[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alphara, Georgia. This is the next message in our series on the book of 2 Corinthians and titled, We Faint Not.
[0:15] All right, take your Bibles if you would and open them to 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter 1. I am so excited to see what God has got in store for us in His Word as we go to 2 Corinthians and begin a study of the book of 2 Corinthians as the young ladies were singing.
[0:32] It reminded us, some of us, of six years ago, six and a half years ago, when they were the first and only singers that we had. They were a lot younger though. And we have watched God do some great things in the last six years.
[0:45] All right, take your Bible if you would, 2 Corinthians. Thank you very much, Brother Stephen. Take your Bible, 2 Corinthians chapter 1. The Apostle Paul was writing a letter to the church at Corinth. And there are several issues that are going on.
[0:57] And one of them is Paul's been going through some trouble. And they tend to act like and think that God is causing Paul or allowing Paul to suffer because he's done something wrong.
[1:09] And so Paul's going to write and say, I'm really suffering because of you. I'm suffering to get the gospel to you. I'm suffering so you can hear the truth. And he's going to explain to them that God does allow his people to go through trouble so they can be a blessing to other people.
[1:26] He is the God of all mercies. He's the Father of all mercies. He's a great God. But he comforts us so that we'll be able to comfort others. Read with me if you would again. 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 3 and 4.
[1:38] And then we're going to talk a little bit about suffering and problems in our lives. Look at verse 3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort where we ourselves are comforted of God.
[2:02] In verse 5, he's going to go on and say, man, sufferings are abounding in my life. You know, if anybody went through trouble, it was the Apostle Paul, but it was so he could get the gospel message to the world. And I want you today to know that you may be going through some problems, and I want to show you some biblical reasons why we have trouble and problems.
[2:22] You know, there are several of our people that would be hurting. Family members are dying. Finances aren't what they ought to be. There are problems in your marriage, family issues you're dealing with, whatever's going on, and things.
[2:36] Maybe God's not answering some prayers that you have. And you would say, why? Why is God allowing this? Why is God doing this? What's going on? And let me just share with you some of the things.
[2:47] The Apostle Paul writes them, and he says, guys, really, suffering isn't because you've done wrong necessarily. It can be, but it's not necessarily for that reason. Let's bow our heads and ask God to bless and open our hearts, and we'll listen to his word today.
[3:01] Father, I pray that you would bring honor and glory to your name, and I pray that you would comfort your children, the saints that you have saved and sanctified and made right here today.
[3:12] And God, help us to understand why you allow bad things to happen to your people often. And I pray to your God that your name would be glorified today, and I'll give you praise for it all. In Jesus' name, amen.
[3:23] Now, I will admit to you that we're going to be jumping in different parts of the Scripture because I really think that we need kind of a study of suffering and problems.
[3:34] And so we're going to do it just this morning. But if you'll take your Bible and write down maybe some notes, you'll be able to look at these verses up later. Why in the world does God allow problems? Why in the world am I who love God?
[3:46] I'm saved. I'm on my way to heaven. Why does God allow bad things to happen to me when I'm trying to serve him? So if you would, take your Bible and go with me to Proverbs chapter 17. First thing I would mention to you is he does it to test our faith.
[4:00] To test our faith. To prove that it is real. To prove that it is real. The Bible says in Proverbs chapter 17 and verse 3, Proverbs chapter 17 and verse 3, the fining pot is for silver, the furnace for gold, but the Lord tries the hearts.
[4:19] The Lord tries the hearts. God is at work helping you see if you truly have faith, if God has truly done a work in your life.
[4:31] He is showing you. He knows. Obviously, He knows everything. He is omnipotent God. He is omniscient God. He's omnipresent God. So there's never a place He's never been. There's never a thing He can't do.
[4:44] And there's not a thing He doesn't know. But you need to know. And so He puts us through, allows us to go through things to try our hearts. Look, if you would, at 2 Chronicles chapter 32 and verse 31.
[4:57] He's testing our faith. You're going through some things right now. We're going to find out what kind of faith you have. 2 Corinthians, you're going to find out what kind of faith you have. 2 Chronicles 32, 31.
[5:08] And the Bible says, How be it in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder of what was done in the land? God left him. God left him. God left him to try him that he might know what was in his heart.
[5:23] That he might know what was in his heart. God proving. Checking out. Do you know it's an easy thing to make a profession of faith? You probably know some people that quote unquote got born again.
