Untitled Sermon (7)

Trouble vs Faith

B. Would you admit TROUBLE LIES AHEAD IN YOUR MARRIAGE,

YOUR FAMILY, YOUR JOB OR YOUR CHURCH IF IT HAS BECOME

A DUEL INSTEAD OF A DUET?

C. Many years ago I pastored this old lady.

At testimony time she was often the first to stand and testify.

Her words always began something like this...

NO ONE KNOWS HOW MUCH TROUBLE I HAVE HAD THIS WEEK.

THE DEVIL RODE MY BACK! I did not sleep any? No one knows

the trouble I have seen? Praise God!

D. Have you ever thought you were having: DOUBLE TROUBLE?

E. TROUBLE:

An ill effect on one’s peace of mind.

To agitate mentally or spiritually.

To worry or disturb.

Mistreat or oppress, to afflict.

To put to exertion or inconvenience.

To be in confused motion.

Unrest, disturbance.

II. TROUBLE IS PART OF LIFE! TROUBLE IS NEITHER GOOD NOR BAD.

TROUBLE IS NEUTRAL. IT IS WHAT YOU DO WHEN TROUBLE COMES

THAT WILL DEFINE YOU.

A. Christians are not EXEPT FROM TROUBLE, as a matter of the reality

of life --- FAITH WILL DEMAND AND PUSH YOU TO THE LIMITS OF YOUR

FAITH.

KJV

Job 14:1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.

LIVING

Job 14:1 "How frail is man, how few his days, how full of trouble!

B. Do you understand TESTING IS A PROGRESSIVE PROCESS?

TESTING IS A PART OF LIFE. Not just Christians are tested, every

living, breathing person will be tested.

Life has a way of increasing in DIFFICULTY and in TROUBLE?

KJV

1 Cor. 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common

to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above

that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

MESSAGE

1 Cor. 10:13 No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond

the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember

is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past

your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.

C. Our enemy wants you to think you are alone and no one has ever

been in this valley. Look around you?

Sure, there are BONES in this valley?

But you must have heard, there are some VERY DRY BONES GOT UP AND

LEFT THIS VALLEY. They walked out in UNCOMMON FAITH.

III. WHAT ARE YOU PROJECTING? WE ESTABLISH REACTION PATTERNS.

MOST CHRISTIANS REACT TO TROUBLE.

FEW CHRISTIANS EVER LEARN WE CAN’T REACT TO TROUBLE.

WE MUST ACT BY FAITH! GOD WANTS YOU TO KNOW UNCOMMON FAITH!

A. WE FEEL LIKE GRASSHOPPERS. Thus we act like grasshoppers?

Others will see us as grasshoppers?

B. Our spirit person PROJECTS ATTITUDES.

We establish REACTION PATTERNS.

Numbers 13:33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which

come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers,

and so we were in their sight.

LIVING

Numbers 13:33 And we saw some of the Anakim there, descendants of

the ancient race of giants. We felt like grasshoppers before them,

they were so tall!"

C. OFTEN TIMES REAL FAITH DOES NOT ALWAYS ROAR:

SOMETIMES UNCOMMON FAITH IS THE QUIET VOICE AT THE END OF

THE DAY SAYING: I WILL TRY AGAIN TOMORROW.

D. SECURITY IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF TROUBLE:

BUT RATHER THE PRESENCE OF THE SON OF GOD.

NO MATTER WHAT THE TROUBLE IS...

IV. IS LIFE TROUBLESOME?

HAS LIFE BECOME A THISTLE? A THORN?

JUDGES 7 INTRODUCES US TO A MAN NAMED ACHAN.

ACHAN MEANS TROUBLER, ONE WHO TROUBLES.

A. Achan says: It is just a little bit of gold? A few changes of clothes?

Achan never spends a penny and never wears his clothes to church?

Achan seemed to think SIN DOES NOT HURT.

B. There is still a valley in the middle east called the VALLEY OF ACHOR.

Tour buses will stop there and people will throw rocks on what is believed to be THE TROUBLER’S GRAVE?

C. Trouble and IMPATIENCE are kissing cousins.

V. I HAVE A COMMON PROBLEM, I LOST MY CUTTING EDGE...

MY AXE HEAD FELL OFF... WE NEED UNCOMMON FAITH.

A. There is a problem at church? They need to remodel and enlarge the

building. A young student decided to help. He borrowed an axe.

He was cutting down lumber to help enlarge the church.

B. This work is to BIG for me? I am having trouble.

C. THEN TROUBLE COMES, THE AXE HEAD FALLS OFF AND GOES INTO

THE RIVER.

