—Sunday Sermon—
“Balanced Planning”
-God “DOES” Guidance
-Pain & Suffering
Review:
God “GIVES” Guidance to us in exercising our free will.
He also “DOES” Guidance when he exercises his free will which is called his sovereignty.
That means, in end His will always works out best
for the Christian even when it involves pain and suffering.
God will have something to say about what he “DOES”
(what he ALLOWS or does not ALLOW)
in the world.
His purpose will always be fulfilled even as he manages the free-will decisions that he allows us to make.
"We make our plans, but God has the last word on them."
-Proverbs 16:1
"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
-Proverbs 6:1,9; 19:21
IN A FALLEN WORLD, GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR PAIN
Though not fully understood, this is the key to all of the questions that we have about God’s will and why things did not work out the way that we had planned.
Last week we talked about remembering God when our plans
work out "better" than we planned or could have imagined.
This week we talk about when our plans "don't" work out and it is not for the better, but rather, for the "worse".
(When we experience the nightmare situations of life.)
These are the times when we feel, think and even say that we are in a bad place, a bad spot, when we are in various degrees, "Having a crisis".
This is where meltdowns happen.
This is where disillusionment invades.
This is where great anger arises because all
"bad things" seem to surround us.
Since Satan is all about bad things, this is where it feels like all hell is breaking loose.
Questions:
1. Have you been there?
2. Are you there right now?
Answers:
1. All of us = "Yes" [We all have "been there"]
2. Some of us = "Yes" [A percentage of the people reading this right now, are in that place right now.
If that is you, then for you, "All hell has broken loose"]
The main point of today's message is found in the following two phrases.
Memorize them.
Remember them.
Apply them.
Believe them.
Utilize them.
Speak them to yourself.
Speak them to others.
Believe them.
Utilize them "daily".
Thank God for them.
Learn more about them.
See them in every verse in the Bible.
Se them in every situation in life where Satan is trying to ruin your life while God tries to remind you that he has overcome ALL
Here are the two phrases
[Realities that every Christian experiences in this world]
ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE
[The work of Satan]
&
ALL HELL BREAKS
[The work of Jesus]
When Jesus said, "It is finished" on the cross,
All hell was broken and defeated.
To greater and lesser degrees,
we will always experience both of these two truths.
Let's look at the life of Jesus.
JESUS' CONCEPTION
ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE
[The work of Satan]
Satan tried to murder Jesus through the jealousy of King Herod who found out from the Magi that a new King of the Jews had been born.
ALL HELL BREAKS
[The work of Jesus]
With the money from the Gold, Frankincense and Myhrr that the Magi brought, Mary and Joseph escaped what Satan had planned for Jesus, by moving to Egypt until after Herod had died.
JESUS' CHILDHOOD
ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE
[The work of Satan]
Jesus had a normal upbringing with all of the challenges of siblings, friends, parents, school, etc.
With the exception of abuse situations,
I imagine that he would have had it even a little worse than the average person due to his being sinless and all.
Jesus was; "... Tempted [by Satan ] in every way,
[every category of sin]
just as we are..."
[Jesus was tempted with everything
that you have been tempted with]
-Hebrews 4:15
ALL HELL BREAKS
[The work of Satan]
Though Satan tried and tried, Jesus would not sin,
"For we do not have a high priest [Jesus]
who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses,
but we have one who has been tempted in every way,
just as we are—YET he did not sin."
-Hebrews 4:15
"He grew in wisdom and stature,
and in favor with God and man.
-Luke 2:52
[God was pleased with how Jesus was not influenced by Satan, Hell and Hellish things, no matter how harmless or minor the sin appeared.]
JESUS' BAPTISM
ALL HELL BREAKS
[The work of Jesus]
"This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."
-Matthew 3:17
JESUS' MINISTRY
ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE
[The work of Satan]
His public ministry began at his Baptism.
He was then immediately moved by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness for 40 days where the three categorical temptations were thrown at him.
"The tempter [Satan] came to him and said,
“If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
“If you are the Son of God,” he said,
“throw yourself down.
For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
“All this I will give you,” he said,
“if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]”
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him."
-Matthew 43-11
ALL HELL BREAKS
[The work of Jesus]
Jesus did not break under any
of the three temptations.
Jesus does NOT break.
Jesus breaks hell.
"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you."
-Romans 16:20
JESUS WAS NOT TREATED RIGHT
ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE
(The work of Satan)
In addition to his being born into a poor family, under Roman occupation, Jesus never traveled far from home his entire life,
Jesus grew up as the oldest child.
He never sinned (which had to have had its downside from others).
In his ministry Jesus was lied about, gossiped about, called a liar, blasphemer, deceiver, and the Devil He was betrayed, double-crossed, denied, mocked, ridiculed, beaten, and crucified.
ALL HELL BREAKS
[The work of Jesus]
Jesus endured it all because he trusted that God had a bigger and better plan.
For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
-Hebrews 12:2
GOD'S PLANS FOR BLESSINGS
ARE OFTEN
DISGUISED IN DISASTER
There is a little-known verse in the Bible in Deuteronomy 29.
