How To Overcome Adversity
The Faith Factor – part 8
Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. 3For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything. 5If you need wisdom--if you want to know what God wants you to do--ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. – James 1:2-5 (NLT)
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us--they help us learn to endure. 4And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. 5And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. – Romans 5:3-5 (NLT)
All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. 4For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. 6So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.7These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
1 Peter 1:3-7 (NLT)
Prayer
TODAY – as we continue in our message series ‘The Faith Factor,’ we are going to talk about another guy from the OT, at a guy name Joseph. 13 chapters in the book of Genesis are devoted to him. AND REMEMBER – what Paul said in Romans 15:4; “…everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
CIRCLE - written to teach us we might have hope
LISTEN – if ever there is a time when we need hope… it’s when the bottom falls out of our life. It’s when we feel like, Paul felt 2 Cor 4:8; hard pressed on every side… perplexed… persecuted… struck down… WELL – this morning as we look at the story of Joseph we will meet a man who had the bottom fall out of his life more than once. The title for our message today is how to overcome adversity.
The words adversity… MEANS – ‘a condition of suffering, destitution or affliction’ and it comes from the word adverse which means ‘acting against or contrary direction, opposed to ones interests’
NOW – that’s a pretty accurate definition of hard times and difficulties… They seem to be acting against you… They take you in a direction you would rather not go,,, AND – they most definitely seem to be opposed to your interests.
MAYBE – right now you are in the midst of some pretty tough times. I MEAN – the waves are crashing, the sun isn’t shining, the dark clouds are descending and your future looks so uncertain. You’re in pain, you’re hurting… AND - you’re tired and worn out. Nothing seems to be working right. Everything seems to going tin a contrary direction. AND MAYBE – right now the words of James. Paul and Peter…
• let it be an opportunity for joy.
• we know that they are good for us
• There is wonderful joy ahead
SEEM – so foreign to you … I MEAN – when the cancer comes back, WHEN – you loose your job, WHEN – your wife files for divorce, WHEN – you dad walks out, WHEN – the bills can’t be paid, WHEN – the marriage doesn’t get any better, WHEN – your child goes astray, WHEN – a loved one dies… opportunity, good for you and joy… don’t seem to make sense.
LISTEN – I am convinced that God wants to teach us something today through the life of Joseph… AND – you need to hear what god has to say today… BECAUSE – you have, some of you are and we all will encounter adversity.
OKAY – let’s look at his story and see what Joseph can teach us about hardships & adversity. TURN – to Genesis chapter 37…
1So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived.
QUESTION – who was his father? Isaac. The child of the promise, the son of Abraham – the guy who taught us on June 20th how to handle the; where, when, how and why tests of life… The guy who left everything to follow God even though he did not know where he was going.
2This is the history of Jacob’s family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks with his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.
OKAY – let’s stop there for just a second… HOW – do you think his brothers felt about him? ‘Hey dad, I just thought you’d like to know that your ‘other’ sons are doing some really bad things…’ AND LISTEN – this is not a smart move because Joseph’s brothers were not nice guys. IN FACT - in Genesis 34, they take revenge on an entire town, they steal everything and kill every male living there.
3Now Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day he gave Joseph a special gift--a beautiful robe. 4But his brothers hated Joseph because of their father’s partiality. They couldn’t say a kind word to him. 5One night Joseph had a dream and promptly reported the details to his brothers, causing them to hate him even more.
NOW – I don’t know which one Joseph is more of; stupid or prideful… I MEAN – how did he think these guys would respond.
"Listen to this dream," he announced. 7"We were out in the field tying up bundles of grain. My bundle stood up, and then your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before it!" 8"So you are going to be our king, are you?" his brothers taunted. And they hated him all the more for his dream and what he had said.
Then Joseph had another dream and told his brothers about it. "Listen to this dream," he said. "The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!" 10This time he told his father as well as his brothers, and his father rebuked him. "What do you mean?" his father asked. "Will your mother, your brothers, and I actually come and bow before you?" 11But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father gave it some thought and wondered what it all meant. 12Soon after this, Joseph’s brothers went to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem. 13When they had been gone for some time, Jacob said to Joseph, "Your brothers are over at Shechem with the flocks. I’m going to send you to them."
"I’m ready to go," Joseph replied. 14"Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are getting along," Jacob said. "Then come back and bring me word." So Jacob sent him on his way, and Joseph traveled to Shechem from his home in the valley of Hebron.
