Walking Through A Season Of Crushing/ The Death Of Expectation

WALKING THROUGH A SEASON OF CRUSHING ...

THE DEATH OF EXPECTATION...

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

I have rarely started a lesson with the conclusion, but I think I shall start with the end and then build up to the conclusion.

CONCLUSION:

AFFLICTION IS NOT ALWAYS CHASTISEMENT.

22 YEARS AGO I MARRIED A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG LADY TO A MAN

NAMED PAUL. Vonda was the sweetest teen and we used to sing

the Lord’s praise together as the youth group.

It was a touch of heaven.

I received an email yesterday from Vonda.

She has had a terrible battle with cancer.

The battle has been up and down, LIFE HAS HAD MUCH PAIN AND

HEARTACHE. Vonda now has a 16 year old son.

Vonda has had so many surgeries one very recent and ONE COMING

UP SOON...

Vonda’s email said: THE SCARS ARE A MAP THAT IS LEADING ME

TO HEAVEN...

WOW! DOUBLE WOW! WOW!

Thank you Vonda for reminding this old preacher: WE ARE ON A JOURNEY...

DON’T RAPE THE SEEDS.

I sat next to Dave Roever --- the battle scarred Viet Nam Vet:

I heard him say: THESE SCARS ARE A TESTIMONY OF SURVIVAL.

DO I REALLY BELIEVE THE BIBLE WHEN IT SAYS:

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to

them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

DO I KNOW EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OK?

OR WILL I RAPE THE SEED OF EXPECTATION?

Can you agree with this statement:

GREAT IS THE YIELD OF A FERTILE FIELD?

Why? or Why not?

I. HAVE YOU HAD A CRUSHING EVENT? CRUSHING WEEK? A CRUSHING SEASON?

ALL HELL WAS COMING AGAINST JESUS! THE ENEMY’S TOTAL FOCUS WAS

TO DESTROY THE WORK OF GOD’S SON.

A. In your daily life you are going to face NEGATIVE, DIFFICULT, HARD, LONG SEASONS THAT WILL DEFINE WHO YOU ARE AND DEFINE FROM WHAT YOU ARE

MADE --- LET US CALL THIS SEASONS OF CRUSHING.

B.When we walk through a SEASON OF CRUSHING we will throw up our hands

and quit or we will KICK INTO PASSING GEAR and ARISE TO A NEW LEVEL.

II. SEASONS OF CRUSHING ARE NEITHER GOOD OR BAD, THEY ARE NEUTRAL ---

IT IS WHAT WE DO WHILE WALKING THROUGH THESE SEASONS THAT WILL

DEFINE WHO YOU REALLY ARE!

A. Remember when Jesus had been on a fast and was physically weak?

This season of crushing had a two fold opportunity...

1. Jesus’ ministry could have been nipped in the bud and failure could have doomed the birth of the public ministry of the SON OF GOD...

2. This season of crushing was a great opportunity to RELEASE THE WORD

and BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF THE WORD to overcome every OBSTACLE.

B. SEASONS OF CRUSHING MOST GENERALLY COME AFTER A TIME OF

VICTORY WHEN ONE IS WEAK AND TIRED...

Matthew 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

C. This CRUSHING - TRYING TIME IS BUT AN OPPORTUNITY...

How can we release the WORD TO ACCOMPLISH GOD’S PLAN IF WE ARE

DOUBTERS...

--- if we don’t accept the power of the word ...

--- if we don’t know the word ...

--- if we keep the WORD buried in DRY fertile soil and don’t release

the light

to germinate the word ...

--- if we don’t release the word by SPEAKING it and meditating day and

night upon the power that is contained within releasing God’s word...

III. HAVE YOU EVER WALKED THROUGH THE --- IFS... IF THIS? IF THAT?

WHAT IF? SEASONS OF CRUSHING OFTEN COME AT A TIME OF DOUBT...

WATCHING OTHERS AND DOUBTING THEM --- OR A SEASON OF SELF-DOUBT...

A. CALL DOUBT ANYTHING YOU WANT TO BUT DOUBT REALLY MEANS YOU DO

NOT TRUST GOD OR TRUST HIS KEEPING --- PRESERVING POWER...

B. Most of the time God’s people will not DOUBT GOD, they will DOUBT OTHERS AND THIS DOUBT THEN BREEDS TO SELF- DOUBT.

Matthew 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Matthew 4:6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down:

for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Matthew 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

C. IF AT ANYTIME WE WAVER ON THE IF’S, THE POSSIBILITIES OF

THE NEGATIVE WILL DOOM THE POTENTIAL OF GOD’S WORD...

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.