Facing Life's Adversities (Jan 20, 2019)

Well, good morning shirts It's Great To Worship together this morning. And so thankful for those guys were baptized this morning to be able to come and have the joy of experience in baptism and making that profession faith in public way. It's always an amazing time that tend to remember throughout our lives. And so so thankful that Neva, this morning making that decision made known to everyone today that they believe on Jesus Christ and there's not many sure things in life today. But if there is one of those things or if there's one that's probably most certain is the fact that we're all going to find ourselves in times of adversity. dad said there's going to be difficulties there going to be uphill walks in uphill pulls a job said it like it is man who is born of a woman is Few days and full of trouble and so you might say Amen to that. But sometimes we find ourselves in trouble. Sometimes that Troubles of our own making but you know many times that trouble comes to do I just because of natural order things and cuz it's God's will and his moving in our Lives soap opera found himself as well as he was serving the lord Jesus Christ that he came to find himself in a great struggle, you know, sometimes our struggle in this life is With Disaster or destruction disease those kind of things that I and even death and they all seem to lead us to a place of discouragement. But God is the one who gives us whole and we trust in Jesus Christ for that hoe and as we look at the colony's versus say those verses before these it were going to look at this morning described the Apostle Paul in the situation and circumstances. He was in kind of adversity. He was face. Paul was at this point. I'm arrested and imprisoned in Rome for the testimony of Jesus Christ and for his faithfulness to it scripture in the case that Paul was even in that imprisonment change a Roman soldier guard. Can you imagine what it'd be like to be constantly changing someone and the next shift comes on and they unhook you to someone different and someone different you and I might think that's the worst thing that could ever happen to us. But yet Paul saw his opportunity. He saw it as a time where even in his adversity he could bear witness of Jesus Christ that he had a new audience ever so many hours of everyday and Paul. I'm sure took advantage of every chance he had because the testimony that went through out the guard seem to be of someone of appalled sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. He was also Accused by false preachers that were preaching the gospel for their own gain and their own purposes and and doing that it brought Affliction to his case into his calls in Paul found himself struggling over these false teachers and those that were spreading false Doctrine. And so Paul was Shirley in the time of adversity butt out of that. Adversity. Paul gives us some truth in some wisdom about how you and I can handle adversity. So if you've never been caught up in any kind of difficulty or any struggle In Praise the Lord, you're really doing a great if you have been maybe some of these things I'll be helping you may be in that place right now. There's just a struggle going on your life and you're wondering what do I do or I was going to come out of its only share some things with you from scripture this morning, and I want you understand look when it comes to adversity. The Bible is the greatest Revolve Holy Spirit through God's word is the greatest source of wisdom for times of trouble and Times of trial that we can never find anywhere. I want to share this morning is not going to be exhausted. So don't think you dug a everything out this morning about adversity. It's just a place to get you started and so that you can go on a search out scripture on those things along with me if you would but this idea of adversity. How do we handle it facing license vercities and we're going to begin in chapter 9 verse 19 chapter 1 Philippians live in chapter 1 verse 19. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says. He says for I know that this will turn out for my Deliverance through your prayers in the supply the spirit of Jesus Christ according to my Earnest expectation and hold that and nothing I shall be ashamed but will with all bonus as always. So now also Christ will be magnified in my body weather by life or by Death

