RAIDER said:
Do you have an outline from a Bible study or sermon that was a blessing? Do you have something that you have recently learned from the Scripture that you would like to share? Let's use this thread to share.
Here is the first of a 3 part series on Trials. The series was entitled "Embrace Through Grace". This is my outline, it may not make total sense to you...
“How to Respond to Trialsâ€
Introduction: What comes into our minds when we hear the word trial? What if the word was catastrophe or tragedy? Divorce, the death of a spouse or child, loved ones with a crippling disease, infidelity, children walking away from God, great financial loss, murder of a loved one, abuse within the family. When one of these occur in our lives what type of emotions grip our hearts and minds? When more than one occurs, then how do we respond? Trials bring many responses.
Trials bring:
Fear & Worry – Disciples in ship (Matthew 8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.)
Doubt – Peter walking on water (Matthew 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?)
Questions – Man born blind (John 9:1-3 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.)
Unbelief – father with demon possessed child (Mark 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.)
Self-Sufficiency – Abraham child (Genesis 16:2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.)
Self-Sufficiency – Peter cutting off ear in the garden (Matthew 26:52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.)
Fix without God – Woman with issue of blood (Mark 5:25-27 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.)
Denial & Anger – Peter (Matthew 26:69-74 Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.)
Disbelief – Job’s wife (Job 2:9-10 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.)
Why would trials bring about all these emotions, thoughts and outbursts? I believe one of the reasons is our unrealistic expectations that we have of God. Our unrealistic, unmet and irrational expectations that we have of God will result in a whole host of emotions (as noted above). Job 2:9-10 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh.
What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. An unmet or unrealistic expectation of God coupled with a trial or heartache will spell devastation and catastrophe for any family.
I’m not ascribing to God all the evil or wrong that people do. But the fact is that there are times that He does not intervene and has allowed the trial or catastrophe to occur.
We have the POTENTIAL in every problem, trial, tragedy and catastrophe to bring God honor and glory. But we will need a biblical outlook and manner of life to do so!
Families go through trials. Families go through heartache. Families walk through the fire.
You have a desire to survive individually. However if you want to help others in your family survive you just can’t survive the trial you have to thrive in and through the trial! We must become like Christ Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. The greatest trial a person could ever go through was what Christ endured for you and I to be the sacrifice in our place.
Christ had an expectation to go through the trial, to embrace the trial, to rejoice and look to the results that the trial would bring, not His present suffering. Because of this attitude, philosophy or thought process He thrived through His trials and as a result we can too!
When my expectation is the realization that I was created for the honor and glory of God then I should not have any unmet, unrealistic or irrational expectations of God.
John 11:4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. John 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? John 9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
Sickness can be for the glory of God
Death can be for the glory of God
Blindness can be for the glory of God
We all have a different capacity to handle trials. But whatever your capacity is, God knows it.
Illustration: We are all like these glasses. Different sizes will hold different amounts of liquid. We all can hold and handle different amount of trials and suffering. The emotion and anguish that accompanies each different size of trial are approximately the same.
1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
This would include the trials and catastrophes that come into our lives.
What to do when a trial or catastrophe comes into your life.
1. Give it to God
• This is the first thing you do, not the last resort
• Acknowledge it came from God or He allowed in your life
• It’s not an accident, it’s not bad luck, it’s not a government conspiracy
2. Don’t have an outcome planned or think it is in your control
• This is where having unrealistic, unmet and irrational expectations will cause you the most harm
• By predetermining the results you are setting yourself up for heartache (Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick)
3. Trust God for how He wants it to turn out
• He is Lord
• He is Sovereign
• He loves me unconditionally
• He has allowed it
• Remember that His thoughts and ways are higher than my thoughts and ways Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
• How much higher are the Heavens than the earth? The LMC (Large Magellanic Cloud) is 179,000 light years away from the Milky Way. So light traveling at 186,282.4 miles per second will take 179,000 years to reach it. And that is the closet galaxy! Is it any wonder God asks us to trust Him!
• My responsibility is to trust Him!
If God came to us before we became a Christian and said these are the things I want you to go through to bring me honor and glory, most of us (if not all) would have turned down Heaven. But remember it is an eternal relationship that God desires!
4. Talk honestly with God about how you feel.
• Talk about your fears, doubts, questions, unbelief, self-sufficiency, denial, anger and disbelief.
• This is what a relationship is!
5. Understand that He made us to bring Him honor and glory
• Not that it turns out your way
• Not that the person gets healed
• But that we trust Him, glorify Him and rejoice in Him in and through the trial!
6. Rejoice through the trial
• Praise Him for being God
7. Thank Him for growing your faith in the trial and after the trial
8. How you handle the trial will affect others
• Your physical family
• Your spiritual family
• Those you work with
• Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
• Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Conclusion: Do we have a small capacity or a large capacity for the amount of trial or problem that God allows in our life? I’m not sure that understanding that needs to be a part of the equation that we are figuring out. May we embrace the trial for God’s glory! May we ensure that our expectation of God isn’t unrealistic, unmet or irrational!
Mercy me sings a song The Hurt and the Healer (one of my favorites)
Breathe
Sometimes I feel it's all that I can do
Pain so deep that I can hardly move
Just keep my eyes completely fixed on You
Lord take hold and pull me through
So here I am
What's left of me
Where glory meets my suffering
I'm alive
Even though a part of me has died
You take my heart and breathe it back to life
I fall into your arms open wide
When the hurt and the healer collide
they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: