From The Problem to the Solution
9 – WHAT GOOD ARE PROBLEMS?
This morning, we are bringing to a conclusion the SERIES OF MESSAGES we began this fall, entitled “From the Problem to the Solution”
And I trust, that you have been blessed, encouraged, and strengthened, as we’ve talked about sure ways we all can go from our problems to THE SOLUTION
Now, by way of review (and I will be brief), we, first of all, learned the 6 reasons for all of life’s problems
--*****world we live*****
--*****choices we make*****
--*****enemy we face*****
--*****people we know*****
--*****progress we gain*****
--*****God we serve*****
And regardless of the problem, there is a way out
Now, understand that there’s a RIGHT WAY and a WRONG WAY to handle life’s problems
Mildred, the church gossip, and self-appointed monitor of the church's morals, kept sticking her nose in to other people's business. Several members did not approve of her extra curricular activities, but feared her enough to maintain their silence.
She made a mistake, however, when she accused George, a new member, of being an alcoholic after she saw his old pickup parked in front of the town's only bar one afternoon. She emphatically told George (and several
others) that everyone seeing it there would know what he was doing.
George, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment and just turned and walked away. He didn't explain, defend, or deny... he said nothing. Later that evening, George quietly parked his pickup in front of Mildred's
house... walked home... and left it there all night.
Now, that’s the WRONG WAY to handle problems – but over the last several weeks, we gave you THE RIGHT WAY to handle problems
--1. Acknowledge the Problem (Sept. 3)
--2. Making the Right Choices (Sept. 10)
--3. Finding Your Evidence (Sept. 24)
--4. Learning to Listen (Oct. 1)
--5. Patience Works (Nov. 12)
--6. Giving Thanks In All Things (Nov. 19)
--7. The Anointing Is the Difference (Nov. 26)
--8. Conflict Resolution (Dec. 3)
All of these are the ways to go FROM THE PROBLEM TO THE SOLUTION
And as we conclude these messages, I want us to think about the whole idea of problems
And I want to leave you with the thought – WHAT GOOD ARE PROBLEMS?
Now, when it comes to problems, have you ever wondered what good are they? Do they serve a purpose? Is there meaning to…
--accidents
--heartaches
--bankruptcy
--sickness
--death
What good are problems?
Let’s read…
2 Cor. 2:12 through 2 Cor. 2:14 (KJV) 12Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord, 13I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia. 14Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ…
INTRODUCTION
In our text, this morning, the great Apostle Paul, speaks of both open doors, and of problems
And the truth of the matter is that problems are going to always be a part of life – even when you’re doing all the good you can
Like this young man when he tried to do his best on the job, had to file an accident report
He said…
I am writing in response to your request for additional information. In block #3 of the accident form, I put "trying to do the job alone" as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully, and I trust that the following details will be sufficient.
I am a bricklayer by trade. On the date of the accident I was working alone on the roof of a new six story building. When I completed my work, I found that I had about 500 pounds of brick left over. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley which fortunately was attached to the side of the building at the 6th floor. Securing the rope at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out, and loaded the bricks into it. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to insure a slow descent of the 500 pounds of brick.
You will note in block #11 of the accident report that I weight 185 pounds. But to by surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate up the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming down. This explains the fractured skull, and broken collar bone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were 2 knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time, I had regained my presence of mind, and was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite of my pain.
At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground, and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel then weighed approximately 50 pounds. I refer you again to my weight in block #11.
As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, and the lacerations of my legs, and lower body area. The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of bricks, and fortunately only three vertebrae were cracked.
I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the bricks, in pain . . . unable to stand . . . and watching the empty barrel six stories above me . . . I again lost my presence of mind and let go of the rope. The empty barrel weighed more than the rope, so it came back down on me, and broke both my legs.
There’s no question about it as we have learned in this series, we ARE GOING TO HAVE PROBLEMS
Problems…
--at home
--in our bodies
--in the church
--in our marriages
--with our children
--at our job
And the ultimate mystery to life is – WHY ARE THERE PROBLEMS AT ALL?
And the question I want us to ask as we finish this series is – WHAT GOOD ARE PROBLEMS
You see, the problems you face will either defeat you or develop you depending on how you respond to them
Unfortunately, most people fail to see how God wants to use problems for good in their lives. They react foolishly and resent their problems rather than pausing to consider what benefit they might bring
Here are five ways God wants to use the problems in your life. What good are problems?…
First of all…
1. GOD USES PROBLEMS TO DIRECT YOU
The Bible says in…
Proverbs 20:30 (NLV) “Beatings [or problems] that hurt clean away sin. And [problems] make even the inside parts clean.”
In other words “Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways.”