For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain that we met this morning and let's pray together father. Thank you this morning for your infinite wisdom about the issues of life or thank you that we can with full confidence and full trust in what you have to say. I depend on your word and their times of adversity those struggles that we often find ourselves in life Lord. How can we how can we go forward in these things? How can we gain understanding? How do we answer and respond to these hard times of life in a way that's going to bring good and strengthen us as well. Now father. I pray that you'll open these things to us this morning teach us. The things that you have is to know in Jesus name. Amen. You know, she hear the Apostle Paul what are things that we need adversity is is so affects us in such a way that it really kind of eats away at RR personhood or even our confidence and lie. And so one of the things that Paul wants to reassure our scripture does it say God does is that we can have some confidence went for our diversity that we can have a standing up so we can have hope in times of adversity that that we know that when it's all said and done and things are finished in our life or we passed through this particular trial or that particular trial that that there's an assurance and everything's going to be okay or everything's going to work out what God gives us that and he gives us it in an ultimate kind of way, but he also gives us insurance or the confidence that we need to know that day by day in in our adversities that that guy's going to make a way for us that Hill. Oakwood I said he'll help us through these times of adversity one day and listen to I've had them in my life sometime where I was hoping for 1 hour 1 minute the next moment the next hour for the next half a day to be able to get through that spot on to the next and have the confidence to be able to do that what Paul gives us some things about that that we really ought to hold onto and in and find those screws in and what other things that he gives it or two things. He gives us is a verse 19 and when you see those willing verse 19, he says fry know it that's confidence in it and we can save for I know something that I'm sure of something they have time for dents in Suffolk. And here's what Paul saying that he knows there that he has confidence in he says for I know that this would turn out for my Deliverance another words Paul was reassured that the thing that he was going through this imprisonment this time in jail this time of persecution Apostle. Paul say, I know it's going to turn out My Deliverance in other words, I know that somehow God's going to make a way that he's going to get me through where I am now to another and a better place Providence was and she says for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance and here's how he gives us some practical help. He says first of all through your prayers, let me say to you first of all that one of the places are the sources of our confidence in times of adversity is in supplication or prayer. Paul says, I know that your prayers are your praying for me your all your Lifting me up to God is going to be one of those things that's going to help me get through this hard time, you know, the Apostle Paul value prayer tremendously if he read all of his letters and you look at the book of Acts in Paul's life and Ministry that he was certainly a man of prayer and he knew the value of what it meant to come. For God and come before his throne of grace it and offer up those prayers and supplications. He he knew the value of it. He spent so much time and self in prayer for the church is all of his letters kind of begin with this thing about I'm praying for you and I'm praying for the church and I'm lifting at my friends and I'm lifting at Believers and I'm lifting up the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ and Paul was constantly praying as a matter fact, he wrote to the fast one I can Believers and he says at the end of his first letter then he says pray without ceasing so Paul was telling and listen live just the things that we can't live without his breathing right so far. I think he was saying pray like your breathing and other ones do it all the time. He was certainly near the value of prayer. Paul always enjoyed and encouraged others to pray to pray listen. If we're going to adversity. I mean, there's no hole apart from prayer apart from praying and a tan in calling out God and asking him those things. You see Paul knew that value how important it was just like someone else in the Bible. His name is Jesus Jesus understood it was to pray so many times you see him in the guy and he's getting before his father and he's praying and he's crying out to his father in Heaven. Jesus thought so important just like Paul also that he taught his disciples how to pray. He passed his understanding is passing for prayer. Only those that were closest to him. And that what we do is people is that a people or closest to him. We give him the most important things that we have. Are we giving the most important understanding is that we've learned from life and would Jesus and Paul it was he had hair? Zeponie the value prayer. Not only that but Pony The Virtue and prayers well. You say your prayer is is is asking God in it when we talk about prayer. It's it's asking God. It's asking God to get involved in our circumstances. It's really saying the guys Lord. I need you to be involved with what's going on in my life. David in certain time of his life was being persecuted by Saul and Saul was chasing David all over the holy lands and David was running from Saul and best hiding places David could find were out in the wilderness of Judea and those caves in places that were secluded in deserted and dry desert kind of place isn't David one hot out there with a group of men that was with him in and David often. I'm sure the fault because they show up in the songs of reflection of his heart and what he was going through in the book and in the songs that he wrote more songs, he wrote he said this and that one of those times that he was being pursued. He says this. Oh God, you are my God early will I Seek You My Soul thirsts For You My Flesh Longs for you in a dry and a Thursday when But there's no water. David said early will I Seek You? you say that all to be the fault that we have in prayer that when these adversities, our way that got all to be the first one that we go to y'all to be the first place that that that we go to how to be the first one that we cry out to and they even said so early I'll seek in I just saved you and I are vercities we all to see God early in those adversities and in those things you ever saw often we're guilty and I say wait, let me just say I'm guilty of trying to not doing that but the manipulate and control Adversities in our situation. I wish I could ever say you know, hey, I'm in a mess, but I'm going to fix it. Right some of you guys are looking at me like he lost your mind talking to you. I've got to I've got to minimize the damage. I've got to go into control mode. I've got to go into my problem solving state of mind so I can fix all these things. And and and so we we go at it that way. How to fix it. Don't try to fix it the bigger the mess kits. In the worse it gets in the more difficult it is and the deeper. We we get into it and what we don't realize is that that what we ought to do is just bring it to God before before too far into it. But do you say that understanding and I found out that there's kind of a maybe a slogan or true that I found out in my own life. Instead of trying to fix it. Or instead of trying to handle it all to become humble with it. And give it to God. and let him guide me in these adversities You say prayers asking God prayers, not only asking God. Let me just say to you also prayers acknowledging God is that when we pray we acknowledge God that we acknowledge his existence would know just saw warranty have knowledge is power rating on just love for us because why would God get involved in our mess if he didn't love us? Scripture says in Romans chapter 5 the god demonstrated his own Love For Us in while we were in a mess. And while we were yet sinners Christ died for us soon as we come to God In Prayer organizing that that God cares for me. And he cares for me so much that he'll come and he'll join me in the mess of my life's in the my adverse in my struggles and he'll be with me in those things. Psalms 121 says this and verses 1 and 2. I will lift up my eyes from whence cometh my help my Help Cometh From The Lord who made the heavens and the Earth. You say that's an expression of gratitude. Thank you for the times that you've helped me in the past and thank you for the insurance. I had the you going to help me now. And answer our prayers becomes a way that we acknowledge God and that we come to him in prayer. Not only is prayer acknowledging God and not only is it also asking him but prayers also affirming guy. Affirmation of our need for God and God's power and God's greatness. There is time in Israel's history. Israel's always getting into trouble. They were always having times of adversity and it seems like the nation of Israel and see history. We are from one trial to the next bit of travel to the next attack to the next to struggle that they had one of those times that Judah had in that experience was in the times of King Jehoshaphat and King Jehoshaphat was raining and and Israel or Judah was about to be overtaken by enemies the amorites in the jebusites and those guys that were in from Syria. They were going to come down there were coming down it they going to take over and Conquer Judah and Jerusalem. And so Jehoshaphat took David's advice and early. He sought the Lord the Lord. He says it's listening what Jehoshaphat then Jehoshaphat stood in the Assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord before the Newport and said, oh Lord our fathers or are you are you not God in heaven and do you not realize over the kingdoms of the nation's and in your hand is there no power in mine so that no one is able to withstand. You are you not our God who drove out the inhabitants of this land before your People Israel and gave it to the descendants of Abraham your friend forever and they dwell in it and have built you a sanctuary in it for you for your name and saying if disaster comes upon us. Sword judgment pestilence War famine. We will stand before the temple and in your presence for your name is in this Camp cry out to you not Affliction and you will hear and Save. You say our prayers? applying out to The God Who is able and a god Who has an interest? in our lives to help us in times of our affliction some of the firm's God and His goodness. And what he's doing in our life, so our confidence for adversity is often in our supplication in our prayer. Let me give you another y'all somewhere not only is it in supplication? But what else does he say? Paul says, you know, I'm I know this is going to turn out for my Deliverance through your prayers and what else he says the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ EZ Pawn understood that not only does God give us access to his phone. Only just got Linda's here to here and not only just gotten move on our behalf in our times of adversity. But also that God has given us as Christians a helper a companion in our times of adversity and that's the Holy Spirit. Jesus Promised the ministry of the holy spirit is disciples when he when he was in the upper room. When is about to go to the cross and is about to die for our sins that that Jesus told his disciples. Listen when I go it's going to be to your advantage because when I go I'm going to send another like myself and they begin to describe the ministry of the Holy Spirit the supply of the holy spirit that God would give us a specially for our times of adversity.

