DELIVERED FROM DESPAIR
II Corinthians 1:8-11
Soon after arriving in New Hebrides as a pioneer missionary, John G. Paton and his wife rejoiced in the arrival of a baby son into their family. But the joy was short-lived. Soon death took both his wife and child, and Dr. Paton had to dig their graves and bury his loved ones with his own hands. In writing of this experience, he testified, "If it had not been for Jesus and the fellowship and grace He afforded me, I am certain I would have gone mad or died of grief beside their lonely graves." Marvelously strengthened from above, the bereaved servant of God found that the promises of the Word were able to sustain him through the heartache and sorrow of his tragic loss. (
source http://www.family-times.net/illustration/Sorrow/200674/)
Many of you have faced troubles and trials and it seemed that there was no hope in sight. You have dealt with disappointment, discouragement and even doubt. Perhaps you were tempted to throw our hands up and quit... and then God came on the scene. Some of you may be at that place in your life as we speak. I have some good news for you... there is hope when it seems there is no hope!
In our selected text we read that about a time when Paul and his associates faced a time of great trouble.... they thought that they would lose their life, but God showed up and delivered them in a powerful way. Through Paul's account of the trouble he faced we can see that God is our source of strength and hope in the midst of the storms of life. I would like to walk through this passage and preach on the thought "Delivered From Despair".
Listen to what Paul and his fellow-laborers endured as they ministered in Asia. He states that they were “crushed and overwhelmed beyond their ability to endure” . Things got so intense that they “Thought they would never live through it.” … “They expected to die”. Something interesting came as a result of the trouble that they faced …Paul says that because of the trouble “we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God”. Notice v9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: 10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us". Paul was confident that God rescued them from danger before and He would do it again! He had this assurance because of what he had seen God do in the past.
His previous troubles had taught Him to trust in God. This is one of the reasons that we face storms in this life.
It has been said that "In order to realize the worth of the anchor, we must experience the storm”. I want you to know that if you are in a storm, there is an Anchor!
- As we consider the thought "Dealing With Despair" I want to examine the fact that:
I. TROUBLES WILL COME IN THIS LIFE - v8a For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia,
Paul faced intense troubles in Asia. He doesn’t describe the exact source of his troubles but he declares that they were real and they were severe.
In our day, many so called "preachers" erroneously teach that if you will simply turn to Jesus that you will never face hard times. They claim that if you face difficulty or don’t have a ton of money in the bank it is because of a lack of faith. I wonder what some of the men and women of the Bible would think about that false doctrine?
The Bible records many instances where God's people faced times of extreme difficulty.
1) Abraham - was called to sacrifice his own son on Mt. Moriah.
2) Moses - had to deal with thousands of grumbling people who couldn’t be satisfied.
3) Elijah - was threatened by Jezebel.
4) David - spent many days on the run while being pursued by King Saul.
5) Daniel - found himself in a lions den.
6) Shadrack, Meshach & Abednego - were put into a fiery furnace.
7) John the Baptist - was beheaded.
8) The Apostles- The majority of the Apostles lost their life for Christ’s sake.
9) Paul - was in and out of prison and eventually died for Christ.
Some of the most dynamic and devoted Christians I know have faced some of the worst situations and circumstances you can imagine.
Paul was perhaps the greatest Christian who has ever lived. God used him to write the majority of the New Testament. He spent his days planting churches and strengthening Christians. But he faced immense troubles as he proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was writing from experience when he told Timothy that "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12
- Regardless of what the health and wealth preachers will tell you, troubles will come in the Christian life. Not only is it true that "TROUBLES WILL COME IN THIS LIFE", verse 8 also tells us that:
II. YOUR TROUBLES MAY INTENSIFY - v8b...we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
Paul’s troubles came and they kept on coming. He states that they were “pressed out of measure, above strength". This literally means that they were “Crushed and overwhelmed beyond their ability to endure”. It was so intense that he says, “…we despaired even of life…” He thought this situation was going to kill them. I don’t know about you but it seems that this situation was too much for Him to handle.
Have you ever been there? Have you ever faced extreme troubles that just kept coming? Have you ever wondered if God even cares about what you are facing? Some of you have been there, some of you are there, and some of you are headed there! Let me warn you, if you attempt to “handle things on your own” you are headed for disaster. There is a well known cliché that says "God will not put more on you than you can handle!" That sounds good but it is just not biblical! This issue comes from an incorrect interpretation of I Corinthians 10:13 where Paul states that "God will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able (to endure)". This means that the temptation to sin will never be so strong that we can’t escape it. It does not mean that we can handle all of our troubles on our own!
There is a reason for the storms that we face in this life. God brings troubles into our lives for a purpose. He uses troubles to show us just how powerful He really is. Those times of difficulty often bring us closer to Him
- There will be troubles in this life, your troubles may intensify and as we move to verse 9 we will see:
III. TROUBLES WILL PUT THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE - v9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
Paul and his fellow-laborers thought that they were going to die. It seemed that death was imminent. They reached a point where they stopped relying on themselves and started trusting in God. DO YOU SEE THAT?!?!?! There is at least one of the reasons for the troubles that they were facing.
Perhaps they became a little too confident in their own abilities. Maybe pride had crept into their lives. Whatever the specifics, God was teaching them a very important lesson! He was teaching them to look to Him! Sometimes God has to teach us things the hard waya nd troubles have a way of putting things into perspective.
- Sometimes we need to be reminded of the awesomeness of our God! Consider:
1) God Is Omnipresent – He Sees All!
2) God Is Omniscient – He Knows All!
3) God Is Omnipotent – He Is All Powerful
If we serve a God, who sees all, knows all and can do anything, then what do we have to fear? Absolutely nothing! There are times when we can't handle our troubles... but we serve a God who can handle anything! This leads us to the final point I would like to consider:
IV. YOU HAVE A REFUGE DURING YOUR TROUBLES - v10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;
Paul proclaims that God rescued them from the troubles they faced and he believed that God would do it again. This is a great benefit of being a child of God… HE IS OUR REFUGE!
The Psalmist said in - Psalms 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Like Paul, you may be facing intense troubles. You may be overwhelmed with a heavy burden that you cannot bear alone. If you find yourself at a place where you feel like you can’t take another step, it could be that you are at the very place God intends wants you to be. God can use the storms and troubles of life to mold you into what He would have you to be. He also wants you to know that He is more than able to handle whatever is handling you!
He is able, more than able,
To accomplish what concerns me today,
He is able, more than able,
To handle anything that comes my way.
He is able, more than able,
To do much more than I could ever dream.
He is able, more than able,
To make me what He wants me to be.
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I don't know what you are facing today. You may be in the midst of the worst storm of your life. My purpose today is simply to remind you where to put your faith, hope and trust. His name is Jesus and He cares for you. There was a time when He stood on a boat in the midst of a raging sea and calmed the storm with the words "peace, be still". He can do the same thing for you today! I encourage you to look to Him, trust in Him and when the time is right you will be able to say that you have been "Delivered From Despair".
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