July 28, 2019

GOOD NEWS FOR HARD TIMES, PART 5
July 28, 2019
Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Open:

Have you ever been in a position where you wished someone was watching out for you from the sidelines? Perhaps later you found out they were actually there, keeping a close eye on your needs! Can anyone share a memory?

Today, we are finishing our series, “Good News for Hard Times,” as we have looked at the way God has us in His care, always being watchful of our every need, especially during trials. In His sovereign protection, He is going before us, is with us, giving us strength, support, restoration, and whatever else we require. If only we can learn to trust that He is with us, the journey through this life becomes so much easier. His promises are the foundation beneath our feet, and the protection around our minds! He is truly everything we need to have victory.

Key Verse: 1 Peter 1:6 (NLT): “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.”

Focal Passages: 1 Peter 4:7-5:14; 1 John 4:4; Job 14:1; Romans 5:17.

Reality #5: Our suffering will never end

  • Read Job 14:1 and John 16:33. Why will tribulation in this world never end?
  • What is the reason we must endure suffering in this life? If Adam, walking and talking with God, could not withstand temptation, what should we learn about our own hearts?
  • Read Romans 5:17a. What triumphs over sin?

Response #5: Jesus gives the victory

  • What are some of the sufferings that Jesus goes through with us?
  • How did Jesus gain the victory over sin and death?

Be encouraged: God calls us to encourage

  • Read 1 Pet. 4:7-8. What does Peter warn believers of? How should we act regarding this warning?
  • What is our responsibility to others? What will the result be?
  • If we suffer God’s way, how will that help others? What does it do for us?

Be encouraged: Our suffering helps us to reach others

  • Read Matt. 28:19-20. How does suffering help us to carry out the Great Commission?
  • Read 1 Pet. 4: 9-11. How can we change the world through our suffering?
  • How do you know He will give you what you need to overcome?

Be encouraged: Joy is the result of our suffering

  • Read 1 Pet. 4:12-13. How can joy be the result of our suffering?
  • How can suffering make us more like Christ? How can it reveal His glory?

Be encouraged: God will never leave you

  • Read 1 Pet. 4:14-19. What is the last promise in these verses? How do you show you believe this promise?
  • How does the power of God deliver you during suffering?
  • What is the command in verse 19? What does it mean?

Be encouraged: We stand together

  • Read 1 Pet. 5:8-11. Who is “out to get” us? Will he ever stop in our lifetime?
  • What is the source of our strength? Who is the only One you can stand with?
  • What will your suffering result in eventually?

Close:

When is the last time you talked with a Christian and came away feeling that you had just met someone who spends their life in a close walking, talking relationship with Jesus Christ? Those people are so rare, but to meet one is to find yourself awestruck as you realize the untold wealth there is in a close bond with the Lord and Savior of their life. Were you to spend much time in the company of that Christian, you might be surprised to learn their life has been full of suffering!

The cycle that is put in place in their life is the one we’ve been focusing on for the past few weeks: suffering, which we all endure both now or in the future, and which should cause us to seek God and lean wholly on Him. We should seek Him not only for strength through the trial before us, but also for wisdom to handle the pain and suffering; for faith to believe that His promise to be with us every step of the way will result in a greater faith, and that our joy will increase when we trust Him. As you enter a new season of trials, you will learn to lean more and more on your God. Eventually, you will be able to be at peace while you are suffering, knowing that He is with you through every step, never leaving you. As your faith grows, your peace grows, and your joy becomes evident. When you are joyful, others can see that you, too, now have a relationship with Jesus Christ that radiates from you, and soon you will be a happy Christian who others can tell “has been with Christ!”

Suffering will always be with us. It can make or break our faith, as we learn to trust that Jesus loves us beyond any trial we can go through. Is that too much to believe? If you are struggling, cry out, as the apostles in Luke 17:4-6, “Lord, increase [my] faith!”

 

 

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