"The secret things belong to the Lord our God,
but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law."
-Deuteronomy 29:29
When we experience UNPLANNED things that we hate,
they always come with PAIN.
The more the pain, the more the hate.
The more the pain the more we feel broken.
When we hurt, we rarely understand.
We are people that want answers.
GOD’S “UNIMAGINED” BLESSINGS
We looked at this verse last week with respect to Good things becoming greater than we cold have ever imagined.
This week we look at things that appear bad that we seriously can not imagine how any good can come from them.
“Now to him [God] who is able to do immeasurably more
than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us…”
-Ephesians 3:20
Very difficult things in life can cause some real questioning of God.
Is his Word reliable?
Is it true?
Is God reliable?
Is God true? [Does he even exist?]
What happens if;
we HAVE committed ourselves to the Lord,
we HAVE sought out his will rather than our own,
we HAVE thought through all of the options,
we HAVE sought the advice and thoughts of other wise people,
and our plans have gone miserably south anyway?
What happens when our plans fail and something
does not work out?
Now we have moved into the area of
“God’s Sovereignty”.
This is where it can be helpful to talk about the fact that not only does God “GIVE” Guidance
[for us to exercise our Free Will]
but he also “DOES” Guidance.
[in many cases God will supersede our free will.]
It is really easy to be thankful when God allows HIS plans to trump our plans where His plans were GREATER than ours from a human perspective.
In other words, when it works out better for us.
When his plans benefit us more than our original plans,
we are thrilled.
HUMAN PERSPECTIVES
Human perspective can often be different from God’s perspective.
When things benefit us, this feels good.
It seems good and it feels good.
When things do not benefit us this feels bad.
It seems bad and it feels bad.
WE LOVE “SUCCESS” STORIES
THAT STARTED OUT AS
“WAR” STORIES
But remember what makes them great stories is how they END.
The Gospel (the story of Jesus as Savior by dying on the cross and resurrecting) is the "Greatest War Story" ever told.
GOOD FRIDAY was not good until EASTER SUNDAY.
The pain lasted all of Friday, Saturday and a good part of Sunday before the Disciples saw him that evening when they were behind locked doors for fear of the Jews.
Even though Jesus told them before he died, that on the third day (Sunday) he would rise, when ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE on Friday, they ceased to wait for Sunday.
Even though "Sunday was coming" they took no comfort in its anticipation.
Something good was on its way, but their pain overshadowed it.
“… He who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of HIS will…”
-Ephesians 1:11
"SUNDAY" IS ON ITS WAY IN YOUR LIFE
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” [Even when it doesn’t “seem” like it. Even before you can “See” it, before you can “Imagine” in your wildest dreams something good coming from a situation.]
-Jeremiah 29:11
When something is LOOSE, it has potential to FALL APART.
When ALL HELL "BRAKES LOOSE" in our life it may feel like
WE ARE FALLING APART
BUT, BECAUSE JESUS "BREAKS HELL"
YOU ARE "NOT" FALLING APART.
Did you hear that?
YOU are NOT falling apart.
I know that it feels like you are, but with Jesus you are not.
"HELL" FALLS APART in the presence of Jesus, you do not.
PAIN HAS PURPOSE
"CIPA"
Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis is a rare genetic disorder that makes her unable to feel pain.
While it seems like that would be great it is not.
Pain has value, it is beneficial.
God created it for our own good.
Imagine having to checking to see if you had cut off your fingers if you were a carpenter.
Even though he did not plan human-caused pain to be good and beneficial (since he never planned sin as a part of the universe), God will use it for good.
"In this world you WILL have trouble.
But take heart!
I have overcome the world.”
-John 16:33
BIBLICAL BENEFITS OF PAIN.
James 1:2-12
Trials and Temptations
"Consider it ["Think" of it opposite of how you "feel" it] pure joy, [They don't feel like joy at all] brothers and sisters, whenever because you know that the testing of your faith PRODUCESperseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything... 12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him."
1. We can discover that we are stronger than we think with the
help of God. [To figure out the maximum amount of weight that you can lift, you must add more and more weight]
2. Pain can stretch us to go further
[Slowly training for the Marathon]
3. Pain matures us [a five year old sees the world differently than a 35 year old, etc]
4. Pain makes us feel as if we have all that we need in Jesus
"mature and complete, not lacking anything" (v.4)
5. We can help others
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."
-2 Corinthians 1:3,4
Prayer:
Lord, when ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE in my life, help me to remember that with you ALL HELL BREAKS.
So, when things go wrong, even when they go horribly wrong, help me to trust in YOU.
Let me trust YOU when you do not give me answers to certain questions because they are a part of your hidden will. (Deuteronomy 29:29 "The secret things belong to the Lord)
Help me to always remember that the answer to my questions will always have to do with you. I ask you questions seeking comfort. But "you" are my comfort, not your answers.
In Jesus’ name, I thank you for your promise to break the hell situations of my life.
Amen!
Pastor Dave
Word of Life Church
17525 W. Bell Rd.
Surprise, AZ 85374