Bad Stuff Happens
Today we are adding another foundation stone to Christian basics. For several weeks we looked at how many Christians and Christian churches exhibit Atheistic tendencies.
Some of you may be relieved that we have moves on to another topic this morning.
I am afraid that you may be disappointed.
My core thinking is based on a statement I have heard about the devil all of my life.
I have heard that the devil is a liar. Has anyone else heard that one?
I thought so. Instead of just saying it, I decided to look it up in THE BOOK, The Bible, myself. As far as I am concerned there is enough evidence in scripture to state that the devil is a liar is a fact.
So, I don’t see the need to prove that point to you. I will offer you one verse I used to base my decision.
Jesus is speaking to a group of Pharisees ( a group of Religious men.) and identifying their condition and also describes the character of the devil.
It comes from John 8 Verse 44,
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
So, that description settles it for me. That means that if the devil comes over and speaks to me, I know better than to believe anything he says.
I don’t know about you but that definition helps me in making daily decisions!
But there is a problem. I don’t think that the devil appears to us looking bright red with a cape and pitch fork to personally tell us lies.
I believe it is much more subtle, much more indirect.
I fear that we hear people say spiritual sounding things, things we often have used as key components of our faith but, they are technically lies….
Most people have a scale when it comes to what a lie is. Sometime we will say something is a little lie or a white lie. So, as I often do I looked up the term.
A lie is a known untruth expressed as truth. A lie is a type of deception in the form of an untruthful statement, especially with the intention to deceive others, often with the further intention to maintain a secret or reputation, protect someone's feelings or to avoid a punishment or repercussion for one's actions. To lie is to state something that one knows to be false or that one does not honestly believe to be true with the intention that a person will take it for the truth.
-- Today we are not talking about lying as a general topic.
We are addressing ways that Christians aid the devil in spreading lies without even knowing it.
There are lots of things that I have heard Christians say that are half truths, they are statements that have an element of truth but not the whole truth.
They are often things that Christians believe to be true but we are simply restating phrases we have heard and blindly accepted as truth.
I don’t like to think that we are more gullible that other people. I guess in a way we believe satan’s lies because, we don’t know we are being lied to. There are several statements that are often spoken to us and by us as Christians that are by definition lies. Lies that are intended as something to support faith.
Let’s look at the first one.
God will not put more on you than you can handle!
It sounds Biblical. Most of us have heard that phrase from all kinds of trusted people in our lives. It is comforting.
Good and even great Christians and even we have offered the statement to aid a person dealing with trouble in life.
But there is a problem.
That is not what the Bible says! In fact, I could not find that general phrase, at least the way we normally use it in scripture anywhere.
Some of you are thinking, well what about 1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Unfortunately, the word used was tempted in every translation I examined. It was not burdens, it was not problems, or pain, or loss…..
This scripture is specifically talking about temptation to sin.
The same man (Paul) that we like to miss-quote in 1 Corinthians, describes his situation in 2 Corinthians 1 : 8-9
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. “But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.”
Hardships, pressures, that exceed their ability to endure. Desperation that they thought that death would be better than keeping their lives. And times when they were just sure that death was right around the corner.
-- Paul informs his readers of what has happened to him and his companions not as a boast but as a notification. BAD STUFF HAPPENS to Christians, to people that believe in God.
Let me pick another one for us to consider. That comes from Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed. (Also by his stripes we are healed.)
We commonly use this scripture to comfort people in times of sickness. We offer hope to people that by Jesus actions we can expect God to tend to our needs.
Basically, As Christians, that we can claim physical healing disrupting what is happening in our lives.
Unfortunately, the fantastic and true news in this scripture is also related to sin and not physical health.
It is a prophecy that this man (Jesus ) would be abused, punished and die for our sins.
He takes on our infirmities is related to taking on the human nature. Physical pain and weakness, hunger, emotional disappointment, earthly disease all before his death. He is fully human and fully able to comprehend.
There is probably a lot of spiritual discomfort bubbling up in this room right now. These two examples are comfort stones that we claim, that we want to believe. They sound biblical and true….
Let’s be clear, they are Biblical and true in the context in which God gave them.
But we often repeat Eve’s sin….not the consuming of the fruit. When Eve talks to the serpent, she adapts the original words given by God to Adam in several ways. Plus she adds extra restrictions indicating that they are from God. She added “You shall not touch it” referring to the tree of Good and evil.
When we enhance scripture, even if meant for Good.
We are assisting Satan in creating a Lie.
When we generalize the 1 Corinthians scripture, we change the intended message…
When we adapt the prophecy referring to the actions of Jesus we change the message…. We miss-state truth.
-- We are lying to people that are hurting and need God.
We could offer several excuses for our actions. We might claim the excuse that it was what we have always heard or it was only for encouragement of a person’s faith.
But, ultimately when we misrepresent truth about scripture for any reason we are being a spokesman for satan and spreading HIS lies.
Basically, we are claiming that it is not worth our time to actually know scripture for ourselves and we can take someone else’s word for it.
Why, because it sounds good, it sounds true. It sounds comforting.
Unfortunately, we are responsible for opening the flood gates of problems for the people that we are trying to help.
When we say that God will never put more on us than we can bare or endure OR that by his stripes we are healed, out of context, we are making God into a servant.
We are giving ourselves power, Power that by faith GOD WILL….
-- By faith - God will respond to our problems in certain ways.
If we get to a point of failure because of pain or peer pressure, or personal loss of disease and things don’t change….It is our failure. Our faith is too weak. Our relationship is too shallow. Maybe there is no God at all and this is religion thing is just a sham, a lie.
-- When we change the clear meaning of scripture, We Abuse the word of God!
We turn what people think it says into a lie that they may try to depend on.
Don’t get me wrong, Every Christian needs to offer comfort and help form scripture. That is the only source of help.
Folks, I know that even though we are in the lazy days of summer some of you are facing hardships, financial pressures, immeasurable losses and health problems.
Perhaps, a loving and well meaning person offered you one of these encouragements. Maybe you have even been repeating it to yourself; but, you are on the edge of losing it.
That encouragement becomes a weight around our necks. If I am a truly a Christian then God will never let anything go too far.
It will never get too hard…..So I must have a problem in my faith….because Real Christians can cope with anything…
But, What if I don’t know what to do?
What if I freak out and panic and run around in circles yelling or cry all the time.
Either I am not a Christian or maybe there is no God?
Folks the problems of life happen don’t think that it is your failing of fault.
Paul was a man that had amazing faith. Faith that drove him to a hard life of preaching the gospel to the Gentile world while having to deal with the Jews and the Romans.
He was beaten, jailed several times on trumped up charges, he was stoned, shipwrecked and yet he kept going.
At some point it seems like Paul, after so much trouble should of said heck with this and went on about life.
What we find in Paul’s case is something different. He praised God in all situations. When in stocks in prison he sang praise. When
In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Paul tells readers to, “ Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Basically, When bad stuff happens , you desperately want to know that God cares, that He is your help in times of trouble. It is not a time to doubt you faith, to feel punished by God or to get angry with god.
Paul tells Christians to face your challenges because it is God’s will for you. To pray and praise God for Who He is.
What We are talking about is the character and nature of God. We have to remember that God is in control. God has a plan and as a Christian your pain, your worry, your sickness are Gods.
The only way to find relief is to pray and praise God and tell him you can’t endure it any more. Give your suffering to God and keep moving forward with God’s help.
We don’t like to be out of control. We get frightened and even angry when the wheels fall off of our wagon.
In Hebrews 13:5 and 6 The author quotes Deuteronomy when talking about being satisfied with life,
" God has said, Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence,
"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?"
The truth we have t share is based on the consistent promises of God to be a Loving God. To never leave us but to walk with us when problems fill our life and load us down. We don’t need the extra pressure that our faith makes a difference in what God will and won’t do.
The word that we are called to share with people is based on scripture and tells us that our circumstances, our level of faith do not alter the character of God.
God offers a personal relationship and dwells within us. He is exalted and more powerful than all creation. He is active and present in our world and lives and yet is above and separate from us.
Because we know that God is faithful...we gain faith and peace
Because we know that God is in control...we gain hope and patience
Because we know that God is good... we gain love and gratitude
Because we know that God is powerful...we gain strength and joy
All Glory be to God!
