we’re supposed to be.
So, let’s pray together and then we’ll get into it.
Online Bible Class for Bible Skeptics
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TRUE MINISTERS
Alright. Let’s get to our passage for today. We’ll be reading 2 Corinthians 6:3,
Now, the context for this passage is particularly important with this topic, so let me give you some of the world behind the text.
The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church in Corinth in Greece. He actually started the church there and spent a couple of years helping to get it off the ground.
But then he left and went across the Aegean Sea to help the church get going in Ephesus. And that’s when things in Corinth started to fall apart.
You see, while Paul was gone, there was something of a crisis of confidence in his leadership among the believers there. Some of them started questioning his credentials because he wasn’t a phenomenal speaker.
Meanwhile, some new (what Paul calls) “super apostles” showed up and started impressing everyone with their sparkling oratory and their perfect hair. They were so cool even though the stuff they were teaching was wrong.
So that’s all happening. And then Paul made a quick visit to Corinth which did not go well, and he wrote them this harsh, severe letter. We don’t have it anymore but Paul later acknowledges how much it hurt them.
And then, when things seemingly couldn’t get any worse, Paul was humiliated by the authorities in Ephesus and thrown in jail for his faith where he almost died.
In other words, Paul hit rock bottom and Christians back in Corinth (the church that he started!) started asking, “Should we even be listening to this guy anymore? With so much going wrong for him, is Paul even a legitimate apostle? He’s got so much weight on his shoulders, he must be cursed like Atlas…”
With his legitimacy being questioned, Paul then wrote 2 Corinthians to defend himself. Let’s take a look at what he says.
2 Corinthians 6:3-4
We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God.
So he’s defending his authority. “We are true ministers of God.” And now he’s going to prove it. “Here’s how you know we are legit apostles…”
2 Corinthians 6:4-10
We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.
What we just read is really pretty shocking when you think about it.
In an honor-based society, with these super-apostles flashing their perfect teeth and their witty repartee while Paul is being humiliated and his authority is being questioned, it would make complete sense for Paul to start getting defensive.
“These hardships I’m facing are just a momentary setback. I promise God endorses my message. I’m legit!” But that’s not what he says at all. He says, essentially,
“Yeah, you see how hard things are for me and my co-workers. Well, guess what? We are true ministers of God because of what we endure. Because we face all this terrible stuff. The heavy burden that we carry is the proof that our message is true.”
Now, by ordinary human standards this seems backwards. Isn’t hardship and having to endure calamities an indication that you are not on the right track?
Again, Atlas had to hold up the heavens because he was cursed and defeated. That’s how endurance normally works.
But Paul is saying, “on the contrary.” It’s the other way around.
Why? Because we are agents of a kingdom that is not of this world. We’re forces of love in a world full of hate. We offer grace in a world dominated by sin. We teach a message of humility and generosity in a world ruled by power and greed.
And it makes sense, right? If Paul was as thriving and wealthy and successful as those super apostles, and he faced zero opposition, then what would his message really be? It would probably be one people want to hear. One that makes them feel good. The prosperity gospel.
But if his message is one of hard stuff: repentance from your sin, of dying to yourself, of rejecting the allure of power and lust and money and instead doing the hard work of choosing to love the unlovable?
If that’s his message? Well, then he's going to face some opposition. The hate and the beatings and the prison sentences are par for the course.
And here’s why: Because the powers of this world don't want to go down without a fight and the message of the kingdom of God threatens them to their core.
Put simply, we should expect to endure hardship if we’re following in the footsteps of Jesus.
Verse 8. “We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive.”
This is what it looks like to follow Christ in a broken world. Why? Because it’s exactly what happened to him.
The author of life was crucified by the very people he came to save. That’s how a sinful world responded to the love of God embodied. We should expect that same rejection and opposition if we are embodying it too.
Ah, but remember, it was through Jesus’ death and resurrection - through that rejection - that he brought life to humanity. The cross was the key to our salvation. What the enemy meant for evil, God turned around for our good.
That’s how the mission of Jesus works. The very same mission you and I and Paul share as his followers. Bringing life into a world of death.
Paul says, a little earlier in the letter,
2 Corinthians 4:10-11
Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies.
