The Recipe for Christian Misery

God knows what is best for us. There are times when we need sunshine, there are times when we benefit by the storm. - Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones

Many of us would say we agree with this statement, especially when we are in the sunshine. But when we are in the storm, we don’t know what to believe. And in our culture today there is no shortage of Christian’s who are in despair, discouraged, and just downright angry. Many are in misery. And the formula for a life of misery… the dangling leg. Trust in the Lord, but not really all the way.

When Jeanine and I got our motorcycle licenses. There was one thing when we were in the learn to ride class, there was no shortage of those who started riding the motor cycle with their legs dangling and hovering over the street. This is a big no no. Hit something and it tears your leg off. But there are some things where have to trust fully. What about airplanes? You can’t dangle your leg over the side just in case it crashes. This is the way it is with Christianity. We cannot only be halfway… To believe in some but not all the truth is the recipe for Christian misery. To believe at times but not all the time is the recipe for Christian misery. Or to believe in what God promises, but not really is the recipe for Christian misery. Not being able to understand the difference between what we believe and what we want to believe is the recipe for Christian misery. To believe in some of what the Bible says but not all is the recipe for Christain misery. Don’t believe in all of scripture we will be dead and drained, foolish, in despair, ignorant in living, fleeting, unfair, worthless, bitter, and suffering of great loss. The recipe of Christian misery. The only way for Christian joy in all circumstances in life is to be all-in. No halfway. Its gotta be all in. Can we be in all in when it comes to the scriptures? For sure.

Psalm 19:7–11 NLT

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.

The grass withers the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.

Is it really God’s Word?

Our Greatest Weakness

The Greatest Gift

The first thing we will look at today are some of the most common accusations that cause many to wonder if the Bible really is the Word of God. Second, this compounds the problem when we discover that it only fuels our greatest weakness. Finally, we can rejoice today because our greatest problem and our greatest problem are extinguished because of the greatest gift ever given.

Thesis: Though sin and the pattern of this world cause us to wallow in misery because of continued unbelief, it is the power of the Holy Spirit and the truth of the scriptures that will cause us to see the scriptures as the very Word of God and find great joy and comfort resting in that which when heaven and earth pass away it will remain forever.

I. Is it really God’s Word.

- The very breath of God.

A. Man Shane Psalm 19 is very intriguing. You mean that the Bible can do all of that for me? It will revive my soul? It will make me wise? It will bring joy to my heart? It will give me insight for living? It’s fair? It’s worth more than gold? Its sweet? It brings a great reward? Man if that were the case, I would be the happiest person in the world. But you are not? Why not? Because I don’t really believe it. And because of that, we will continue to suffer misery.

B. I asked my kids about …

Proverbs 8:11 NLT

For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.

C. If we consume ourselves with wisdom we will be even more rich and wealthy that the riches of the rich. Nothing that we would desire can even compare with the worth of wisdom. We got a book in the Bible full of wisdom. So why are we not rejoicing for our great wealth? My youngest Shannon said it… cause we don’t really believe it.

D. When we struggle with suffering and hardship in life… we don’t have joy. We complain, we curse, we despair, we lose heart, we compromise. But the Bible tells us something about our trials and suffering...

James 1:2–4 NLT

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Romans 5:3–5 NLT

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

E. We should be rejoicing but we don’t rejoice. The Word of God makes it clear that we should rejoice, but we don’t. Why are we not overflowing with joy when we suffer? My friend Steve said it… cause we really don’t believe it.

F. We really don’t believe it. This is the recipe for Christian misery. Trying to live for Christ in all things, but not really believing that His word, his directives and promises are really true. This is the insanity of the flesh. The insanity of the world. Many today struggle with believing the Bible. And the world continues to bring the same tired arguments that have been disproven time and and time again.

G. The Bible was written by man. Yes it was, but men who were inspired by God.

2 Peter 1:20–21 NLT

Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NLT

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

H. The Bible is full of contradictions. There has not been one apparent contradiction that has ever been check mate. What the apparent contradictions in the end show… that there is something wrong with us, not the Bible.

I. There are theological difficulties. The Bible says that nothing will be impossible with God. Well if he can do all things then he should be able to make a rock that he cannot lift. Ahhh haaa!! then people start clapping. But this is faulty logic. God can’t contradict analytical definitions. It like saying if God can do anything then he can make a 4 sided triangle. He can create a married bachelor. This falls into the realm of the nonsense.

J. Speaking of logical contradictions… Many do not believe the Bible is God’s Word because of Bible misunderstandings. Say that the Bible says things that it doesn’t. Many say that the Trinity is a contradiction how can you say the God is one God and three Gods at the same time. The Bible never says this. God helps those who help themselves… I have help myself for many years and God has never helped me… so He lies. The Bible never says this. When you listen to some of the experts on the discovery channel say what the Bible says, many times I do a double take and say… thats not what the Bible says. So they all believe that the Bible says stuff that the Bible does not say. So they don’t believe that the Bible is God’s Word. Misrepresentations. But us modern evangelical Christians who are Biblically illiterate don’t know that the experts are making stuff up whether they know it or not.

K. The Bible makes lots of scientific errors. If God knew all things why would he not fix the scientific errors in scripture. The earth is not flat, the sun does not revolve around the sun, there is no glass platform in the sky that the angels walk on, and rain does not come from tiny little buckets in the sky that hold water and are dumped out on the earth. But remember that the purpose of the scripture is to communicate… We don’t science and fiction when we are trying to communicate. There was like a million people there. My aunt used to say come up to the house. We still say sunrise and sunset. We still today, talk about buckets of water coming down when it rains.

L. Last… the Bible goes against our personal worldviews. I remember a pastors wife saying that she believed Jesus was wrong when he told Martha she was wrong. Some will say that Paul has no reason to speak about marriage when He was not even married. Peter was wrong when he called women the weaker vessel. The Bible is wrong about abortion. The Bible is wrong about a woman's body not belonging to her but to her husband. All of this stuff continues to cast doubt upon the validity of the Scriptures.

M. See we think we know. We trust in our science and we trust in our intellect over the scriptures?

Romans 3:4 NIV

Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”

N. Did you know that the scriptures are the only way that you can have real truth about the real nature of things? Even Einstein said that the real nature of things that we will never know never. All swans are white. We are thinking now that Pluto is a cluster of planets now. All pictures of black holes are artist renditions. Evolution has no transitions and DNA messed Darwins theory that we get simpler the smaller we get. Natural selection is not working out as planned. There is no possibility that something can come from nothing. Random chaos causes specific intricate order I don’t think so. So how can we know non analytic truth? You cannot unless you know everything. Or if someone who knows everything tells you. So you see… the scriptures are the only way we could even possibly hear what is called truth.

II. Our Greatest Weakness

- Oh Ye of Little Faith.

A. But even though it is overwhelming in evidence and reason that the Bible is the very Word of God, we still struggle. Because we gotta believe that the Bible is the very Word of God and we just can’t. This is how weak our faith really is.

Matthew 8:26 ESV

And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

B. But our greatest weakness is unbelief, but its not that we don’t believe that God can. We just don’t believe that He will. If you look throughout the scriptures there is nothing that implies that people struggled with unbelief that God exists, but the unbelief that God is good. The Israelites in the wilderness did not doubt that God can, they doubted that God will.

C. That is in the end what we want. We want what we want. We do not want what is best for us. We want what makes us happy. Or at least what we think will make us happy. No matter how many times we are warned about material stuff. No matter how many times we are warned about riches. No matter how many times we are warned about loving what the world brings. We still pursue it. We still pine and wine for power, popularity, profit, and pleasure. And the warnings come from the very breath of God.

D. When are we just gonna come to the Lord as children. Just trusting no matter what? Surrendered to His will and to His Word. When will we actually do what we sing… We sing I surrender all. Are we ever gonna? Continue to be half in and live in continued misery or go all in bring the leg back in to the plane and trust. Are we really gonna trust an airplane more than we trust the Lord. No matter what family. All in to the Word of God and trust. Our souls will be revived. We will be made wise. We will rejoice. We will receive insight for living. It is more than fair. It is worth more than gold. It is more satisfying than even honey. There will be a great reward. And when all of the riches and wealth of the world when even heaven fades… it is the Word of God that will remain forever and ever.

E. There is nothing else to turn to in this world...

John 6:68 NLT

Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.

F. Family there is nothing else. There is nothing more. There is nothing further. There is nothing extra. There is nothing. In the end this is it.

G. The conclusion after all has been heard… fear God and keep His commandments. Period.

III. The Greatest Gift.

- The greatest news ever given.

A. The problem with our greatest weakness. Unbelief. Is that it is not alone. There is also something called our greatest problem. And what is our greatest problem. It is not gas prices, it is not inflation, it is not a political party or even wars happening around the world. It is not our spouse, it is not our children, it is not our neighbor or even our co-worker who just stole your promotion. Our greatest problem is one day having to face the wrath of God for all eternity.

B. And the scriptures are clear. The pace of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Eternal darkness. Eternal fire. Outer darkness. Hell. Despite what you might have heard… hell is not the place that the presence of God is not there. Hell is the absence of the presence of God. No NO NO… The presence of God is totally there.

C. RC Sproul, “The problem with hell is not that God isn’t there. People often think that hell is the absence of God. Everybody who is in hell would do everything that they could to get rid of Him. They would pay any price if it was possible. The problem is that He is there, and He’s there in His judgment.”

The Bible says,

Hebrews 10:31 NLT

It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

D. Shane can we be saved from this… Yes and it is promised to us in the Word of God the very breath of God. Coming from the God who cannot lie. Yes we can be save because the Lord gave us the greatest gift ever given. He gave us His Son. We have hope today because...

E. Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures and he was buried and he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. He came to seek and to save that which was lost.

F. Did you know that the Bible says… All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. If you confess your sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

G. In Christ there is life and life more abundant. It is found only in Christ. it is found only in the greatest gift ever given. And we know this from the Word of God. Christ Himself said it… Your Word is truth. It is the lamp unto our feet. It is the light unto our path. Hide His word in our heart and May He give us His power that we might not sin against God.