[5:34] Quote unquote got baptized, started going to church, said they were Christians and later turned on God. And you'd say, Well, they had trouble and it caused them to turn on God. But the truth is that the problems will test me and try me and show me what's in my heart.
[5:48] One more verse about that before we move to a New Testament passage. Look, if you would, at Deuteronomy chapter 8 and verse 2. It'll be right here behind me. The Bible says, And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these 40 years in the wilderness to humble thee, to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or know.
[6:08] So look at this. Look this way just a second. Do you know you're going through problems right now? And some of you might be despairing and you might be getting upset. You might be wondering why God's doing it. And you might be, in fact, it may be causing you to doubt some things.
[6:20] Do you realize you're being tested? Do you realize you're being tested? Not so God will know because God already knows, but so you'll know. So you'll know. You said you had faith when things were going good.
[6:31] When the sun was shining, when the birds were singing, you said you had faith. But now some things are going wrong and you are doubting all the things you know. And so here's the thing. God has allowed testing in our lives to prove our faith, to show what's in our heart.
[6:47] What's revealing in you right now? What's starting to come to the surface? What you really like? A missionary, Isabel Kuhn, K-H-U-N, was a missionary to the islands of the Pacific.
[7:00] She was working over in that country. She made the comment that on the mission field, the scum rises to the top. Whatever's in you, whatever feels in you, when you're put under pressure and things aren't going right, the filthy part of you comes to the top.
[7:15] Pressure reveals what's really in you. When I was a youth director, I more than one time showed them that just because an orange looks like an orange, it doesn't necessarily mean it's an orange.
[7:26] You know, you can take an orange and squeeze it and if oil comes out of it, it might look like an orange but somebody's put some oil in it and it'll come out. You understand what I'm saying there? Whatever's in you comes out when you're under pressure.
[7:37] Whatever's in you comes out when you're under pressure and it's a test. Second thing. Go with me if you would to 1 Peter 1, verse 6. Write this down. No trial can destroy genuine faith.
[7:51] No trial can destroy genuine faith. No trial can destroy genuine faith. Genuine faith will always result in praise to God. No trial can destroy genuine faith.
[8:02] I often hear people say, man, I hope God helps him in that because what's going to end up happening is he's going to end up denying the faith. Well, the truth is if he has true faith, he will not deny the faith.
[8:14] If he has true faith, he won't deny genuine faith results in praise to God. If you were to ever read history and read about what Christians have gone throughout history and the price they had to pay for standing for God and for truth in the Bible and you have found out how many of them were burned at the stake and boiled in oil and drowned.
[8:33] I just read the story this week of a little girl in England. She was about 16 years old and she had decided to love Jesus and she decided that baptism didn't save you, that only Jesus could save you.
[8:43] And they found her guilt and they put the executioner, carried her in his arms on the way to put her on the flames of a fire and burn her. And out of mercy, he drowned her in a horse tank first and then threw her on the fire.
[8:56] But she would not give up. And you know, all the way through, she said, I believe only in Jesus. True, genuine faith stands the test. Look at what the Bible says, if you would, in 1 Peter 1, 6 and 7.
[9:08] Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you're in heaviness through manifold temptation, through different kinds of temptation and lots of temptations.
[9:19] It comes in different forms and different ways and bunches of it. That the, look at this verse 7, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold, that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found under praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
[9:36] He said, you know what's going to happen? The trial of your faith is much more precious than what happens in gold. And we're praying, we're wanting to come out to be to the honor and the glory of Jesus Christ.
[9:50] True faith. True faith will withstand the trial. We give lip service. It's so easy. It's so easy to say, I believe.
[10:00] It's so easy to join a church. It's so easy to be baptized. It's so easy to be culturally a Christian here. It's so easy to be culturally a Christian. It's accepted.
[10:10] Everybody's glad you're a Christian. Can you imagine living in one of the countries that this morning, some of our very own church members and missionaries ministered in a place where it was against the law to get together as Christians, where it was against the law to carry a Bible down the street, open the door of a little church building, walk into a little room and open the Bible and study and pray and sing.
[10:29] And yet they said, I love Jesus. I wonder what would happen to our attendance if it became against the law to worship Jesus. I wonder what would happen to us. Do we have genuine faith?
[10:40] And genuine faith always results in praise to God. What are you going through right now? What are you going through right now? You know, you're going to face death. You're going to face cancer.
