Standing the test of time
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Standing the test of time
Standing the test of time
So when we couldn’t stand being separated from you any longer and could find no way to visit you ourselves, we stayed in Athens and sent Timothy to get you up and about, cheering you on so you wouldn’t be discouraged by these hard times. He’s a brother and companion in the faith, God’s man in spreading the Message, preaching Christ.
Not that the troubles should come as any surprise to you. You’ve always known that we’re in for this kind of thing. It’s part of our calling. When we were with you, we made it quite clear that there was trouble ahead. And now that it’s happened, you know what it’s like. That’s why I couldn’t quit worrying; I had to know for myself how you were doing in the faith. I didn’t want the Tempter getting to you and tearing down everything we had built up together.
Have you ever been going through a situation where it just never seems to end.
I Thessalonians 3:1-
Have you ever been going through a situation where it just never seems to end.
Have you ever been going through a situation where it just never seems to end.
You are hoping and praying it will just end.
You pray and cry and ask God why is this happening to me?
Why do I have to go through this?
Why cant this happen to...... well we can all fill in the blank of who you feel should be going through this.
We know each of us have had this moment
We feel like because we are christians or because we have been filled with the Holy Ghost that we should never have to deal with these situations.
But let me remind you today what the bible says
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Just because we are the children of God that does not excuse us from going through trails and tests.
I think better understanding what kind of situation we are facing will help us get through it better and faster and learn the most from it.
The scriptures speak of three types of “trouble” for believers.
The scriptures speak of three types of “trouble” for believers.
Discipline, Judgment, or Rebuke from the Lord
Tests, Trials, Persecutions and Suffering
Temptations or Attacks from Satan
A. Discipline, Judgment, or rebuke from the Lord
I. Discipline
And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
Jesus had to discipline his disciples that day
Have you ever been sitting in a church service and it feels like the whole message is directed right at you?
I think that is Jesus way of disciplining us.
He is using our Pastor to speak to us.
Maybe we are going through a trial and we are looking at it all wrong so Jesus uses Pastor to preach a word that we feel is all up in our business.
Those messages where you feel like pastor has been listening to every conversation you have had all week.
I believe those are times where we are being corrected.
Maybe we are looking at the current situation all wrong and the Lord uses pastor to help us see a different angle of the situation.
II. Judgment
Numbers 20:
And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
We see here where God laid down judgment upon Moses
Moses was going to be able to lead the children of Israel to the promised land but He himself was not going to be able to enter it.
We do see that Moses did lead them to it, he actually was able to see the promised land but He died in the land of Moab.
The Lord kept his judgment upon Moses
I have to wonder at times, is there things that we have done in our life time that God is still judging us for?
Is their a situation in our past that we have not made right and we are being judged because of it.
Maybe God is waiting on us to make it right, and when we do he will bring us to the end of our situation we are in.
III. Rebuke
But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
Jesus rebuked Peter that day.
Ouch! how bad did that make Peter feel that day?
To be called Satan by Jesus?
You know you are having a bad day when Jesus calls you Satan.
But how many times has Jesus rebuked us and called us Satan?
How many times have we missed it with Jesus.
Jesus has us going through a situation and we miss the whole point of why we are going through what we are going through.
We want to question Him, and He is up in heaven screaming get thee behind me satan.
B. Tests, Trials, Persecutions and Suffering
I. Trials
I Peter 4
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
Trials are coming, not just trails it says fiery trials are coming.
Its not some big strange thing going on, its just a trial, and we must rejoice that we are suffering like Jesus Christ suffered.
How many times have we prayed God make me more like you?
Well here it is, that trial you are facing is making you more like him
If you don’t want the trials, you should be more specific when you pray
God make me more like you when everyone loves you
Make me more like you when everyone is laying their garments down and laying palm leaves down in the road so you don’t have to walk on the dirt road.
II. Sufferings
And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
The Lord allowed the children of Israel to wonder for forty years
Forty years on a journey that should of at most took 9-12 months
Suffering to eat the same food day after day for 40 years
III. Tests
Genesis
Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
I wonder how many times God has tried to test us but we missed it?
How many times have we been distracted by the situation that we did not even realize it was a test?
We are to busy getting upset at God for whats going on and He is waiting on us to pass the test
We pray God take us out of this situation
And He is praying Please pass this test so we can move on
And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”
God is testing us
Can we pass the test?
For each of us that test will look very different
But for all of us we are going through a test and the answer is the same no matter what the test is
Can we stay faithful
Can we stay prayerful
Can we stay positive
Can we continue to trust him through the test
IV. Persecutions
Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
II Timothy
People will treat us bad just because we claim to be christians
People will not like us just because we claim to be followers of Him
People will talk bad about us because we are children of God
Get used to it
It happened all through out the bible it will not change today
We will be hated for his name sake the bible tells us
C. Temptations or Attacks from Satan
I. Temptations
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
Matthew 4:1-
Temptations are going to come
Temptations are going to come
Satan will do everything in his power to tempt us
The one thing satan is good at is knowing us probably better than we know ourself
He knows our weakness and he knows when we are down
He is good at what he does
II. Attacks from Satan
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.
Job 1:
But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
: 6-
But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”
And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.”
So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
There will be some times when we are truly under attack from satan
But the one thing we must understand is that the Lord you God has allowed this to take place
We must never get upset at God about the attacks we are facing
If we are being attacked it means Satan has taken notice of us
We must be doing something right
When we are not being attacked
When we are not going through something
When things feel to calm
When things seem to good to be true we better look out
If Satan ain”t messing
We probably in a bad place and he has no need to attack anymore
Closing:
As a christian we are going to face stuff
We do not get a pass from trials and tribulations
We will not always have sunny days
There will be dark days in our walk with God
But thats ok
The real test is how do we deal with these situations
Where do we turn during these times
Do we recognize what kind of trial we are in
Is it a test?
A Discipline from God?
Maybe its judgment
Are we being rebuked by Him?
Is it suffering?
Could be persecution?
When we learn to recognize what we are going though we can look to the word of God to find the way to handle the situation
To many times we automatically go to
Its an attack from Satan
But that is not always the case
Maybe its God trying to get our attention
Maybe you have been going through the same dark situation for a very long time thinking its one thing when really its another
Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Revelation
No matter what you are going through if you are faithful through it all you will receive a crown of life
Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
:10
To stand the test of time means
to
to continue to be effective, successful, or popular for a long time
We must continue to be effective and successful until Jesus comes no matter what kind of trial or tribulations you face.
Recognizing and dealing with it accordingly will help us to stand the test of time