Lies that Christians Believe (2)

Christ won’t give you more than you can handle part 2

INTRO:

GAME:

5 minutes to come up with 5 questions.

3 Bible Questions. 2 Random questions.

Each question must consist of 2 truths and one lie. The opposing team must guess the lie.

If they get it right, they score a point. If they get it wrong, you score a point.

You can’t say, “This verse says...” and then have the lie be the wrong verse reference… It must be a fact from scripture. Does that make sense?

Give Example. You can’t quote John 3:16 and then say the reference is John 3:16, John 3:17, or John 3:18. Guess the lie.

If you stump me with the Biblical question, you score an extra point for your team.

GO!

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For the next several weeks we are going to be talking about lies Christians believe.

If you were here last week, which wasn’t many we discussed this statement.

“God won’t give you more than you can handle.”

If you were here last week don’t answer, but is that statement a truth or a lie?

ILLUSTRATION:

Growing up, our parents tell us all kinds of things that we aren’t really sure are true.

For example:

Don’t swim too soon after you eat or you will cramp up?

Is that true?

According to the American red cross and the American academy of pediatrics, there is no truth to this. The most important thing is to swallow and don’t swim with food in your belly so you don’t choke.

Why would parents say this? Maybe parents just want a small break from lifeguard duty…

2. Santa knows if you’ve been naughty or nice…

Is that true?

Well.. it depends on what you believe about Santa and since I don’t want to ruin anyone’s childhood in here I’ll just let that one rest because we all probably know the truth.

3. Keeping your eyes open when you sneeze will make them fall out.

When you sneeze, your blood pressure may rise slightly, but not near enough to make your eyes pop out…

If they did, there would be a bigger problem with you physically.

The point is… There are hundreds of statements like this that we hear from time to time growing up.

It can be very difficult to discern, what is true and what is a lie!

This is extremely important about Biblical truth.

1. For tonight, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.”

Is that true? or is that a lie?

Read 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

1 Corinthians 10:12–13 (ESV)

12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

If you were hear last week, we discussed this at length so we won’t spend much time here today.

But I’ll simply say this.

This is talking about temptation.

All of 1 Cor. 10 is talking about idolatry.

In verses 1-11, Paul lays out for the Corinthians how many times God displayed himself to the Israelites.

A cloud during the day and fire at night in the wilderness.

the parting of the red sea.

God providing water from a rock.

Yet… They still turned from God and worshipped idols!

Paul says in vs. 6, “These things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.”

At the heart of idol worship too is pride. Thinking “I know the way that is right for me.”

In contrast to following God’s way for my life.

That leads into verse 12, “Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”

Following your way over God’s way always leads to destruction.

Paul then goes on to write about temptation.

If we are tempted, God will provide a way of escape. That’s what vs. 13 says clearly.

Now does any of that have anything to do with what I can handle in life?

NO!

But this is often the verse people wrongfully apply with the statement “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” When the truth is, God won’t allow temptation in your life without providing a way of escape.

2. God will give you more than you can handle. But why?

Let’s take a simple example:

Donna’s Car died.

She called the church office, I went down and jumped her car off and all was fine.

Now, could she handle a dead battery on her own? Was she capable?

NO! She needed another person.

At a bare minimum, Life is too big and too tough for us to live isolated.

NO man is an island. We can’t live alone.

At a minimum we need other humans and human relationships to help us!

My neighbor who lives behind me, Miss Vicky.

Her husband Ken died 2 weeks before thanksgiving last year.

She fell the day before Dex was born and I had to help the paramedics get into her house.

She’s still in the hospital.

If and When she gets home, we’ve already been talking with her family about ways to help her.

Everything from getting her basic needs met like water and food to getting her grass cut.

Even the basics of Vicky’s life are too much for her to handle without others.

Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

WOah…

I am your God.

I will strengthen you

I will help you

I will uphold you.

Do we realize how invested God is in us?

How near He is?

How tender his heart is towards us that as much as we ignore Him, his desire is still to strengthen, help, uphold, and be worshipped by you?

What a good God.

We live such comfortable lives though it’s easy to forget how much we need God.

So what if God simply allows circumstances that are more than we can handle simply so we can be reminded how much we need Him.

3. Every moment is more than we can handle.

Now that we have deconstructed the lie, let me really blow your mind for a moment.

How much longer do you have to live?

Think about it?

This is kind of a riddle, but we all know how much longer we have to live.

We only live as long as we have breath in our lungs.

If you hold your breath, how long will it be before you pass out and die?

2 minutes? 3 minutes?

Whatever the time, it’s minutes.

Did you know that every time you take a breath, all you’re doing is resetting that clock?

In other words, we all live every moment of our life minutes away from death, but each time we take a breath, we reset that clock.

But how do we breath?

Guys…

We don’t exist without a God who creates us

We don’t breath without the breath he puts in our lungs

We can’t comprehend Him without the brain he’s given us.

We can’t feel, love, and care without the heart and soul he’s placed inside us.

We can’t navigate the tough decisions of life without the wisdom he’s given us.

We can’t endure suffering without God reminding us of His hope and plan for us.

We can even be an atheist (believing God doesn’t exist) without God giving us the brain that even allows that thought…

Every moment in this life is more than we can handle!

Because God holds us in his hands.

In 1 Corinthians 10:13 Paul wrote, GOd is faithful…

He does what He says he will do.

every day we can look at our life and the situations that occur and believe one of two things.

Because my situation is bad right now, God is bad.

OR

2. Even though my situation is bad, God is faithful.

If my identity is in Christ, I need to remember His faithfulness.

And don’t forget this promise.

John 16:33 Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Did you catch that?

Not only is it a lie that God won’t give us more than we can handle, but God actually promises that we will have trouble in this world!

God promises the trouble is coming!

BUT! we can have peace.

How?

Because God is faithful. He has given us all we need.

He overcame the world so you don’t have to.

Are you trusting Him?

AM I?

There will be darkness in this world, but Jesus has lit up the darkness and provided us Himself.

Rest in Him.

God will give you more than you can handle, but he’s given us Himself to trust.

Don’t ever take that for granted or ignore that gift.

How great the Father’s love for us.

Let’s pray.