Let's go right now to, 2 Corinthians 1:8-10.
We will see what Paul says about the trouble that came to him.
Look at the nature of this trouble.
Paul says: "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,".
Wow.
That is some trouble!
He says: "...we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so
that we despaired even of life."
When it came to one of the troubles that came on Paul, to the point that
it was so burdensome, so terrible that he says he even despaired of life!
What trouble is that?
Paul didn't define it.
Amen.
But he defined it as trouble that was so bad, but he said that even
then, he put his trust in God.
Now the next verse says: "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,".
Notice the three dimensions of God's deliverance here.
"God who has delivered us,".
And obviously Paul was delivered from this trouble.
Amen?
From this deadly trouble.
It was a trouble of a very deadly nature, and he says: "God delivered us."
That's past tense.
Amen.
Then the next one, "...and does deliver us."
That's present tense.
"In whom we trust that He will still deliver us."
That's future tense.
So we have God who delivered us, God who does deliver us- present tense.
And he will still deliver us!
So that's the attitude a believer must have.
If there's trouble, even the most terrible kind of trouble that you're in.
Amen?
Believe that God who has delivered you will deliver you now, amen will
deliver you as well as is delivering you, even as we speak right now.
And that's the posture that the apostle Paul had, which is the
Christian posture towards troubles.
Amen.
Jesus shared with His disciples in the sermon on the Mount where he says: "Our
Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
We covered that.
"Give us this day our daily bread."
And that's why prayer has got to be a daily thing.
Notice that you can't just pray: "Father give me this monthly bread."
Amen.
At the first week of the month, you pray this prayer or you pray
it at the beginning of the year.
"Give me this this year, my yearly bread."
It doesn't work that way.
God wants you to always come to Him.
God wants to be in a relationship with you.
God loves you.
God loves to hear your voice.
Amen.
And in Song of Songs, it says: "How I love to hear your voice,
to see your countenance."
The Lord loves you, my friend.
And He loves you just like the way I would love to hear my son's voice, but more than
that, I want to have him in my presence.
Just to look at him and just to embrace him gives me such joy.
In the Old Testament, the more you come to God, chances are-
you might be smitten dead.
Because you would have come in the wrong way and people were afraid to come to God.
But friends, today is the direct opposite because of what Jesus did at the cross!
The same blood that He shed that tore the veil to access into
God's presence, removed our sins!
The same blood removed our sins for us to go in now!
Today, it is a new and living way.
I know you probably understand the word "new".
The word "new" in the Greek means: freshly slained, as
if He just died just now.
But the word "living" means that the more you come to God, the more you pray every
day, the more you come into His presence.
Amen.
The more you live.
Amen.
Amen!
The more you come to God, the more you live.
Doesn't that excite you?
Doesn't that make you want to spend time with God?
Come to Him.
Amen.
Ask God, even to prosper you like John did.
Beloved, I pray that you prosper in all things and be in health,
even as your soul prospers.
Because God knows that if you don't ask Him to prosper you, you would
look to somebody else to prosper you.
You would look to some other source to prosper you and God
doesn't want you to trust in any other source, but Himself alone.
All the glory belongs to Him alone.
Can I have a good amen?
In Matthew 6:9-13 where Jesus talks about the Lord's Prayer, He came to this point:
And do not lead us into temptation.
"Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
Friend, the what here for temptation is the word "peirasmos".
Now "peirasmos" can either mean trouble, affliction, difficulty,
or it can mean solicitation to sin.
Temptation.
Now, in the King James, they always use the word temptation.
At the end of his ministry, Jesus looked at His disciples and said in
Luke 22:28: "You are they which have continued with me in my temptations."
Now, does that mean Jesus was talking about temptation
to sin, solicitation to sin?
No.
Temptation can either mean?
What?
Two things.
Trouble, difficulty or solicitation to sin.
And we must look at the context.
So in other words, Jesus is saying, you have been with me through all My trials.
Amen.
He's not saying about temptation to sin, okay?
We go back to the Lord's Prayer.
It says: "and lead us."
Now, this word: "lead us" is not the usual word.
I think this is where the misunderstanding comes in.
It is as if, for me to pray to God: "lead us not" it seems like the
idea is that God may lead you into temptation if you don't ask Him not to.
But the word "lead" here is not the usual word like in Romans 8:14, where
it says: "For as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God."
Now, that word "lead" there is the word "agō".
This is not the same word used here.
In fact, this word "lead" that is used in the Lord's Prayer, should actually be
better translated as: "do not bring us".
Do not bring us.
Let me not be brought.
So everyday, friend, pray that prayer!
God wants you to pray that prayer.
That's what the Lord's Prayer is about!
To pray: "God, let my family and I not be brought into trouble."
Now I know there are troubles.
I know that living life on earth will have trouble.
But can you see the heart of God?
God wants you to pray it.
Maybe if we pray this prayer, we will not be brought into more
troubles than we already are in.
We don't have to ask the question.
You know, we don't judge God's Word by our experiences.
Experiences must be judged by God's Word.
Amen.
And if it is not lined up, we have got to line our experiences with God's Word.
There's something about about trouble.
Sometimes, it's caused by the devil.
Like during the Last Supper.
Jesus says in Luke 22:31-34: "Simon, Simon!
Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.
But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail;
and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."
So obviously, there is trouble that is of Satan's making.
Amen.
Satan probably saw something in Peter.
Because Peter was, you know, prior to this, he was full of self-righteousness.
Amen.
He was full of self righteousness, and that's why he told the Lord:
"Lord, I'm ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."
And the Lord said: "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you
will deny three times that you know Me."
And do you know what happened?
Because of that trial Peter went through, he realized:
"It's not my love for the Lord."
He was boasting about his love for the Lord, but it is the Lord's love for him.
Like John!
John boasted of the Lord's love, amen?
For him.
Whereas Peter boasted of his love for the Lord.
That is the law.
You should love the Lord, your God with all your heart, all your soul.
But John boasted in the New Testament covenant law, which is-
We love because He first loved us.
In 1 Peter 5:10, it says that: "...after you have suffered."
God will: "perfect.
establish, strengthen, and settle you."
The God of all grace will do that.
Amen.
Notice that it is after you have suffered.
There's always an after.
In fact, in this case, it's the devil who caused it.
If you look at the context here, it says: "...the devil walks
about like a roaring lion."
"Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing the same
sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."
Our time of suffering is short.
Amen.
The evil day is short.
That's why it's 1 day.
Singular.
But the good days are plenty, the good days are a lot.
Amen.
The good days are numerous.
Amen.
Believe God for that.
There is an after.
After a trial, look out for the restoration.
Something greater is coming.
Something greater is coming, Something greater is coming.
Amen.
You never come out of your trial the same way you went in.
It's like there is a restoration.
There is a recompense because you went through that trial.
All of us are coming out greater, stronger, perfect and established.
Amen.
That's what God promises.
Praise the name of Jesus.
And the word "perfect" is completeness.
Amen.
So be expecting good in your future.
Be expectant to see good days.
You can pray for it.
Amen.
Don't, don't use your mouth for things like: "I think the worst is yet to come."
No, no, no.
Say: "good days are ahead of me.
The best is yet to come!"