[10:50] You're going to face family problems. What are you going to deal? How are you going to deal with it? True faith cries out like Job. You know, Job's the man that you know more than any other guy in the whole Bible is a guy who went through trouble and mess.
[11:04] Open your Bible and view it to Job 13, 15. Old Job starts out the story. And Old Job, everything is great in his life. He has 10 children and a beautiful wife and a nice place to live.
[11:15] He has a very rich man. He has tons of animals and tons of properties and everything is going good. And in one day, just about everything falls apart in his life.
[11:26] All of his children die. His buildings are burned down. His animals are all killed. Everything is going wrong. And the people that are coming to him are saying, God sent fire from heaven to do this.
[11:37] And Old Job gets to the point, his wife says, why don't you just curse God and die? Just give up. But Job had genuine faith.
[11:48] Job had genuine faith. And Job cries out in Job chapter 13 and verse 15, though he slay me, yet will I trust him. I will maintain my own ways before him.
[12:01] I'm doing right. I'm trusting God. And I don't care what happens. I am going to trust him. And I'm going to believe in him. And I'm going to watch him do a work in my life.
[12:13] The majority of us, the majority of us need to get a hold of something this morning, that we trust God. You have no idea what's going to happen in your life. I was just preaching a conference in Gulfport, Mississippi.
[12:25] It was one of the, you know, you always meet different people in different places. And there was a man there whose wife had been a school teacher, a public school teacher for 35 years. And she was sitting in a chair and she went to get up after grading some papers.
[12:37] And as she went to get up, somehow the chair broke, something hit her in the back of the neck, right about here. And she didn't feel very well that first day, but about two days later or three days later, she collapsed in her living room and she started crying.
[12:50] I can't find my hands and I can't find my feet. What's happened to me? And her husband comes rushing into the room. And when I met her, she was in a wheelchair and she can move nothing from her neck down.
[13:01] And they go into churches and they share and they preach and they, and they raise money to get Bibles all around the world. And this husband, this husband, husband cares for her. He dresses her.
[13:12] He takes care of her. And you'd have never met a sweeter, more beautiful faith. He said, I said, I said, man, I'm so sorry. He said, Oh brother, don't worry about it. I got her right where I want her. And she said, he thinks he does.
[13:26] And he said, he said, she does what I say. And she said, she said, he thinks he does. He said, he said, sometimes this is trying. And I said, I'll bet it's more trying for her. And tears came in his eyes.
[13:37] And he said, if I had my choice, I would have taken the hit. But God, God did a work in their life. And genuine faith is so beautiful.
[13:49] Everybody who sees them knows, man, God's done something. And they have something very special. Trials leave us no place to go, but God. When everything goes wrong.
[14:00] This morning in my Bible reading, I wrote about homemade gods in my devotion, homemade gods. We all got them. We have made up gods, the nation of Judah. Judah had all these gods, had as many gods as they had cities.
[14:12] And everybody had their own God. They got a God, and they got a different God, and they got a different God. And then they got in trouble, and they've come to God in the book of Jeremiah. And God says to them, why don't you run to the gods you made?
[14:23] Let's see what they can do for you. But you see, the money you thought could save you, the intelligence you thought that could save you, the prestige that you thought could do a work, all of a sudden you wake up and realize, none of that works.
[14:36] None of that works. There's only one place to turn to the real, true, only God. That God, you can turn to Him and no one else. Our trials make heaven sweeter to us.
[14:48] This may sound terrible to you, but we're awful comfortable here, aren't we? The fact is, when the name heaven is mentioned to us, most of us are like, hey, I'm glad there's a place after this wonderful life.
[14:59] But isn't it a wonderful life? And we ought to enjoy this place real good. And someday when we don't have any choice and there's no more recourse, we'll go to heaven. That's about the way we act.
[15:10] None of us ever think, boy, heaven's a wonderful place. God's prepared for us. He said, I go to my father and I will prepare a place for you. I'll come back for you. Or when Paul said, Paul said, hey, to die, to die is gain.
[15:23] When we hear that, we're all like, hey, might be in the Bible, but I don't get that. But trials change our attitude. Trials make us begin to realize heaven. May be a sweeter place.
[15:35] In Romans chapter 5, verses 3 through 5, the Bible says that not only so, but we glory in tribulations. We glory in problems. We get excited that we got all these problems because we know something about tribulation.