2 Kings 6:5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.

D. THE INTEGRITY OF THE MAN AND THE WORK IS ON THE LINE.

This trouble is real trouble.

2 Kings 6:6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.

E. UNCOMMON FAITH REACHES TO THE BOTTOM OF THE RIVER.

BUT THE YOUNG MAN STILL HAD TO BEND OVER AND GET THE AXE HEAD.

2 Kings 6:7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

F. Why didn’t the axe head jump back on the handle?

VI. SAMSON HAD SEEN THE MIGHTY MOVE OF GOD’S SPIRIT.

NOW IT APPEARS THE BIG BOY IS GOING TO DIE OF THIRST?

A. Samson had taken the JAW BONE of a donkey and slain 1,000.

To slay a 1,000 of the enemy was easy, the TROUBLE WAS THRIST?

B. Samson had thrown away the answer to his thirst.

He threw away the donkey’s jawbone.

His was the COMMON PROBLEM OF BEING THIRSTY?

C. God are You going to let me die?

Judges 15:18 And he was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and

said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy

servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the

uncircumcised?

D. FAITH REACHES FOR THE WEAPON OF THE JAWBONE AND

THERE FAITH FINDS GOOD SWEET WATER...

THE WATER REVIVED THE MAN OF GOD... an uncommon answer.

Judges 15:19 But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and

there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came

again, and he revived: ---

E. REMEMBER WHEN THE LION ROARED AGAINST SAMSON?

Judges 14?

Later Samson was traveling with his Mom and Dad and all the

FAST FOOD JOINTS WERE CLOSED?

The carcase of the LION had HONEY for them to eat.

UNCOMMON FAITH KILLS THE LION.

THE DEAD LION BECOMES A SOURCE OF FOOD BY UNCOMMON

FAITH.

VII. WHAT SHALL I COOK FOR SUPPER?

I HAVE A LITTLE CRUISE OF OIL? I HAVE A HANDFUL OF MEAL?

I HAVE A COMMON PROBLEM --- BUT I HAVE AN UNCOMMON FAITH IN

A HOLY GOD...

A. There is a terrible famine in the land. There are shortages so bad people are dying.

B. What am I going to do? I will eat a little and give my son the most!

C. BY CHANCE? A PREACHER COMES BY WITH A REQUEST TO STRETCH

YOUR FAITH TO UNCOMMON...

1 Kings 17:12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

D. WHERE THERE IS FAITH THERE NEED BE NO FEAR!

1 Kings 17:13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast

said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and

after make for thee and for thy son.

E. THE BARREL OF MEAL SHALL NOT WASTE,

NEITHER SHALL THE CRUSE OF OIL FAIL ...

VIII. HOW SHALL WE SLAY THE COMMON? UNCOMMON FAITH WILL

BRING THE WORK OF GOD... THERE ARE MANY TRAPS, PITS AND

SNARES HIDDEN AROUND US?

Psalm 91:3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler,

and from the noisome pestilence.

Psalm 91:3 For he rescues you from every trap and protects you from the

fatal plague.

A. God knows how to deliver his people...

God not only delivers us out of the traps ---

GOD DELIVERS US FROM THE TRAPS...

2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

B. IN SIX --- IN SEVEN TROUBLES --- GOD KNOWS HOW TO DELIVER

Job 5:19 He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

C. YOU MAY BE SAILING IN A SEA OF TROUBLE --- THEN GOD CAN

COME AND MOVE.

IN TROUBLE GOD CAN SOOTH, JESUS CARES! BE PATIENT.

D. Don’t sit down and die...

WE HAVE A HOPE OUT OF THIS WORLD.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

E. Many times we will COME TO THE POINT OF BITTER WATER...

Marah may be a bitter pool...

Exodus 15:25 And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree,

which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there

he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

F. GOD CAN MAKE SWEET BY THE UNCOMMON FAITH.

G. The Bridegroom is coming...

IX. DO YOU TRUST THE CIRCULATION OF GOD’S PROMISES?

ARE YOU GOING TO CLAIM GOD’S PROMISES FOR YOU TODAY?

2 Samuel 7:25 And now, O Lord God, the word that thou hast spoken

concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever,

and do as thou hast said.

A. LET THE CROWDS CRY AND LAMENT OVER TROUBLES, LET US

PRAISE THE HOLY GOD.

THE DOVE FLEW AWAY IN HOPE, HE RETURNED TROUBLED AND TIRED...

B. The DOVE LEFT THE ARK TO NEVER RETURN...

The flood is over... There is a new hope...

Genesis 8:12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the

dove; which returned not again unto him any more.