God often uses…
--disappointments
--set backs
--unexpected events
--unpleasant experiences
To in a round about way DIRECT OUR LIVES!!!
Think about *****Joseph***** – If he had not…
--been hated
--been placed in a pit
--been lied on by Potiphar’s wife
--been thrown in prison
He would have never sat on the throne of Egypt and saved all of humanity, both physically and spiritually!
God used those problems to DIRECT his life
And I want to ask you – are you having some problems? Then it just may be that God is redirecting your life
And I don’t understand all the things that happen in my life, and when I don’t understand I realize that it’s then…
Prov. 3:5 through Prov. 3:6 (KJV) 5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
I think about the Apostle Paul
In Acts 16, he was headed to preach the Gospel in Asia – THAT’S A GOOD THING
But God closed the door and sent him to Macedonia
Let me say this to you this morning – WHEN GOD CLOSES A DOOR HE ALWAYS OPENS A WINDOW!!
And sometimes God uses problems to DIRECT US!!!
What good are problems?
2. GOD USES PROBLEMS TO INSPECT YOU
People are like tea bags...if you want to know what's inside them, just drop them into hot water!
This is where your motives will be tested
It’s easy to…
--testify
--shout
But when trouble comes, can you back it up?
And how will you really know if you’re like Christ until YOU have…
--been wronged
--been mistreated
--suffered
How will you know if you have enduring faith, if you haven’t had to endure?
Someone said for every testimony, there is a test and a “mony”
In other words, you can’t have a TESTIMONY without some “test” and without something to “mony” about!
Remember *****Job*****? God used his problems to inspect him and proved his faith in tact!
What good are problems?
--God uses problems to DIRECT you
--God uses problems to INSPECT you
And then, thirdly,
3. GOD USES PROBLEMS TO CORRECT YOU
Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure
It's likely that as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably learned by being burned
Sometimes we only learn the value of something...health, money, a relationship... by losing it
And I’m going to make some very controversial statements here, but sometimes, the best thing that could happen for a person is…
--to have a break up with a boyfriend or girlfriend!
--for a person to go to jail!
--for a person to find themselves all alone in a hospital room!
WHY – because God uses those things to get our attention!
Our example is *****DAVID*****
Psalm 119:71 (NLT) “My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees.”
Now, I believe in healing
I believe in praying the prayer of faith
But I also believe like David –
Psalm 119:67 (NLT) “I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word.”
What good are problems? God uses problems to…
--direct you
--inspect you
--correct you
And then, fourthly,
4. GOD USES PROBLEMS TO PROTECT YOU
A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious
I think about the story of *****Balaam***** in Numbers 22:21-35
When he tried to curse the children of Israel, God sent an angel to kill him, but the donkey saw the angel
To Baalam, it was a problem! But that problem kept him from a greater problem!
Last year, I heard of a person who was fired for refusing to do something unethical that his boss had asked him to do. His unemployment was a problem - but it saved him from being convicted and sent to prison a year later when management's actions were eventually discovered.
I had a lady in my former church who told me she was on her way to have an affair with a man, and had a wreck on the way over that stopped her!
That is protection!
The truth of the matter is, when we get to heaven, we’re going to be surprised at all the times God protected us and we didn’t know about it!
What good are problems? God uses problems to…
--direct you
--inspect you
--correct you
--protect you
And then, finally…
5. GOD USES PROBLEMS TO PERFECT YOU
I want you to grab a hold of this scripture for 2007
Psa. 138:8 (KJV) “8The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me…”
Are you having problems…
--in your marriage
--in your home
--in your finances
--in your job
--in your ministry
This is the year of PERFECTION – THE LORD WILL PERFECTION THAT WHICH CONCERNETH ME!!!
Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship to God and your character are the only two things you're going to take with you into eternity.
Paul said in…
Romans 5:3-4 (NLT) "We can rejoice when we run into problems... they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady."
Malachi 3:3 says: "And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." Notice the word, sit.
A woman read this verse and said, "I shall find out al I can about the way silver is refined." So she visited a silver refinery. She watched the process for a time and then said to the man who sat by the boiling liquid, "Do you always sit at your work?"
"Oh, yes," he replied. "You see the liquid needs constant and careful attention. All the scum must be taken off and the fire must never get too hot."
"How do you know when the refining work is done?" queried the woman.
The answer was: "It is done when I can see my face in the molten metal."
IN CLOSING
Are you having problems this morning?
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world”
Look to our Lord for His example
He said not “WHY ME?”
He said “Why have you forsaken me?”
That’s a big difference
Have you ever felt like that?
Jesus, even in this question, was acknowledging there was a reason for His suffering
If you serve God, THERE ALWAYS IS!
