NO MATTER WHAT!
God’s Word for Life • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
Title: No Matter What!
Six Laws of the Will of God.
How many have ever struggled with the will of God?
How many have ever struggled with why things are such a struggle?
I heard of a young man who was struggling with the will of God. What college should he go to. He had narrowed it down to two places; one in Indians and one in Missouri.
Great idea: put alphabet magnates in a pan and decided that God would direct his hands. If he drew an I out then he was going to Indiana, an M then Missouri.
In great faith he drew out a Q!
First Law of the Will of God is it can seem to be hard to find!
Even Paul and Silas had a few false starts…
Tried to go into Anatolia, Asia Minor (large peninsula of modern Turkey) - God said no
Tied going into Bithynia, Asai Minor ( along the cost of the Black Sea of modern Turkey) - God said no
Then Paul had a dream of a Macedonian Man asking them to come and help them.
They wanted to go east and God said go west!
Three churches came from this!
Church at Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea.
God has a plan for us all, we have to find it!
Second Law of the Will of God is it may not make much sense in the moment!
They arrive in Philippi, Macedonia.
Deviate from usual plan of preaching in synagogues - not 10 men so can’t have one…
Meet Lydia at a ladies prayer meeting at the river.
She was a Jew and her and her family became founding members of the church there.
Then the cast the devil out of the girl who was following them around saying; “These men are the men of the Most High God who has come to show us the way of salvation.”.
MOTIVATION matters! - right message, wrong spirit!
This made her masters mad… lost their money!
arrested
publically beaten
thrown in inner prison
Easy to develop a why me attitude!
Third Law of the Will of God is the will of God will always put you at odds with those in power around you!
That meant physical persecution and death to the early church.
Today that means many others things - sanctions, unjust law - and I believe that we will revert to physical persecution as some point in the future.
BUT NO MATTER WHAT WE TRUST HIM!
Paul would get strength from Habakkuk’s prophecy:
4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: But the just shall live by his faith.
17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, Neither shall fruit be in the vines; The labour of the olive shall fail, And the fields shall yield no meat; The flock shall be cut off from the fold, And there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord God is my strength, And he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, And he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.
In the face of persecution, we trust him!
Fourth Law of the Will of God is that God will always take care of his own!
It is through trouble that God reveals himself!
There can be no deliverance without someone being in bondage!
There can be no healing without someone being sick!
Trouble and trials are simply the revelation of God’s power!
An enrollment in his school!
Paul and Silas was in jail, severely beaten, no medical attention.
How they responded is important lesson to us all…
25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
Fifth Law of the Will of God is Praise Him No Matter What!
Your praise is a revelation of your trust!
Trust is proven in the times of chaos!
When your in prison, beaten, about to die…
Hebrews 11 has been called Faith’s Hall of Fame.
Who through faith:
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
Trust says God is God and if I live or die, I will trust him!
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Conclusion:
Sixth Law of the Will of God is all things work for the good!
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.
The purpose of it all is ministry!
Paul and Silas are beaten and imprisoned.
Earthquake comes and releases all the prisoners.
Jailer was going to kill himself.
Paul stopped him and began to minister to him…
THE MAN WHO HAD JUST BEATEN HIM!
Their is ministry in pain!
No wonder Paul would say in Phil1.12
12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;
Your pain and life experience is for the purpose of the Gospel!
That’s why you can trust him!
