How To Move Forward In The Face of Tragedy

ZBC Sunday Morning 6-23-24

This has been a rough week!

Hit our town hard.

Hit individuals and families hard.

Hit our church hard.

Don’t understand. Don’t have all the answers. But we serve a God that does! I’m glad of that!

Psalm 118 is where we will start today.

Psalm 118:5: “I called upon the Lord in distress: The Lord answered me, and set me in a large place.”

Psalm 118:6: “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: What can man do unto me?”

Psalm 118:11–14: “They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. They compassed me about like bees; They are quenched as the fire of thorns: For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: But the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, And is become my salvation.”

How do we make it through tragedy? Through Jesus! We call out in the name of the Lord! There is power in the name of Jesus!

John 14:14: “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

Philippians 2:9–11: “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Psalm 121: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, From whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, Which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in From this time forth, and even for evermore.”

Psalm 46 “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, What desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalte…”

1 Samuel 17:45–47: “Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.”

How do we get through tragedy? Just like Paul did!

2 Timothy 3:10–11: “But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.”

We endure in the name of Jesus Christ! We continue in the name of Jesus Christ!

Greater is He that is in us that he that is in the world.

We have a hope, and His name is Jesus!

1 Corinthians 15:19: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”

He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble. What else do we need?

We keep spreading Jesus! We keep living for Jesus! He is our hope!

Psalm 39:7: “And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee.”

Luke 19:13: “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”

Only Jesus an give us the peace that we nee Philippians 4:6–7: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

2 Corinthians 4:8–18 “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal

This is a time our faith is really tested! We know the scriptures. Will you believe and trust them?

Look to Jesus! He is enough!