[15:49] Tribulation worketh patience or endurance. Tribulation worketh patience. And patience, experience. And experience hope. And hope makes not ashamed because the love of God is spread abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
[16:03] Do you know what trouble does? Trouble gives you strength and it makes you patient. Trouble makes you have the ability to keep going forward. But more than anything else, trouble makes you really key in and plug into God and God plugs into you.
[16:16] And all of a sudden you realize, hey, there's nowhere else to turn. There's nobody else but God. And you fall in love with God and all of a sudden you love God and the love of God comes shed abroad in your heart. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4, verses 17 through 18.
[16:30] We won't read it. But Paul said, here on earth we have nothing but a light affliction. A light affliction. But it works for us an eternal exceeding reward and glory. Did you know as Christians, the truth is your house isn't heaven.
[16:45] Did you know as Christians, did you know as Christians, God has prepared something far better than this? Did you know as Christians, we have become so this world focused, we don't even have in mind the other world?
[16:58] Did you know as Christians, that's the reason we pray more to keep people out of heaven than we do to keep people out of hell? Because we have lost it. But trials, man, they bring it back. They make us realize there is something special in God is at work in our lives.
[17:13] Trials reveal what you really are. Trials reveal what you really are. In Acts chapter 5 and verse 41, it says, And they departed from the presence of the council rejoicing.
[17:25] They were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. Did you hear that verse? This is the early church in the book of Acts. And they get taken in.
[17:35] They get arrested. They often get left in jail. They get beaten. Some of them die. But in this verse, as they come walking out of, out of getting out of jail, as they come walking out, here's what they said. Man, wasn't that good?
[17:47] We got to suffer. Hey, we got put in jail and things went wrong and things weren't going the way we wanted them to go. Hey, man, isn't that great? God has counted us worthy to suffer. Something was in them that said, I love Jesus.
[18:01] I love Jesus more than I love my car. I love Jesus more than I love my house. I love Jesus more than I love my family. I love Jesus more than I love other things. I love Jesus. 1 Peter 4, verse 13, the Bible says, but rejoice in it such that you are partakers of the sufferings of Christ that when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy.
[18:24] God's people in the Bible wanted to suffer with Christ. It was like, if you're going to go die, we want to go with you. If you're going to suffer, we want to suffer with you. In Philippians chapter 3, the apostle Paul said, I want to be a partaker of His suffering, being made conformable to His death.
[18:41] I want to get involved in all of it. I want to follow Jesus. See, there's something about trials revealing who we are. Corrie Ten Boom was a Jewish lady during World War II when Hitler was killing Jews and mistreating them horribly and she was placed in prison camps and severely mistreated along with others.
[19:00] She did make it through and she lived through the camps and she lived through all the things that went wrong and later came to speak in many places and share her testimony about what God did in her life.
[19:11] And here's a statement she made. Hold everything in your hands lightly otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open. Hold everything in your fingers lightly, in your hands lightly otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.
[19:30] you know, most of us live and we take everything that we have and we squeeze it in our hands and this is mine and I don't want to give it up. This is my life, my stuff, my wife, my family and God and by the way we get angry, angry, angry with God when anything goes wrong that messes up what we got held so tightly in our hands and Corrie Ten Boom said, be ready, hold it lightly.
[19:53] Trials produce character in believers, in true believers. It causes us to love the world, it causes us to love others. Those people who love the world react in anger and despair when they lose what they love.
[20:07] They act in anger and despair when they lose what they love. Trials teach us obedience. Bible truth. Trials, problems, tribulations, things going wrong teach us obedience.
[20:21] Listen to what the Bible says in Psalm 119, 67. Psalm 119, 67. Look behind my head, I'm sure you'll see it. Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I have kept thy word.
[20:35] You know what happened? David said, you know, before I got trouble, afflictions, tribulations and problems, I wasn't doing right. But when I got all those troubles and things, it got me right back on the right path.
[20:49] And if we went around the room right now and said, how many of you got your life right with God because you got in a mess and you woke up and realized, I need God. And it drove you to God.
[20:59] If you were honest, you'd have to admit that David said, when I was afflicted, before I was afflicted, look if you would at verse 71, Psalm 119, 71. Look at what he says in Psalm 119, 71.
[21:10] It is good for me that I have been afflicted. It is good for me that I have had troubles. It is good for me that I've had problems that I might learn thy statutes.
