“He Lifts Us Up!”
2 Corinthians 4:7-18
David P. Nolte
Christian people should never be sad or depressed. Christian people should live problem free lives. Christian people should have no failure. Yeah! Right! In a perfect world, ok. But this is a broken, corrupted, dying world where just the opposite is true. Jesus made that much clear, when He said, “In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world." John 16:33 (MSG).
It is true that none of life’s exigencies or difficulties can defeat us or cut us off from God’s love, but we will encounter circumstances that, apart from Jesus, would be insurmountable.
Paul’s words are priceless, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”: Romans 8:35-39 (NASB).
Linda’s song is affirming and comforting. The song says,:
“When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary
When troubles come and my heart burdened be
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence
Until you come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up: To more than I can be.”
– By: Secret Garden
Paul gets real about life, saying, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 (NIV).
When, not if, trouble comes, God lifts us up.
I. HE LIFTS US UP WHEN WE ARE PRESSED:
A. The word for pressed means, “affliction; or suffering brought upon us by circumstances beyond our control; or BY the antagonism of others.”
B. This is not suffering for doing dumb things like skiing down a snow covered roof or using helium filled weather balloons to float you around in a yard chair!
1. This is suffering from random circumstances, not of our own making.
2. It is suffering the consequences of animosity on the part of others.
C. Paul said, regarding being hard pressed, that it comes on every side, but it does not crush us; i.e. we are not squeezed between a rock and a hard place. We are not trapped under the circumstances. God gives us breathing room.
D. Let’s make it personal:
1. What presses in on you and afflicts you today?
a.I know that many of you have chronic pain and very few, if any, pain-free hours.
b.I know that there are several of you with A-fib or other heart ailments.
c.I know that some of us have what are, at this time, incurable diseases or ailments .
d.I know that some of you are financially strapped.
e.I know that for some, depression is the norm, not the exception.
2. But the good news is that none of those thing can crush you.
E. Some troubles are good for us, in which case God will send affliction and by that affliction will lift us up. It’s like this: A family had been active in the local church, but had fallen away. There was the father and three sons; Jim, John, and Sam. The preacher had visited them and many of the members had tried to get them to come back to church, but to no avail.
One day a large rattlesnake bit John and the doctor was called and he said, "About all you can do now is pray." The father called the preacher and asked him to come and pray for John.
The preacher prayed: "Father, we thank Thee for Thou hast in Thy wisdom sent this rattlesnake to bite John in order to bring him to his senses.. Now we trust that this will be a lesson to him and will lead to repentance. And now Father, wilt Thou send another snake to bite Sam and one to bite Jim and another one to bite the old man. We have been trying to restore them, but our efforts could not do what this snake has done. The only thing left that will do this family any good is more rattlesnakes. So Lord, send us bigger and better rattlesnakes. in the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.” And the Psalmist said, : It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.” Psalm 119:71 (NASB).
He lifts us up when we are hard pressed, even when He sends the affliction.
II. HE LIFTS US UP WHEN WE ARE PERPLEXED:
A. The word can be translated as, “to be in doubt; not to know how to decide or what to do, to be unsure.”
1. We are often confused about life; we solve one problem and two others take its place.
2. We could all well admit, “I don’t have all the answers. I don’t even know al the questions!”
B. We .may be perplexed about why some things happen that we wish didn’t and other things do not happen that we wish would. For instance:
1. We may be perplexed that evil people seem to succeed and godly people struggle.
a.The Psalmist complained, “Look at these wicked people— enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply. Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.” Psalm 73:12-14 (NLT2).
b.But then he concluded, “Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors. When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning. Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.” Psalm 73:17-22 (NLT2).
2. We may be perplexed by world conditions, catastrophes, conundrums and conflicts.
a.But Jesus said, "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.” Matthew 24:6-7 (NASB).
b.And, "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.” Matthew 24:9-11 (NASB).
3. We may be perplexed about why a drunk driver can kill an entire family and escape without a scratch.
C. Perplexed but not despairing! Through all that, in spite of all that, God is in control. Trust Him, not your perplexity.
D. We are easily confused when we rely on our own logic or intellect or understanding. That’s why Solomon wrote, “ Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NASB). He will show you the way.
E. I read about a speedboat driver who had recently survived a racing accident. He said that he had been at near top speeds when his boat veered slightly and hit a wave at a dangerous angle. The combined force of his speed and the size and angle of the wave sent the boat spinning crazily into the air. He was thrown from his seat and propelled deeply into the water—so deep, in fact, that he had no idea which direction the surface was. He had to remain calm and wait for the buoyancy of his life vest to begin pulling him up. Once he discovered which way was up, he could swim for the surface.
Sometimes we find ourselves surrounded by confusing situations, too many problems to know “which way is up.” When this happens, remain calm, waiting for God’s gentle tug to pull us in the proper direction. Our “life vest” may be the counsel of other Christians, Scripture, or some other leading from the Holy Spirit, but the key is relying upon God and trusting Him.
He lifts us up when we are perplexed.
III. HE LIFTS US UP WHEN WE ARE PERSECUTED:
A. We might never be persecuted as have been Christians who have been, and are being, slain for that faith.
B. Yet, even here in America the attempt is made to silence the Christian voice. You are well enough aware of the methods used to remove Christ and the Cross from our society.
C. That was predicted so we ought not be surprised or disconcerted.
1. Paul wrote to Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3:12 (NASB).
2. And Luke wrote in reference to Paul and Barnabas, “they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.’" Acts 14:21-22 (NASB).
3. Most importantly, Jesus said, “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” Matthew 10:22 (NASB).
D. Peter instructs us in this matter. “For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.” 1 Peter 2:19-20 (NASB).
E. During China's Boxer Rebellion of 1900, insurgents captured a mission station, blocked all the gates but one, and in front of that one gate placed a cross flat on the ground. Then the word was passed to those inside that any who trampled the cross underfoot would be permitted their freedom and life, but that any refusing would be shot. Terribly frightened, the first seven students trampled the cross under their feet and were allowed to go free. But the eighth student, a young girl, refused to commit the sacrilegious act. Kneeling beside the cross in prayer for strength, she arose and moved carefully around the cross, and went out to face the firing squad. Strengthened by her example, every one of the remaining ninety-two students followed her to the firing squad.
Even if they take your life He lifts you up to where nothing presses or perplexes or persecutes us any more! Love lifted me.
