Life: If It Only Came With Instructions

Morning Worship Service - 3/19/06

 

I. Introduction

- Well folks, we have really had a full morning today, and I hope that you have enjoyed the highlights of what is going on at Twin Tiers Christian Academy - it really is an exciting ministry.

- I also hope that you were encouraged and challenged by the different testimonies that you were able to hear. They were testimonies of God’s amazing work in our lives.

Ä Folks, if you are a child of God’s, or a follower of him, then take heart that God is doing a work in your life, and he will use many different things in your life to accomplish that work.

- Which is actually what we began to introduce last week in our series within a series, “When it rains, it pours!

 

- So before we jump right into some more of Christ’s instructions for our lives when it comes to handling the storms of life, as I did last week let me just ask you all this morning:

è HOW WAS YOUR WEEK THIS WEEK?

è DID YOU FACE ANY KINDS OF STORMS?

è AND IF YOU DID WERE THEY TINY RAIN STORMS OR MAJOR CATEGORY 5 HURRICANES?

(Illustration: I know this week the Granger family faced a pretty good size storm when they found out on Wednesday that Kevin Granger had to have brain surgery in order to replace a shunt in his brain.)

(Illustration: I also know that Dick and Sandy also faced a storm, and the storm has not gone away. Dick had to have several biopsies taken this week in order to test for cancer.)

(Illustration: And for the past couple of week Betty Hanes has been in the midst of storm as she has been forced by the doctors to be in bed or on the couch for 20 out of 24 hours in the day do to a couple of blood clots in her leg.)

- These are just some of the storms that I know about, and maybe you are here this morning in the midst of a storm of your own. Life storms are inevitable - WE WILL ALL FACE THEM!! Therefore, we truly need to know what Christ has to say to help us face these situations in life.

? And so far we have learned together that if we want to make it through the storms of life still honoring and glorifying God in our thoughts, emotions, speech and actions, than Christ instructs us that it will require a CONFIDENT ATTITUDE!! (Change Slide)

Ä That is why Christ. when dealing with the life storm and real storm in the life of the disciples in Matthew chapter 14, Christ tells that to “be of good cheer” or a better translation would be to “take courage”    (Change Slide)         

Ä But as with any confident attitude, this one that Christ instructs us to have must be based on something.

� And that is why Christ’s second bit of instruction to us for making it through the storms of life was the fact that along with the confident attitude, we must also have an UNDERSTANDING MIND!! (Change Slide)

Ä Our confident attitude is based on the foundation that we have an understanding mind concerning two truths.

ü One of those truths Christ shared with his disciples again in Matthew 14, where he tells them to “take courage, it is I” (Change Slide)

è Using a very special Greek term, Christ was reminding the disciples of the fact that the almighty, all-powerful, self-existent, faithful God of the universe was with them. (Change Slide)

è Folks, if we truly understand this fact, than we have part of our basis for the confidence we need when facing life storms.

ü The other truth we learned last week that we must understand we found over in James where he elaborates on Christ teaching by stating, “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” (Change Slide)

è To truly be confident in the midst of trials, we must understand that the almighty, all-powerful, self-existent, faithful God of the universe is always with us. But in addition to that we must also understand that God will always use the trials of our life for our benefit and development.  (Change Slide)

è In other words folks, we can face life storms with confidence because we know that God has something better for us when we come out on the other side of the trial.

 

- And it is at this point that we had to leave off last week

ü a point at which I was just asking you to trust me

ü and a point at which some of you might be thinking to yourself that I am crazy for even mentioning 

- And that is why I asked you to come back this week, so that together we might look through the Scriptures together in order that we might find the proof we need in order that we might fully believe and understand that God always has something better for us when we come out of the other side of a trial of life storm.

 

II. God’s Purposes for Trials in our Lives

- Now, I knew that this morning I would be running short on time due to all that we wanted to do within our service this morning. Therefore, I hope that with the time that we do have remaining, we will be able to discover together at least two purposes or benefits that God might intend to use a trial in our lives to accomplish.

- And so to not waste any more time, let’s just jump right into the first purpose or benefit by jumping into our Scriptures in the book of Exodus chapter 16

 

1. God uses trials and storms in our lives in order to increase the strength of our faith and obedience to him

(READ Exodus 16:1-3)

è Now folks, according to those verses that we just read, what seems to be the life storm that the entire nation of Israel was facing at this time?   

>>> At this point in time, the nation of Israel is one full month removed from their bondage to Egypt, and since when they left Egypt they couldn’t have taken too much, it can be assumed that by this time they had even less. And therefore, according to our text, the main problem was the fact that there was little to no food!

è Now in light of this little storm these Israelites were facing, how were they responding to the storm?

