What Do You Do With The Bad Times?
Notes
Transcript
Bobby was sitting on the porch talking to his grandpa when he innocently asked: “Grandpa, do you know how to make animal sounds?”
“I sure do,” Grandpa replied. “What sort of animal sound would you like to hear?”
“How about a toad? Do you know how to sound like a toad?”
“Sure”, Grandpa said, cupping his hand to his mouth, “Croak croak, how did you like that?!”
“Yipee!” Bobby screamed, jumping up and down. “We are going to Disneyworld!”
“Huh?” Grandpa questioned. “Why’s that?”
“Because Grandma said so,” Bobby patiently explained. “She said that after you croak we’ll all go to Disneyworld!”
Sometimes you Find yourself in some of life’s troubles and you just need to work through it, like the Grandpa in our story is going to have to work through his circumstances.
Historical/Cultural Context -
Historical/Cultural Context -
Sometime around A.D. 54, a Corinthian delegation arrived in Ephesus reporting major problems in the church. During this time, a letter was brought from some Corinthian members raising a number of questions. First Corinthians is Paul’s initial response to these reports and questions.Soon afterward Paul dispatched Timothy to bring back news about the letter’s reception. Timothy’s report was negative—so alarming, in fact, that Paul made an unscheduled journey to Corinth. Paul found the church in disarray, with many members openly rebellious against him. Paul said this second visit to Corinth was a “painful visit” (2:1; cp. 12:21–13:2).
Upon returning to Ephesus, Paul wrote a letter (delivered by Titus), sometimes termed “the severe letter” (referred to in 2:3–4; 7:8–12), calling upon the Corinthians to recognize Paul’s apostolic authority.Sometime afterward (c. A.D. 55), Paul left Ephesus, traveling north to Troas (a port city). There he had arranged to meet Titus and hear how the Corinthians had responded to the severe letter (2:12). Not finding Titus there, Paul crossed over to Macedonia to await him in that location. Eventually Titus arrived, reporting the Corinthians’ response to the recent letter and bringing news of other developments in Corinth (7:5–7). The book of 2 Corinthians (actually his fourth letter to that church) was Paul’s response to the news brought by Titus.
Biblical Text -
Biblical Text -
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.
Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.
Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead,
who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us,
you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.
-[Prayer]-
-[Prayer]-
Life Principle - Your Life Experiences Bring Comfort & Strength To Others, As Well As Bring God Glory.
Life Principle - Your Life Experiences Bring Comfort & Strength To Others, As Well As Bring God Glory.
Life Point- Your Experiences May Bring Comfort To Others
Life Point- Your Experiences May Bring Comfort To Others
Exegetical -
Exegetical -
Blessed be 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 have received from God.
For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which accomplishes in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we experience.
And our hope for you is sure, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you will share in our comfort.
Homiletical -
Homiletical -
I have news for the so-called fair-weather Christian. Life for the Christian is not about ease.
While there is comfort and peace from God it is not in the absence of trial and tribulations in your life, it is during those trials and tribulations. It is a supernatural gift from a loving God that is in spite of trials and tribulations.
We are promised that we will have trials and tribulations.
If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.
If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.
But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me.
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.
Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well.
If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.
But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’
A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.
It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
So do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known.
What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.
And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven.
But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.
Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to turn
‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
A man’s enemies will be the members
of his own household.’
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;
and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
According to our main text we are comforted by God when we seek Him out during life’s most awful circumstances.
Jesus never promised you won’t have trouble, but He did promise He would comfort you and give you supernatural peace.
He will walk with you through all of your troubles. All you have to do is seek Him.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which accomplishes in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we experience.
And our hope for you is sure, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you will share in our comfort.
The so-called negative experiences we are going through is not just for God to comfort you through.
It is also for you to comfort others that are going through the same things as you are.
Paul says that if he goes through hard times it is for their comfort and Christian walk.
If he is comforted then it is for their comfort and Christian walk
We do not live in a vacuum our lives can touch others for good or for ill. It is up to us as to whether we rely on Christ and receive His comfort or not.