NOW FOR SOME REASON - Jacob was completely naive about the potential for evil that lived within his own sons (that can be hard for parents) and so he sent Joseph to check up on them and that was a decision that Jacob would regret for the rest of his life.
LISTEN - parents, we need to be alert to the spiritual dangers in our world and not just send our children into an environment, that they are not equipped to handle. For example to let them have unlimited access to the internet, music, video games… AND to let them hang out with kids you don’t really know – without any safeguards – is stupid and like Jacob may turn out to be a decision that you will regret the rest of your life. .
AND TO BE HONEST – I’m not sure why Joseph agreed so quick without even questioning his dad. Maybe he was just an obedient kid OR maybe he saw this as another opportunity to get some dirt on them… AND - stick in their face (that he was dads favorite) – after all he did put on that coat before he left.
15When he arrived there, a man noticed him wandering around the countryside. "What are you looking for?" he asked. 16"For my brothers and their flocks," Joseph replied. "Have you seen them?" 17"Yes," the man told him, "but they are no longer here. I heard your brothers say they were going to Dothan." So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there. 18When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance and made plans to kill him. 19"Here comes that dreamer!" they exclaimed. 20"Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into a deep pit. We can tell our father that a wild animal has eaten him. Then we’ll see what becomes of all his dreams!"
But Reuben came to Joseph’s rescue. "Let’s not kill him," he said. 22"Why should we shed his blood? Let’s just throw him alive into this pit here. That way he will die without our having to touch him." Reuben was secretly planning to help Joseph escape, and then he would bring him back to his father. 23So when Joseph arrived, they pulled off his beautiful robe 24and threw him into the pit. This pit was normally used to store water, but it was empty at the time
25Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they noticed a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking spices, balm, and myrrh from Gilead to Egypt. 26Judah said to the others, "What can we gain by killing our brother? That would just give us a guilty conscience. 27Let’s sell Joseph to those Ishmaelite traders. Let’s not be responsible for his death; after all, he is our brother!" And his brothers agreed. 28So when the traders came by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver, and the Ishmaelite traders took him along to Egypt.
29Some time later, Reuben returned to get Joseph out of the pit. When he discovered that Joseph was missing, he tore his clothes in anguish and frustration. 30Then he went back to his brothers and lamented, "The boy is gone! What can I do now?" 31Then Joseph’s brothers killed a goat and dipped the robe in its blood. 32They took the beautiful robe to their father and asked him to identify it. "We found this in the field," they told him. "It’s Joseph’s robe, isn’t it?" 33Their father recognized it at once. "Yes," he said, "it is my son’s robe. A wild animal has attacked and eaten him. Surely Joseph has been torn in pieces!" 34Then Jacob tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. He mourned deeply for his son for many days. 35His family all tried to comfort him, but it was no use. "I will die in mourning for my son," he would say, and then begin to weep. 36Meanwhile, in Egypt, the traders sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Potiphar was captain of the palace guard.
QUESTION - have you ever noticed how quickly life can be reversed? You begin a day just like any other, not suspecting that it will end any differently. AND then all of a sudden, something happens and your whole life is radically different.
YOU - discover a lump on your body and you think it may be cancerous or you get a phone call from your child’s teacher, "We think your child has a learning disability." You go into your bosses office and he says, "We are cutting back and your job is the first to go." You find a note that your husband or wife is leaving you. You get a phone call that your dad had a heart attack. Maybe you were just on your way home and a truck pulled out in front of you and the next thing you know - you are in intensive care or maybe even standing before God. It can happen so quickly, can’t it? (Just this past week a student from JBC, was doing some mission work in NC and was killed) AND - here is Joseph, he’s just 17 years old, Young, healthy, wealthy, pampered by his father and all of a sudden he is tied up, taken to Egypt and sold as a slave.
NOW – as I said, there are 13 chapters devoted to Joseph in Genesis … SO – obviously there’s no way that we can’t read them all this morning. SO – let me quickly give you the cliff notes for those chapters…
• While working for Potiphar; Potiphar’s wife makes a pass at him he refuses, literally runs away. She accuses him of attacking her and Joseph is thrown in jail
• While in jail Joseph works real hard gets put in charge of a bunch of stuff. He interprets the dreams of couple of guys; tells one guy you’re going to die and the other guy you’re going to be released. The cup bearer said, ‘hey dude that’s awesome and when I get out of here, I’ll make sure you get out too. And he gets out and forgets about Joseph for 2 years.
