How to Live Through a Bad Day #2
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We are taking the statements Jesus made on the cross and using them to study how Jesus handled the worst day of His life.
2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.
The race Jesus was in co-insides with the race that we are in.
Jesus is in heaven next to the Father interceding for you and for me.
We are studying statements that Jesus made in the cross. You have to look at a harmony of the gospels to see all of these.
Last week. Father Forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing. We learned that we are to forgive everyone who is trying to ruin our lives.
Jesus had 2 criminals hanging next to him on the cross.
Lesson #2
Lesson #2
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
One ridiculed Jesus, but the other one defended Jesus and reached out to him. Remember me… There are scores of people all around us that want and need Jesus to remember them.
Then Jesus told him… today you will be with me in Paradise.
Jesus had a fellow struggler in the thief that repented on the cross. He had someone else going through it just like he was. Then Jesus teaches us this principle...
Lesson #2: HELP OTHERS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING YOUR SAME STRUGGLE
Lesson #2: HELP OTHERS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING YOUR SAME STRUGGLE
Jesus in the middle of having a bad day, and he helps a fellow struggler.
When we are going through a bad day, it helps us when we help someone else. It takes the focus off of ourselves and onto others.
Write these three things down.
1. It Distracts Us from Our Own Needs.
1. It Distracts Us from Our Own Needs.
When you help someone else, its amazing how it helps you get through your own needs. When you are going through a problem, it will help you as you focus on someone else. It will actually help you solve your own problems quicker.
2. It Helps Us to See the Solution.
2. It Helps Us to See the Solution.
When we help others we often are blind to our own stuff. When you are going through something difficult, you are so blind to what the solution is. Pain blinds us, but when we help others, we see what they need and God will use that to show us what we need...
That’s another reason we need to focus on something besides ourselves.
3. It Allows Us to Put Everything in Perspective.
3. It Allows Us to Put Everything in Perspective.
When you are going through a bad day, you tend to think that you are the only one… its not true, we all go through it. You need to be intentional in focusing on what others are going through to help you keep perspective. Often time, we will find out, it’s not as bad as we thought.
ILL - Mission Trips. You go over seas and when you come back, you are grateful for your blessings. You see how people in other countries live, it will help you put your problems into perspective.
Squatter Camps - 40,000 living without power or water. It will change your perspective.
It makes you thankful to live in this country. We have so much we have been blessed with. American churches have built hospitals, orphanages, and educational facilities all over the world.
Bro Radke - sitting on top of the world, hanging my feet off daring the devil to make a move… it didin’t matter what he was going through… that’s what he said.
When you have that kind of attitude, God meets you there. When you decide to help a fellow struggler, God will bless it and reward you.
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. 11 The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Even though we have need, when we are faithful to help others, God will take care of us.
Jesus - You seek first my kingdom and I will take care of you...
To help you, we know we need to help you to help others. That’s why I want you to volunteer because as you do, it will help you. That’s why we will be introducing our growth track that will help you find areas you can minister in.
HOW TO HELP OTHERS
HOW TO HELP OTHERS
3 All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! 4 He 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. 5 We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too. 6 When we suffer for Jesus, it works out for your healing and salvation. If we are treated well, given a helping hand and encouraging word, that also works to your benefit, spurring you on, face forward, unflinching. Your hard times are also our hard times. 7 When we see that you’re just as willing to endure the hard times as to enjoy the good times, we know you’re going to make it, no doubt about it.
How do we do that? How do we minister to people?
2 primary ways to help others.
2 primary ways to help others.
One way is through your gifts and your passions.
One way is through your gifts and your passions.
God gives you Spiritual Gifts when you are Saved. 87% of the church never finds out what their spiritual gifts are. Passion to: Prison Ministry; Youth Ministry; Hospitality; Outreach; Organization;
God will also use you in your mess ups.
God will also use you in your mess ups.
Your mess ups often become your ministry. God will take your pain and help you to help others through it.
We all have issues… and we need to take those and help others.
If you don’t think you have issues, that’s your issue… God can tur our bad days around for good and he takes the very places we have been hurt and turns them around to help others.
We can look at the second statement of Jesus on the cross and dissected it into three things we can do…
1. Offer them Stability
1. Offer them Stability
43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
People need something solid. Everything in this life is always moving and changing … Some of you feel that ....
One thing I know for sure… On Christ the Solid Rock I stand. We all need something we can put our feet on… On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
That’s what we do for people. I don’t know the answers to all of your problems, but I can pull you up and introduce you to Jesus Christ, the solid rock I stand on.
2. Offer them Support.
2. Offer them Support.
43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Jesus - today… you will be with me
We have people around you that are white knuckling… they need support… you need support. Small Groups are important. Ministry teams are important. The most important part of these groups is that you find a friend…
Get into relationship and get some support.
Our goal is to connect you to Jesus and to each other...
12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
In a group, not everyone is going to have a bad day at the same time. Me running with 3 guys. sometime, one of us would not feel like running hard, but the others did...
In a group you will find support. someone gets cancer treatments and the whole group shaved their heads. We all need a group of people that will walk with us through problems.
Today you will be with me… in paradise
3. Offer them Salvation.
3. Offer them Salvation.
43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Paradise - resort… a resting place. It’s like going to the beach and sitting out by the water relaxing. Heaven is not how we typically think about here on earth. Heaven is better than Here.
We have this western idea that Jesus is supposed to fix our NOW moments… He fixes some of them, but there are times when he doesn’t fix our now moment. He says there is something better coming.
Jesus did not always fix their now moment, but he directed their attention to another place....
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
God is right now, preparing a place for you. He works for us now, but soon, we will go to another place where there is no more pain, sickness, traffic...
If you are going through a bad day, I will be the first to stand with you and walk it with you. Jesus is preparing a place where there is no more pain, sickness, …
This life is difficult, but we are just passing through.
JESUS OFFERS MORE THAN A BETTER NOW, HE OFFERS A BETTER PLACE.
JESUS OFFERS MORE THAN A BETTER NOW, HE OFFERS A BETTER PLACE.
God Loves you and Cares about you. These principles really work. If you will serve others, watch what will happen to you in your situations. Do it today… tomorrow...
Pray - receive it… anchor yourself to the un-changing God… know for sure that you are going to heaven.
Salvation Prayer -