[21:23] If you were to go back through history, you'd be amazed at the number of Christians that became the greatest missionaries we know today that often laid on beds, sick beds of agony for weeks and months all alone, never knowing if they were going to live and die.
[21:38] No modern medicine, none of the things that happened today that would help them. And while they were down, as they read the Bible and got a hold of God, he completely, radically changed their lives.
[21:51] Truth, we don't pray much unless we got problems. Truth, we don't come to church much unless we got problems, especially if we don't come to church like from our heart. But buddy, you get in trouble and all of a sudden it's like, God, where are you?
[22:03] God, I need you. Years and years ago, a very good friend of mine named Steve, his son was born and he was born and the thing in the middle of his lungs wasn't developed and so his breathing was wrong.
[22:14] And of course, this was nearly 40 years ago and things weren't as modern as they are today. And the doctor said, we don't know what's going to happen. We think we'll be able to save the baby. I cannot explain to you how we would run downstairs and get on our knees and beg God to save his son.
[22:29] We would pray to God and cry out to God and if you'd have gone by, he said, what's going on with those two crazy young guys? But they were, we were in there praying, oh God, please let this little boy live. Oh God, please do a work in this little boy's life.
[22:42] And we'd run upstairs to see how he was doing and when he still wasn't doing good, we'd run back downstairs and we did that over and over. And that young man is nearly 40 years old today. God did a work.
[22:53] But when we're afflicted, we seek God. I want you to look, if you would, at Hebrews chapter 12. And you can write this down. I'm only going to read one verse, but chapter 12, verses 5 through 11.
[23:05] Chapter, I'll read two verses to you. Chapter 12, verses 5 through 11. Did you know that God uses chastisement, difficulties, tribulations, problems to form you for your profit?
[23:17] He's building you into who you ought to be. Are you ready for this? There are no accidents happening in your life. Right now, your prayers aren't being answered. Right now, things aren't going the way you want them to go.
[23:28] Right now, you're wondering, why is God letting this happen in my life? But let me explain to you, God knows what He's doing in your life. And in Hebrews chapter 12, verse 5 and forward, He says this. He said, hey, God spanks those that are His.
[23:42] God disciplines those that are His. And then He says this. He said, your dad used to spank you and you love him and you reverence him. You really think he's a good guy, but He spanked you for His own pleasure.
[23:54] You made too much noise. How many of you ever lived in one of those homes? Did anybody live in one of those homes where they used to have this statement? Children are to be seen and not heard. Has anybody ever heard that before? All you old people.
[24:04] Hey, some of you young people got an old people dad. Uh-huh. The children are to be seen and not heard. And so Daddy often spanked me so I'd be quiet. That wasn't for my prophet.
[24:14] That was for His pleasure. But guess what the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 10. For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but He, God, for our prophet, that we might be partakers of His holiness.
[24:29] God's at work in my life drawing me closer to Him. God's at work in my life making the Bible sweeter, church services sweeter, and more important, prayer time sweeter.
[24:40] God's at work in my life. You see, if this is just a religious meeting, it's different. But if there's a big God in heaven who's really at work in your life, it sure changes everything.
[24:50] Verse 11. Now no chastening, for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous. Boy, it's horrible when we're going through it. Nevertheless, look what it says. Afterward, it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness, whereby many have been exercised.
[25:05] Many have been exercised. Let me give you two more things. God uses trials to strengthen us for greater usefulness. God uses trials to strengthen us for greater usefulness.
[25:16] In James chapter 1, verse 2, the Bible says, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations, different kinds of temptations, troubles, trials, problems, afflictions, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
[25:31] But let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect, mature, complete, entire, wanting nothing, lacking nothing. Watch this. Watch this.
[25:42] You get saved, and it is so easy to get saved and know I'm not going to go to hell when I die, and I can pretty well live any way I want to live, and serving God and loving God is not that big a deal to me. I check that off on the box.
[25:53] I am going to heaven when I die, and everything's great. But God wants to use me for His honor and glory. God wants me to be all the man He made me to be. He saved me to be somebody useful and special in His ministry.
[26:05] He saved me to work through my life. He saved me to help me be an instrument of help to other people. And what's He do? He lets things happen in my life. He lets hurts come. He lets problems come.