• Then the Pharaoh has a dream that no one can interpret… And the cup bearer says; ‘oh yeah, I meet this dude in prison, his name was Joseph and he is awesome at interpreting dreams…”
• Joseph gets out of prison interprets Pharaoh’ dream (7 years of abundance in the land followed by 7 years of famine)
• Joseph says, “hey Pharaoh, I know how to get the land ready for the famine” AND – the Pharaoh says, “Okay Joe your in charge of everyone and everything in Egypt except me.”
• Joseph does a great job – Egypt is ready for the famine…
• And when the famine reaches the land of Canaan; Joseph brothers go there to get food, they bow before Joseph. They don’t recognize him, but he recognizes them.
• He eventually reveals himself to them forgives them and they go back and bring Jacob and the whole family 70+ people in all to live in Egypt…
“…everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
AGAIN - this message is entitled, “How To Overcome Adversity,” SO – what does Joseph’s life teach us about dealing with hardships… LISTEN – when you boil Joseph’s life down, you find that it basically teaches us 2 things that we need to do in regards to adversity…
• We need to expect them, and
• We need to face them.
FIRST;
We Need To Expect Them…
LISTEN – it helps you deal with things if you are expecting them ahead of time. FOR EXAMPLE – I’ve spent the last 2 weeks at Know Sweats and Summer Conference. AND – before I left let me tell you 2 I expected…
• Little sleep, and
• Lousy food
AND – I was not disappointed… BUT – those 2 things would have been much more difficult to deal with if I had expected (mouth watering food and 8 hours of sleep each night).
WHEN – you look at the life of Joseph you see that it was full of adversity and hard times.
• Beaten up by his brothers
• Thrown in a pit
• Sold as a slave
• Falsely accused of a crime
• Thrown in prison
• Forgotten in prison
Peter writes in his first letter; Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. - 1 Peter 4:12
LISTEN – when life let’s you down… When bad things happen.. when hardships, difficulties come your way you should not be surprised. RATHER - you should actually expect them… Let me give you a couple of reasons why…
ONE REASON – is because;
The Bible tells you to expect adversity…
IN FACT – I don’t think the bible could make it any clearer…If you were to do a word search of the New Testament – you would find that the words; hardships, trials, troubles, suffering & difficulties are used over 135 times… AND – as Paul and Barnabas went around preaching the Gospel, check out what they said to the new believers;
"We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God" - Acts 14:22
We MUST go through what?
A 2nd reason why we should not be surprised by suffering is because;
God’s people have always suffered
I MEAN – just look at the people we have talked about in this series;
Noah, Moses, Abraham, Jeremiah, David, Elijah and Jonathan. UNDERSTAND – everyone of these guys had adversity, some more than others.
AND – let’s not forget that the one we are called to follow suffered;
He was hated and rejected; his life was filled with sorrow and terrible suffering.
- Is 53:3 (CEV)
Jesus – has just left the upper room after washing the feet of the disciples. He walking to the garden. On the way he is teaching them many things… AND – as they enter the garden Jesus concludes his teaching with these words;
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NLT)
CIRCLE - ”Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows..”
Why? Because we are living in a foreign land. YOU SEE - this world has been messed up ever since the fall. UNDERSTAND - we were not meant to live here. SO – let’s go into life knowing that at times the food will be lousy and the restful sleep rare.
Get it?
TO – overcome adversity we need to expect it and…
We Need To Face IT…
AND - we need to face it in 3 specific ways. FIRST – we need to face it;
With A Conviction - To Keep Doing The Right Thing…
UNDERSTAND - Joseph though his circumstances were tough, he continued to do the right thing… He did not use his pain & suffering as an excuse to do wrong & sin. QUESTION – how would you act AND what would you to do if you were Joseph?
IMAGINE – that you were the one who was; beaten up, thrown in a pit, hauled off to a foreign country and sold as a slave… What would you do? Here’s what Joseph did…
The LORD was with Joseph and blessed him greatly as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. 3Potiphar noticed this and realized that the LORD was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. - Genesis 39:2,3
UNDERSTAND - Joseph kept doing the right thing. He didn’t use his circumstances as an excuse to sin. AND LISTEN – sometimes even though he did the right thing, things got worse… I MEAN – he faces a faces a powerful temptation with the Potiphar’s wife. AND – he does the right thing. NOW – I imagine that he thought, ‘okay, I did the right thing – I bet God is proud and is going to bless me…’ BUT INSTEAD – he gets tossed in jail… AND – again Joseph keep doing the right thing…
Before long, the jailer put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. 23The chief jailer had no more worries after that, because Joseph took care of everything. The LORD was with him, making everything run smoothly and successfully. – Genesis 39:22,23
QUESTION – when life is hard, when it ties you up and takes you in a contrary direction. when you are in pain (physical or emotional) is it hard for you to keep doing the right thing… is it hard for you to keep living the right way?
