XIII. You Never Suffer Alone
The sufferings that you and I experience will either involve us with others, or isolate us from others.
A. Building
1. Walls - self-pity, resentment, bitterness, and unbelief
2. Bridges
a. Reaching out to help others
b. Growing in fellowship with God and man
"We bereaved are not alone," wrote Helen Keller. "We belong to the largest company in all the world- the company of those who have known suffering. So long as you can sweeten another's pain, life is not in vain
B. Reacting
1. Selfish - Can we share pleasure and not pain? Romans 12:15
No Hurricanes in Kentucky. Why?
C. Warnings To Heed When Disaster Occurs
1. Be careful not to judge the victims (Who sinned?)
2. We must not judge God --nobody knows how many times God has prevented disaster.
3. We ought to honestly judge ourselves. Were the victims sinners above all? Are we
better than they? Instead of, "why did they die?" maybe "why are you and I
still alive?"
D. The Most Important Thing
Not how you die, but are you ready should you die?
XIV. DEALING WITH DISASTER
A. Disasters Are Big News
B. Disasters Do Come
1. In Jerusalem Luke 13:1
2. In modern times
a. Recent - Japan- Divine? - natural event?
b. Tornadoes, Hurricanes -
c. Are the Japanese, Californians( earthquakes, floods), or Floridians
XV. HOPE - Desire of some good with expectation of obtaining it
A. "While there's life, there's hope or better still, where there's faith , there's hope."
"Hope is never ill," wrote John Bunyan, "When faith is well,"
Hope is not a wishing well, it is a flowing river.
Psalm 39:7 and now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee.
Psalm 42:5,11 hope thou in God & 43:5
(Check) Romans 4:18 (Check) Romans 8:24 for we are saved by hope
B. Some Have No Hope I Thessalonians 4:13
An epitaph of someone with no hope:
I was not.
I was.
I am not.
I care not.
C. "Where Will You Go When Your Life Ends?
The worst thing that could happen to you would be to suffer for nothing, die, and
be lost forever.
D. To Those Whose Suffer -- I Peter 1:13 Hope to the end.
Source Meet Yourself in Psalms by Warren Wiersbe