And the Bible says about this support that the holy spirit will give us by the way that words Supply mean support. You know, when you think about those things that that we need to support us. They come in the form of supplies in and God supplies. He supports our lives our needs and times of adversity because he has an investment in as his son Jesus Christ. At what does the Bible say about the Holy Spirit? One of the things that Jesus said to his disciples about the Holy Spirit is that he'll be your companion? That that he'll be with you John. 14:17 says he'll never leave I said he'll do well in us forever. That he's an eternal companion. That that he sticks close to us. He lives in us if he's not going to move out. Listen. God will never give you a notice of his leaving because he's promised is it he'll never leave you or forsake you and so the holy spirit is our companion. He he lives with us in that very role was contained in. Jesus is not only will he live with you, but you know, what else you'll do he'll teach you. Jesus said to his disciples. Look I've got more for you to know. I got more for you to understand but I don't have time to share it with you, but the holy spirit is going to continue that teaching process. Now look what the greatest times of learning the greatest lie Schoolhouse for us is times of adversity.

How many of you find yourself learning a lot more when you need to learn versus when? It's not a necessity. I bet some of you here. A cruiser highschool did you that well, I can make a pretty good grade. I can sit around and take a snooze everything and make it pretty good grade every now and then but when you got into college so different now all the sudden that that that cruise mode that cruise control with your rent, you have to turn it off and you have to get serious and have to get busy you have to apply yourself to learn why because you're up against You say when we're up against things in life. Hope he has a half and we take this learning seriously spirit of God begins to teach us things about our diversity John 16:17. Jesus causing the helper. Helper here means it means that he comes along beside us and helps us. Forever in the engine you had someone come along and pick you up then they are sending it, but they come along and pick you up and put your arm around you and they help you get to play so you can sit down and get comfortable you ever had that happen.

That's why the Holy Spirit dies. Comes along the size and picks us out. Jesus said not only is your helper, but he's a guy and God we need guys it on. He's a guy because he's a spirit of Truth. He's the only one that can guide us in the truth. He's a he's our our coach. He has no bad, Just maybe you have have a fitness coach. I'm going to look around sick.