[26:16] So that He will fix me where I'm not missing what I need. One of our guys, Alex Cook, is on his way to Parris Island today. And I'm sure that today Alex is pretty excited.
[26:28] Yes, I'm a Marine. I'm sure about two days or three days from now, Alex may be thinking, I might have made a mistake. I mean, after he's thrown up several times from running so far and doing so many push-ups, and the kind and sweet words of the drill instructor.
[26:45] You know they're kind. They always say stuff like, that's all right, buddy. Hang in there. You know they say stuff like that, right? They never use curse words, never any of that. But you know, the Marines, they know something. They know if I want to soldier this guy, I've got to put him through some mess.
[26:58] I've got to strengthen him up. I've got to toughen him up so I can turn him into a soldier I can use. Is that true? Well, God knows that in your life. And God's at work in your life. What's the trial you're facing right now?
[27:09] The day will come when you look back and you realize this trial wasn't as big as the one you're facing today. Those are little trials. These are bigger trials because God's at work in you. God is building you so you'll be of greater usefulness.
[27:21] In 2 Corinthians chapter 1 in verse 4, he said, He comforts us in all of our tribulation so we can comfort others. God lets me go through the mess to strengthen me and help me so I can be a blessing to others with what I'm going through.
[27:38] Let me just throw this in as a parenthesis and I'll give you the last point. Here comes your parenthesis. Did you know that those Old Testament prophets often lived their message? They lived their message.
[27:52] God comes to Isaiah one day and he says, I want you to take your clothes off and walk around preaching naked. That would be a slightly unusual way to preach. Say amen. It would certainly be embarrassing to me and probably gross to you.
[28:05] But he walks around preaching naked. He walks around preaching because God said, I'm going to leave my people naked. Then the other day he says, Hey, I want you to cook your food over human excrement, poop.
[28:17] I want you to get human poop and that's how you're going to cook your food. And he said, Lord, that's plum gross. We don't do that. We're Jews. He said, All right, I'll let you use cow poop. And he has to cook his food.
[28:29] And there's all kinds of weird ones. Jeremiah buries a girdle and leaves it in the ground and puts it on. You know what God was saying? He was saying, live it so people see it. You know what God's doing in your life?
[28:40] He's saying, live it so people see it. So you're hurting today, aren't you? Do you have true faith? Is it faith that overcomes the mess you're in? Is it faith that says, I really do believe in Jesus?
[28:51] I believe in Jesus when everything's going wrong. I believe in Jesus when I'm facing cancer. I believe in Jesus every day of my life. I believe in Jesus when my wife falls down and breaks her neck and loses all movement.
[29:06] I believe in Jesus. I wrote a thank you letter to that man and said, I just thank you for loving your wife and living out Ephesians chapter five and loving your wife like Jesus.
[29:17] Anybody would have left her in a nursing home. Anybody would have walked away from her. But this guy didn't only take her with him. He lives trials for her every day.
[29:30] God uses your trials to strengthen you so you'll be more useful. God allows trials so we can be comforted so we can comfort others. Second Corinthians chapter one verse four.
[29:42] He comforts us in all of our tribulations that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort whereby we ourselves were comforted. In Luke chapter 22 Peter's about to go through it.
[29:54] And the Bible says in Luke 22 31 and the Lord said Simon Simon behold Satan had desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat but I have prayed for thee that the faith fail not.
[30:09] Satan wants to work you over Peter. I mean he's fixing to put you through the ringer. Life is going to be very hard for you. You're going to be embarrassed and everything's going to go wrong in your life.
[30:20] But I'm praying for you that your faith won't fail and when you are converted when you change because of what I allow to happen in your life when you change strengthen your brethren.
[30:32] Strengthen your brethren. And you remember Peter denies Jesus but God wasn't mad God wasn't through with him God was teaching him and training him God allowed him to go through it so he could help others. Can you imagine the arrogance a guy like Peter could have had if the Lord hadn't worked in his life?
