The Reality Of Tribulation

THE REALITY OF TRIBULATIONS

I understand that God is on our side & God wants to bless his people!

But the truth is that in this life along with all the benefits of God, we’re going to have opposition.

We’re going to have flowing in opposite direction good & bad!

I think we know that being a Christian isn’t being free from the problems of life & opposition; it’s being freed from sin!

Jesus told us something from encouraging & yet challenging:

Joh 16:33 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."

-& yet after this was spoken Jesus still had to suffer & die.

a.) Jesus told us to “take heart, because I have overcome the world”

- Now, what exactly did he mean by that?

1. Jesus is telling us that by His death he would over-come the prince of this world, the devil & all of his strategies against God’s people!

Joh 12:31 The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out.

1Jn 3:8 …..But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.

2. The word “destroy” means to “loosen”: to loose one bound, i.e. to unbind, release from bonds, set free, of one bound up, to loosen, undo, dissolve, anything bound, tied, or compacted together

2. The word “works” means: “business, that which anyone is occupied”

b.) Also, by His death, Jesus brought help & strength from heaven.

1. He’s given us the power & influence of the H.S & through that he’s given us the means to overcome our enemies & our temptations!

2. & so we know that the devil is a defeated foe!

-& yet we as believers still need put our trust in the captain of our faith, also we need to put on the full armor of God & be ready for conflict!

II. Trials & Tribulation.

1. The Reality of Tribulation.

a.) Jesus told us very clearly in Jn 16:33 that we would have many trials & sorrows or tribulation.

1. Now, this is a fact that Jesus notes!

- I know that there are pastors, TV pastor’s, evangelist, who make it seem like you’ll never have another problem once you give your life to Christ!

- Giving your life to Jesus does’nt mean your problem free, it means that sin-free, forgiven!

- Listen, the truth is, according to Jesus, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows” that’s a fact of life!

b.) Every major patriarch & figure in the bible had their share of tribulation.

1. Noah, Lot, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,

2. Most famous is poor Joseph, nothing seem to go right for him.

- When you look at the life of Joseph it’s tragic!

-It seems like he’s alone in his situation!

- it almost looks like he’s being punished by God!

2. David (Bathsheba)& his family, Solomon.

3. Job: Literally lost everything, he ends up looking like he’s homeless with nothing to his name!!

4. Prophets: Elijah is running scared, depressed & hiding in cave from a woman.

- Listen, trials & tribulation can make you run scared & depressed if you allow them to!

- They’ll make you hide in places you don’t belong!!

5. Jonah was devoured by a big fish, Jeremiah the weeping prophet dunked in pooh!

( I mean I would cry too if some one put me in a pit of pooh!)

3. The apostle Paul: whipped, beaten, left for dead, shipwrecked, deserted, locked-up, in perils constantly & eventually beheaded!

(1) Paul tells us that the devil was successful in stopping him from going to minister to the Thessalonian church!

1Th 2:18 For we wanted to come to you--certainly I, Paul, did, again and again--but Satan blocked our way.

(2) He talks about a man named Alexander who was a coppersmith who was successful in hurting his ministry.

2Ti 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil (wicked, injury, bad): the Lord reward him according to his works: (15) Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.

- & so we see that sometimes the devil is successful in his attempts to hinder or thwart what God wants to do!

- & though we might not win every battle, we ultimately win the war!

- In other words, when we don’t succeed, when we’re thwarted or hindered in one area, we have to remember that there’s a bigger picture!

- Defeat in one area doesn’t always mean defeat in another area!

- In fact I believe that defeat in one area means victory in another!