[Tim…] - are you ever tempted (when hurting) to relieve your pain in a way that is not honoring to God? ARE YOU TEMPTED TO;
grab a bottle or a pill?
over eat?
numb you pain with sexual gratification?
give into anger or rage?
quit and stop trying?
QUESTION - do you ever feel justified in doing whatever you need to do in order to relieve your pain… “hey life’s hard, it’s not fair, I didn’t ask for this… I deserve a little happiness and pleasure after all the crap I’ve been through…”
UNDERSTAND – whenever you are going through difficult times there is a very real battle taking place (a spiritual one)… YOU SEE - God wants you to keep doing the right thing (even though – it is not getting you the results you want or think you deserve) and satan wants you to do the wrong thing…to do whatever it takes to feel some pleasure in the midst of your pain…
When God tests our faith, the evil one attempts to destroy our faith. While God sends us through tests to draw us toward Him. Satan tempts us to draw us away from God. In the same experience both dynamics are in play. We cannot be tested without being tempted. God longs for our victory, satan plots our defeat. The evil one also knows that the place of our greatest vulnerability is the vacuum created between our need and God’s provision. He is keenly aware that God fully intends to supply our every need through Christ Jesus. His best strategy is to invite us to chose another way before God meets us in the midst of our test. Satan knows when we’re hungry that God intends to bring us bread. Yet he also knows if we lack perseverance, he can convince us to settle for something less… Erwin McManus, Uprising.
THE FIRST WAY – we face adversity is with a conviction to keep doing the right thing… AND - the 2nd way we face adversity is;
With A Confidence – That God Is At Work In Our Pain…
Romans 8:28 is a favorite passage of people who are undergoing a difficult time.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
NOW – I don’t know if Joseph understood this principle from the beginning, I don’t know if he knew that God was at work in his pain as he was thrown into the pit or hauled off to Egypt… BUT – I do know that somewhere along the journey he did figure it out… IN – Genesis 45 his brothers are revealing who they are… and they are afraid.
But don’t be angry with yourselves that you did this to me, for God did it. He sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. 6These two years of famine will grow to seven, during which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7God has sent me here to keep you and your families alive so that you will become a great nation. 8Yes, it was God who sent me here, not you! And he has made me a counselor to Pharaoh--manager of his entire household and ruler over all Egypt.
- Genesis 45:5-8
Joseph faced his adversity with a confidence. He was confident that God was at work in his pain (and He was)… AND [Tim…] UNDERSTAND - God is always at work in the midst of your pain as well… DO – you believe that?
AND LISTEN – when I experience adversity, and when you experience adversity, our God is working to bring about 3 things…
FIRST – of all he is working to bring about;
An Encounter… (with HIM)
YOU SEE – the bottom line is this when life is going really good. When things are smooth. When the bills are paid, the lawn mowed, the dishes cleaned and the dog and cat are getting alone… MOST OF US – if we are honest would have to admit that we don’t always feel that compelled to have an encounter with God.
I MEAN – after all must be doing something right and God must be pleased with us… WHY? – because life so good. YES – when life is good, we don’t usually feel that desperate for s an encounter with God.
One of the books I began reading in preparation for this message is a book; called, ‘Shattered Dreams, God’s Unexpected Pathway To Joy, by Larry Crabb (I’m about halfway through it; Larry through his writing has been a mentor of mine for over 10 years) IN – the introduction Larry writes these words;
An encounter with Him is what we want, but we don’t know it… We dream lower dreams and think there are none higher. We dream of good marriages, talented kids, enough health and money to enjoy life, rewarding work, and an opportunity to make a difference in the world.
All good things. Of course we want them. But we think they’re the best things. That’s what God means when He calls us foolish.
In the old way (the old covenant) when God was remote and inaccessible, it would have been difficult to imagine anything better than the blessings of life…
But in the new way (what theologians call the New Covenant), God is present and available. He is here and now. When Jesus cried, “It is finished,” the unapproachable God of intimidating holiness opened his arms and invited us to feel His embrace.