>>> They grumbled and complained to Moses and Aaron actually admitting that they were better off in Egypt where they had pots full of meat and ate bread to the full, and yeah oh by the way, they were also slaves.

- Up to this point, these Israelites has seen God work in some incredible ways in order to free them. And after freeing them they watched as God provided for them when they were in need of protection and ultimate deliverance from the pursuing Egyptian army by parting the Red Sea, allowing the entire nation to cross on dry ground, and then as the Egyptian army followed them in, he closed the waters on to them drowning the entire army, but sparing every last Israelite.

- And now about a month later, when faced with this life storm, they are right in Moses and Aaron’s faces complaining and therefore doubting God’s continued provision in their lives.

 

- You see folks, many times God will use trials and storms in our lives in order to increase the strength of our faith and obedience to him. That is the first purpose or benefit that God intends to use trials in our life to accomplish. (Change Slide)

è In light of the Israelites initial response, what would you say was the strength of their faith?   >>> Not very good!!

- But God wasn’t done yet trying to bring about a positive in the lives of these Israelites as a result of this life storm. Notice what happens next.

(READ Exodus 16:4-5)

- God assured Moses that the almighty, all-powerful, self-existent, faithful God of the universe was with him and the people, and therefore using that might and power, he was going to faithfully meet this need that had arisen.

- But yet, while providing this need and ending this life storm, God wanted to make sure that he used it to strengthen people’s faith and their obedience to him. So, he gives Moses some instruction as to how much the people were to collect of the food that he was going to provide for them. And then Moses and Aaron took this information and passed in on the rest of nation.

- Notice the result:

(READ Exodus 16:13-20)

è As a result of this life storm, did everyone respond in obedience to the almighty, all-powerful, self-existent God of the universe, who faithfully met yet another need?            >>> NO

è Now think about this, those that didn’t respond with immediate obedience; after their food rotten, was filled with worms, and stank, do you think they did it again? >>> NO

è So did God accomplish his purpose in strengthening their faith and obedience to him?   >>> YES

 

(READ II Samuel 15:22)

- As this Scriptures lays out for us so clearly, one of the things that the Lord delights in more than anything else is when we faithfully follow Him in obedience.

Ä However, that obedience doesn’t always come naturally. In fact, speaking personally, it is something that I need to work at and always need improving in.

Ä Therefore, when the situation presents itself, in order to help us out, God will try and use a storm of life that we are going through in order to strengthen our faith and our obedience to him.

- I just gave you one example of this purpose or benefit with the nation of Israel, but in my study of Scripture I came across another example that really encouraged me.

(READ Hebrews 4:5-8)

- Folks, this passage was an encouragement to me because even Christ needed encouragement to carry on and continue to obey the will of his Father, and God was able to use life storms even in Christ’s life to encourage him in this way.

 

- So this morning we can face life storms and trials with confidence because we understand that God has something better for us when we come out on the other side of the trial; and that is that God can use the storm or trial we are facing in order to strengthen our faith and our obedience to Him.

2. God uses trials and storms in our lives in order to humble us

(READ Daniel 4:28-30)

è Folks, what appears to be the problem that good old king Nebuchadnezzar seems to be struggling with?      >>> PRIDE

Ä According to the king’s own words, the great city of Babylon owes its existence to him. “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty.”

- Well, in light of this obvious character flaw of the king, notice what happens to him next:

(READ Daniel 4:33)

è Folks, if you were driven out your home and made to live like a wild animal for seven years, would you consider that to be little storm of life?     

- This verse we just read really describes the wretchedness of Nebuchadnezzar's condition:

ü He was absolutely abhorred and despised by his subjects (which isn’t a big surprise by listening to him talk - who wants to listen to that?)

ü He was reduced to the state of a grazing beast in a field.

ü Physically his skin toughened into hide through constant exposure to outdoor weather at all seasons. And the hair of his head and his body, become so matted and coarse from neglect of care that it looked like eagle feathers. And finally, his fingernails and toenails, never cut, became like claws.

- Now in between the description of Nebuchadnezzar’s great pride and the description of the great storm that blew into his life, we have two verses that describe for us the reason for such a storm.

(READ Daniel 4:31-32)

- You see folks, as this true story illustrates for us, God will use trials and storms in our lives in order to humble us. That’s another of the purposes or benefits that God intends to use trials in our life to accomplish. (Change Slide)

(Illustration: Getting sick and losing my voice for the entire spring tour)

- Now the reason this is one of God’s purposes for trials is made very clear to us in Proverbs chapter 6

(READ Proverbs 6:16-17a)

- Folks, God can’t stand pride in our lives, because it will always cause us to take our focus off of God and what he would have us to be doing, and instead place them on ourselves and what we would like to do.