Ever wonder why 2 people can go through the same troubles and one of them comes out humble praising God and the other comes out bitter toward the world and toward God?
It was each person’s choice as to what they were going to decide to do.
One praises God for His comfort and humbles themselves before Him
The other gets mad at God and the world and takes that anger out on all who are before them.
God has always set before us 2 roads. Life and death. He has asked us to make a choice.
I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, so that you and your descendants may live,
Life Point - Your Experiences Bring Life & Strength To Others
Life Point - Your Experiences Bring Life & Strength To Others
Exegetical -
Exegetical -
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.
Homiletical -
Homiletical -
Paul suffered greatly on a lot of his missionary journeys. At this time it was in the province of Asia.
Have you ever heard that God will not put on more than you can bear?
Well let me just tell you the harsh reality. That thought is a lie. God always puts on people more than they can bear. Case in point is in this scripture.
He writes “We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life”
This is obviously more than he can bear.
But he doesn’t stop there, he goes on to say that they felt they were under a death sentence. Folks, that is a burden beyond what he can bear.
When you have troubles that are so bad that you feel you might fall apart, God is there to comfort you and to teach you something.
Why was Paul allowed to endure such hardships?
Well Paul writes that he should not trust in himself, but in God.
A God that is so powerful that He even raises the dead.
If God can raise the dead, do you not think that He has a purpose for your life’s circumstances? Do you think He forgot about you or that you slipped His mind. No He hasn’t.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.
Illustration -
Illustration -
I work with a teacher who lost her son a couple of years ago. He was hit by a hit and run.
The judge was very lenient on the other person’s sentencing, which caused her untold amounts of pain and despair. Not only did it feel to her like a slap on the wrist for taking someone’s life, it felt to her like she was being ignored.
She eventually sought God, and kept laying at His feet but then would go pick it up again only to lay it at His feet again and again.
Through this process she has remained humble before God. She doesn’t understand why or how He is working this all to His glory, but she is trusting Him.
Her story, her pain and grief and how she has dealt with it has become a powerful testimony in her life toward others. She is touching people she doesn’t even know she is touching. Her pain and the comfort she finds in Christ is overflowing to others.
Through this one person and her subsequent pain and comfort from God. We learn many lessons, but one strong lesson is that the Christian life is much more than just platitudes and good feelings. It is true life found in Jesus Christ.
Life Point - God’s Comfort Is Ultimately About His Glory
Life Point - God’s Comfort Is Ultimately About His Glory
Exegetical -
Exegetical -
He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. In Him we have placed our hope that He will yet again deliver us,
as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the favor shown us in answer to their prayers.
Homiletical -
Homiletical -
Paul was such a strong believer and such a practical humble person too.
Paul had many oppositions, was stoned to death and subsequently risen from the dead, beaten and shipwrecked and many other hardships for the name of Christ. Yet he still says he placed his hope in Christ.
Does he account his comfort in Christ to himself because he is just a great person?
No.
He says, because of his past experiences with God, that God will deliver him again because of the believers prayers made on his behalf by the believers at the church in Corinth.
He attributes coming through his troubles to others prayers said on his behalf.
He even says that God will get the glory for it, not just from him but from all those who give thanks on his behalf for the favor that will be shown to him and his ministry associates with him in answer to their prayers.
In this, God gets the maximum glory because it is not just about Paul and those immediately around him, but about those who praying for them as well. They all praise God for His power and goodness shown toward Paul.
The same could be said for you. As we pray, teach, and share the Gospel to those around us God will get the maximum glory, not only for those works but because He answers prayers.
Which, by the way, God answers prayer in 3 ways. Yes, No, and not yet time. In all 3 scenarios we trust God, because He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
Life Principle– Your Life Experiences Bring Comfort & Strength To Others, As Well As Bring God Glory.
Life Principle– Your Life Experiences Bring Comfort & Strength To Others, As Well As Bring God Glory.
Call to Action – altar call….
Call to Action – altar call….