The greatest blessing is no longer the blessings of a good life. It never was. It is now the blessing of an encounter with God. It has always been. But now in the new way, the greatest dream is available.
BUT – we don’t view things that way. SO – God goes to work to help us see more clearly. One way is to allow our lower dreams to shatter. He lets us hurt and doesn’t make it better. We suffer and He stands by and does nothing to help, at least nothing that we want Him to do.
In fact, what He’s doing while we suffer is leading us into the depths of our being, into the center of our soul where we feel our strongest passions.
It’s there that we discover our desire for God. We begin to feel a desire to know Him THAT NOT ONLY survives all our pain, but actually thrives in it until that desire becomes more intense than our desire for all the good things we still want.
Through the pain of shattered lower dreams, we wake up to the realization that we want an encounter with God more than we want the blessings of life.
Our shattered dreams are never random. They are always a piece in a larger puzzle, a chapter in a larger story. Pain is a tragedy. But it’s never only a tragedy. For the Christian it’s always a necessary mile on the long journey to joy. The suffering caused by shattered dreams must not be thought of as something to relieve if we can or endure if we must. It’s an opportunity to be embraced, a chance to discover our desire for the highest blessing God wants to give us, an encounter with himself….
QUESTION - do you see what Larry is saying? Shattered dreams, adversity, pain… ARE – a wake up call to the truth that; our greatest desire, that living water, that real life – is not about being blessed and life going well BUT it’s about knowing God – being in his presence – AND that being enough . FRIENDS – it is not a coincidence that in my life the times I experienced the most growth and the most joy… The times when I was most aware of God’s presence have been during times of pain, trials and suffering… BECAUSE – being beaten and through in a pit… drove to God.
YES - we – you and I can know God… AND INSTEAD – we choose the blessing over the creator. We are like children who are offered a 1,000 bill BUT instead choose a bright shinny dime. NOW – I don’t know about you BUT I am really tried of choosing that shiny dime… I want to live my life in a new way. I want that crisp eternal 1,000 dollar bill. I want to know God.
In his book, ‘The Pressures Off, There’s A New Way To Live,’ - Larry talks about a guy who got it, a guy who – had traveled pretty far in this journey toward knowing;
It was a Sunday, about 2,000 years ago. As John wrote about what happened, he tells us that he was “in the Spirit” – indicating I think, that a sense of expectancy seized him, likely after many desperate days of waiting on God to meet him on the rock he called home.
The apostle was an old man, living in the prison of a barren island, exiled there for the crime of preaching Jesus, eating poorly, sleeping uncomfortably, performing hard labor that not even a 20 year old should be forced to do, aware that the band of disciples was gone (most of them martyred), and discouraged by the spiritual condition of several local churches.
If he had followed the hopes of enjoying a better life, he would by now have been sorely disillusioned. But then Christ appeared to him. NOTICE – however, what didn’t happen when he appeared. Christ did not bring John a mattress. He did not spread a table with good food. He did not magically lift John off Patmos and set him on the mainland to hold seminars in Sardis & Laodicea.
What did happen was far better. The Spirit revealed Jesus Christ. I can hear John saying, “My life is miserable, but I ask not for sympathy, not for help, and not for a miracle. Just give me Jesus!” AND – that’s what the Spirit did. It’s a prayer God always, eventually answers.
The Jesus whom John met that day did not appear as the gentle carpenter, the loving teacher, the good friend who had once invited John to lean on his chest after dinner.
LISTEN – to John describe the Jesus he saw that day:
His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were bright like flames of fire. 15His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance.
Small wonder that when John saw Him, he fell at His feet as dead. NOT EVEN for a moment did it occur to him to say, “Could you get me off this rock? And I really would like a cup of hot coffee. It’s cold in this miserable place.
More is available to us in Jesus Christ than we dare to imagine. There’s more to Jesus Christ than we’ve ever dreamed. WE EXPERIENCE so little of Him when we approach Him only with requests. WE TASTE so little of the mouth stopping, complaint-ending, desire-deepening awe that His presence creates when we think more about our problems and how to solve them than about meeting Him. WE EXPERIENCE so little of the joy that sustains us in suffering and the hope that anchors us amid shattered dreams when we come to Him looking for the pathway out of hardships INTEAD of the pathway into His presence.
WE – need to face adversity with a confidence that God is working in our pain… FIRST – to bring about an encounter with Him… AND 2nd to bring about;
Community…
LISTEN – when life is going good, not only do we not realize our need for God… BUT - we also don’t realize our need for each other. YOU SEE - when things are going good most of us tend to do life alone. (BUT – as we have seen during these last 8 weeks of the summer of ONE… Going it alone is neither God’s desire or HIS design for the church.)
AND LISTEN – adversity has a way of bringing out real community like nothing else. AND – over the years I’ve seen suffering, pain & adversity… DO just that, on both a large and small scale… BOTTOM-LINE; when people are hurting it is an opportunity for the church to be the church…to be the HEALING COMMUNITY that God has called us to be.
• OVER – the years I’ve seen the church rally around people in ICU rooms, hospice beds and funerals homes…
• AND THIS WEEK – at Summer Conference, I saw students open up, share hurts shed tears… AND – I saw the Body of Christ without the prompting of ‘the flesh’ or the coaching of men… PUT – their arms around them and sometimes cry with them.
• AND – in the past 10 days I’ve seen the church be the church as the body of Christ rallied around a lady who tried to take her own life. AND – just a mere 10 days from grabbing a bottle of pills… she has hope… she is recovering… AND – she is looking forward to the time when she can be the church to someone else.
All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! 4He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. - 2 Corinthians 1:3,4 (Msg)
WHEN – a church gets it! Suffering, hard times & adversity brings out her best!!!
GUYS – can I tell you something about you & me… We’re stupid… We’re so easily fooled and distracted. We are too easily amused and satisfied with LESSER THINGS. SO – God in His mercy begins to work… HE – allows adversity to come into our lies… TO – drive us to the GREATER THINGS… an encounter with Him and community with each other…
The 3rd thing that God is doing in our adversity is HE is bringing about;
A Transformation (in US)
whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. 3For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything. – James 1:2-4
UNDERSTAND – Joseph was not the same guy at the other side of his adversity. YOU SEE – before he walked into… OR – rather before he was thrown into the pit… He was for the most part a 17 year old arrogant punk… AND - the way he interpreted his dream back then, was that it was all about Him… IT – was all about him standing and his brothers bowing down to him…
BUT LATER – after, his adversity he had an entirely different perspective… TURN – in your bibles to Genesis 50:15… AND AS – you are turning let me set up the passage for you. Jacob has just died. AND – Joseph’s brothers are flipping out. YOU SEE – they think that with their dad dead, Joseph is going to kill them…
But Joseph told them, "Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, to judge and punish you? 20As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people. 21No, don’t be afraid. Indeed, I myself will take care of you and your families." And he spoke very kindly to them, reassuring them.
– Genesis 50:19-21 (NLT)
DID YOU – see the transformation in Joseph? LIFE – was no longer about his brothers bowing down to him.. It was about Him serving and saving the lives of others..
AND FRIENDS – that is the same transformation that God wants to bring about in us… strong in character, ready for anything… AND – others focused…
LISTEN – Joseph a man who lived over 4,000 years ago… Has something to teach you today about adversity…
Expect It… and Face It… (with a conviction and a confidence)… AND 3rd -
Within A Context – Of A Promised Future…
LISTEN – Joseph was able to face his adversity… BECAUSE - he had a bigger dream… YOU SEE – Joseph knew (because of his faith) that his future would consist of much more then; beatings, slavery, false accusations and prison…
AND – I believe that each time that Joseph hit another adversity, IT – reminded him of where he did not belong (Egypt) and where he did belong… (the promise land of God)…
Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place." – Genesis 50:24,25
NO – Joseph did not belong in Egypt and he knew… AND FRIENDS – we don’t belong here either!
AND - when we really get that we will come to see our adveristy as beautiful, because it reminds us that we don’t belong here.
Checkout this words from the group Switchfoot
It was a beautiful letdown, when I crashed and burned
When I found myself alone, unknown and hurt
It was a beautiful letdown, the day I knew
That the riches this world had to offer me, would never do
In a world full of bitter pain, And bitter doubt
I was trying so hard to fit in, Until I found out
I don’t belong here, I don’t belong here
NO – we don’t belong here… BUT – we tend to get comfortable and forget God and forget our promsied future. SO – God sends trouble to remind us of both our need for Him and our promised future.
8We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. 9We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. 10Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 11Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be obvious in our dying bodies. 12So we live in the face of death, but it has resulted in eternal life for you. 13But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, "I believed in God, and so I speak." 14We know that the same God who raised our Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself along with you. 15All of these things are for your benefit. And as God’s grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
16That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! 18So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever. – 2 Cor 4:8-18 (NLT)