This is how Paul thinks about enduring the hardships of this world. We hypomonē - “we remain under” the heavy weight of brokenness and rejection because our patient endurance through it - our grit - will bring the life of Jesus into a dying world.
For Paul, the challenges and rejection he faced were not things to be ashamed of: they were his calling card.
Endurance can be the proof that we’re sharing in the mission of Christ.
What a countercultural idea! To the world, having to endure hardship is a curse to be avoided. Nobody wants to be Atlas.
But when the heavy weight on your shoulders is the cross of Christ, then when you experience “troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind” because of it, as Paul says, it’s proof that you’re right where you’re supposed to be.
Jesus himself said it best.
Luke 9:23
If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.
Following Jesus is not for the faint of heart. The weight of the cross is heavy. But remaining under it - enduring the rejection of a broken world - is how we join Christ in his mission to heal it all.
ARE YOU ENDURING?
Now, as I said before, this is only one very specific angle on the whole conversation about biblical endurance.
The truth is that there are times when our need to endure has nothing to do with following Christ. It has everything to do with living in a broken world.
When you have cancer or a messed-up family of origin or you’re the victim of injustice or abuse that’s not because you follow Jesus. That’s because the world is still such a mess.
Those are the moments when our endurance - our hypomonē - is an opportunity for God to show up and deliver us. And that’s what we’re talking about the rest of this month.
But today, I want us to just camp out on this idea that sometimes, the hardships we face are a direct result of our faith. Because following Jesus in a broken world is a heavy weight and that is precisely the point.
With that in mind, I have two thoughts for us to ponder this week. One is a challenge, and the other is an encouragement.
We’ll start with the challenge. If needing to endure can be proof that you’re sharing in the mission of Christ, then let me ask you this: how is your endurance these days?
To put it another way, The cross of Christ is heavy. Are you feeling the weight?
Now, we live in an extraordinarily free society where you’re not going to jail like Paul because of your faith, but following Jesus still creates a lot of friction in this broken world. Do you feel it?
For example, we live in a very image-focused culture. We all want people to think highly of us.
Are you facing any pushback - shame, rejection, social consequences - for choosing to love the unlovable, the outcast… Does your faith lead you to spend time with people you don’t want to spend time with? Is it a sacrifice?
Have you developed the “low grade fever of sadness” that comes from remaining in the lives of the broken? In a world where ghosting people the moment they annoy us is normal, staying in the room and loving the unlovable can be a heavy weight to endure.
How about your generosity? Are you investing in the things God cares about to the degree that you feel it? Is it painless? Or do you actually feel the weight of the time or the money that you give away?
Or how about your struggles with sin? Are you struggling? Is it just sin management? Or are you working hard to grow in holiness and moral integrity to the point where it costs you something?
In this morally bankrupt time, does your attention to the state of your soul raise eyebrows among those who couldn’t care less? Does your life look different from everyone else?
We could go on and on. The point is, following Christ means facing pushback from the powers of this broken world. Enduring that pushback is proof that we’re on the right track.
So the challenge is this: if you’re not feeling any weight on your shoulders because of your faith, it might be time to ask God why… Maybe 2025 is the year when your walk with Jesus goes deeper than ever before even as it starts to cost you…
So that’s the challenge. The encouragement gets right back to what Paul was saying.
The cross of Christ is heavy, but we meet our savior beneath it.
Yes, following Jesus can require significant endurance. It takes grit and perseverance to go through hardship, self-sacrifice, and rejection for your faith.
But it is precisely there, in our endurance under the cross, that we meet Jesus, who carried it first.
As Paul said, we share in his death, but we also share in his life. Shoulder to shoulder with Christ, carrying this burden, we discover his life-giving presence and grace and joy meeting us right where our strength is failing.
That’s when we realize that we do not carry this weight alone. Through the power of God’s Spirit, the words of Jesus come true:
Matthew 11:30
My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.
Light not because dying to yourself is easy. No! The cross of Christ is heavy! But it is underneath its weight that we most deeply encounter the one who shares our burdens.
This is my encouragement to you in 2025. If you are facing rejection or shame or even just the pain of self-sacrifice because of your faith, know that you are on the right track and Christ is with you in it. Endure! Because,
2 Corinthians 6:10
Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.