Fitness coach say you look I'm looking at you and your body still deleted you need to do this and do that. You need to stop doing this and you need to stop and and they have the knowledge of the truth to help us to get to place physically what we need to be. Is it always wears a life coach? He looks at our life. And he tells us you know for your life you need to do this and you don't need to do that. You need to be involved in this and this needs to happen. Is a holy spirit is our a guy that only signs are a part of the supply that the holy spirit gives us so that we can have confidence in our adversity. So the next time you find yourself and be confident, right why because you've got access to the throne of God. You've got Jesus Christ his Spirit living in you the guide you and help you along the way. How much more confident can we be Paul speak about confidence but also in adversity, but he says something about clarity as well. The thing that way really don't always have in times of trouble is Clarity in it that we can see the circumstances for what they are and we can see the circumstances for what God's doing and I like, you know, if we walk into trouble or Into the Storm if we know why is there and we know what it's going to do. We know what guys going to accomplish in that then it's not as difficult as it. We can see a reason behind all that and Paul speaks about that. Very thing. Listen to what he says in verse 20 in his adversity. He says according to my Earnest expectation and hope that is nothing I shall be ashamed. Paul st. Paul voices Paul's desire. We see is that he says, you know in this message I'm in he says I don't want to let Jesus Christ down. The idea of being ashamed is a drawback from my responsibilities. Paul says, I don't want to draw back from my responsibilities. I want to stay faithful and what God has called me to do. I want to give that testimony in my in my bondage. I want to share that message in my persecution. I want my desire is Paul. What is I want to be consistent in my life to Jesus Christ whether it's in a storm or where the sunshine? So pauses I was to be faithful look a little bit father that that you can see Paul's decision about his own desires. He says but without that but with all bonuses always so now I'm also quite will be magnified in my body went about life or that Paul says, I don't really know how this thing's going to come to this conclusion. But I'm deciding now that whether I live through it or whether it's the cause of me to be absent from the body present with the Lord whatever it is the end of it is is that my decision is that I'm going to be faithful to him. Ella can we have that kind of clarity in our own lines as Christians? There's hardly any kind of adversity that we can find ourselves into that. We can have clear to him that no matter where I'm at. I want to live for Jesus.

And no matter what happens. I'll give him glory. That's Clarity and diversity then finally the third thing I want you to see also is that not on Clarity, but they're also need to be commitment in our diversity. We have to be committed to the Lord Jesus Christ was a saying verse 21 for to me.

For me to live is Christ to die is gain. So that's commitment it. Papa says that for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. You said that commitment always. always has a choice to it. There's always a choice when it comes to Commitment. We have to make that decision. Paul says ask for me. I'll say I want to tell you what I'd shows and what I've decided to do. What what my choice is. It's a live for Jesus Christ. No matter what it is. Listen Paul kind of restates and in a different way. And that he says in chapter 4 Philippians listen to what he says he says but I read the inverse 10 he says but I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last year care for me is flourish again, though. You surely did not care but you like opportunity. Not that I speak in regards to need for I've learned in whatever state I'm in to be content. I know how to be abased and I know how to abound everywhere and all things. I've learned both to be full and to be hungry both to be bound and the sufferer need I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength Paul says look out learned his lesson it if I live and if it's in a time of struggle or adversity, that's okay. I know the things that I have. I know that I have Christ. And whether I'm in times of great blessing and there's great material things. I've learned how to live in absolute Thanksgiving to God with those as well. He made a choice commitment is always a choice but also commitment is about change. It's about time we commit Our Lives of Jesus Christ only tell it when we're serious about this commitment Jesus Christ. There's going to be changed. My life. Paul says as for me to live is Christ call and say it's for me to live is live. The life of a Pharisee hidden says for me to live is a little life of someone with notarize a matter fact in chapter 3, he dismiss all that. He says that everything that I gained everything that I thought was important everything that I'd counted as as being something of a reputation. He says I counted like garbage in comparison to the knowledge of Jesus Christ So there's going to be change we make our commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. And in those times of adversity. We're going to handle it in a different way. It's saying things differently.

We may be living our lives for all the wrong things.

So when we commit Our Lives to Jesus Christ now all of a sudden we see things in a different way. then finally commitment leads to completion will never finish anything unless we're committed to it right maybe projects to Do you have at home that aren't finished? I'm going to stop by prom. How many husbands have a list at home? Elan finish times away how many of you wise have things at home that you started out doing in? I just didn't get finished.

What do you think? That's true? It may be because of commitment. Did you say to me that are you committed to it today? Because you see the things that we finish or the things that we're committed to Paul says as for me to live is Christ. And the dyes guy Paul understood that his death was his game. That was his completion until he finished everything that Jesus Christ had laid out for his life. It's only then that he would be in heaven with him. And he would complete his task. Paul said to Timothy that he'd finish his race that he kept the faith a commitment. You say we need commitment in adversity to finish the way that God wants us to ballon x + y equal to you today.