[30:49] I was with Jesus I was a spokesman I preached on the day of Pentecost I am a great guy but you know you won't find that out of Peter when he writes his book when he writes his book when he writes his book when the other apostles write you know what they like to use the word servant I'm just a slave to Jesus they just want to say hey I'm a nobody you know why don't you they went through the mess and they learned it's not about them the apostle Paul says here in 2 Corinthians chapter 1 he says I tell you what I had so many problems I wasn't even sure if I could stay alive but I did learn one thing don't trust yourself you can only trust the living God don't trust yourself you can only trust the living God you're going through some problems today and several of you are hurting and I love you and I hurt for you that you are hurting I do hurt for you but I won't be able to be there and help you and I might come and share a word of prayer with you but it'll only be a few brief moments and I can't carry your load I can't carry your burden and I can't carry you through it but he can and if you're a born again Christian he's at work in your life and so tomorrow when you wake up and a problem's facing you or this afternoon or if you're in the middle of a problem right now you need to look at that problem and say
[32:05] I know God's at work in my life I know this is no accident I know God's forming me I know God's got character I can only imagine as our young man Alex Cook looks at the drill instructor and says hold it I do not need to get muddy I am not diving in that mud you don't need to do that to be a soldier he might get away with that in today's military I don't know how many of you think he will you doubt it don't you I bet he gets muddier if he says that what do you think yeah yeah and you know everybody in this room would understand he needs to learn that they know what they're doing and they're building a soldier they're building a guy that we can walk by and say thank you for your service they're building a guy who can defend our country oh yeah we can have all that attitude we want but when God's at work in our life doing the exact same thing we shake our fist in his face we grab our wallet and we clutch it harder than ever before we hold our family and say you touch my family and I'll hate you we develop a really rotten attitude usually churches are pretty full of bitter people mad at God because stuff went wrong are you bitter you angry would you say
[33:26] God thank you for what you're doing in my life thank you for letting me have the cancer thank you for letting me die thank you even for taking the life of my child because I know whatever goes on in my life would only be what's best because you would only do what's right and best go back to it he is the father of all mercies and the God of all comfort nothing is happening in your life today because he's mean or mad nothing is happening in your life today because he's mean or mad it's happening for your good all things work together for good for them to love God and are called according to his purpose he that began a good work and you will accomplish that good work he will carry you all the way through he's at work in your life so say thank you Jesus George Mueller was a famous prayer warrior in England he was a German living in England and George Mueller would often be put into hard trials and in his diary he would write his prayers often and he would write his comments and this is what he would often say
[34:38] Lord thank you for the problem that you have currently given me and please don't take it away until I learn the lesson I never really got that strong I usually prayed help me learn the lesson quick so you can take this away amen but he said please don't take this away until I learn the lesson and here's what I challenge you today he's a father of all mercies he's a God of all comfort he loves you and he's at work in your life don't rebel don't struggle against him draw close to him draw nigh to God and let God do a work in your life today father in heaven I love you and I praise you and I thank you for what you're doing and I pray that your name will be glorified and magnified I pray you'd save those that don't know you as their personal savior and I pray you'd help Christians this morning that they might trust you believe in you and accept that you're doing what's best for them handle the problems God they're carrying burdens help them to cast all their cares on you because you care for us and I will give you great honor and glory and praise for what you do please show your power this morning please magnify yourself today with every head bowed and every eye closed where are you what's hurting today won't you come to this altar and say
[35:58] Lord I want to cast all my burdens on you I've been dealing with this and hurting with this and I got all these problems and all these issues and I need your help I'm going to lay it on the altar and trust you with it just get out of your seat and find a place and talk to him maybe it's your mother maybe it's your dad maybe it's your sister maybe it's your brother maybe it's family problems maybe it's financial problems maybe it's physical infirmities whatever it is why don't you trust God with it today why don't you know that everything that's going on in your life he'll give you strength and he'll carry you through you obey God right now whatever it is God will work in your life you may be here this morning you've never accepted Christ as your savior and if you were to die you're not sure you'd go to heaven you might have been listening to this and I'm not even sure I want to get involved in that but the truth is you're at the crossroads in your life you're the place where there are lots of problems and you are afflicted and you are in trouble and you need help and there's a God in heaven right now who stands ready with open arms and says come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden that I will give you rest trust God today put your faith in Jesus if you'd let me take the Bible and show you
[37:03] I'll have a counselor come to your side we won't embarrass you they'll take you to a place in private they'll answer your questions and help you from the word of God to know Jesus is there anybody this morning that needs somebody to share from the word of God how to become a Christian how to trust Jesus is there anybody Father God would you do a work would you magnify yourself and I'll praise you for what you do I love you and I thank you you have been listening to Austin Gardner pastor of Vision Baptist Church for contact information location service times or more audio and video recordings log on to www.visionbaptist.com fountain outside for Mark