Jeremiah 29:4-11; Habakkuk 3:17-18
Pastor Charles A. Tapp
September 26, 2020, Sermon Review
Introduction
If you are like most of us, whenever you find yourself in the midst of a trying and somewhat painful situation, your first response is usually to do your best to remove yourself from it. Right? Although that may be the natural response when faced with these types of situations, it is not always within one’s power to do so. Scripture is replete with these kinds of scenarios from Genesis to Revelation in which God’s people found themselves, again and again being attacked, dominated and then taken into captivity. But one does not have to go to the pages of holy writ to find these kinds of examples. As a matter of fact, there is no need for us to go any further than right where we are standing. For each of us, to some degree or another, has found ourselves being held captive by difficult and trying circumstances of varying degrees, sometimes by our own doing and other times not. But what does one do when the cries for deliverance appeared to go unnoticed by God or even ignored. Today we will probe God’s word to find a desperately needed answer in our message titled, “Prosperity in Adversity.”
▪ Although the idea that once one becomes a Christian, it will automatically rid one’s life of pain and heartache is an extremely popular myth. This misconception continues to be shared by false teachers and many well-meaning, misguided believers alike, but this idea is just a myth. Scripture is clear that God never promised us a pain-free life, but rather that he would be with us to help us to endure it. Jeremiah 25:8-14; 28:15-17;29:10-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3; 1 Peter 4:12-16
▪ Our response as disciples of Jesus Christ, when we find ourselves faced with dark periods of our lives, especially those times when we feel as though these periods of despair will never end, is to not give up in hopelessness, but to remain committed by reminding ourselves of the history of the past faithfulness of our Heavenly Father and his promise to be with us even to the very end. Habakkuk 1:1-3; 2:2-4; 3:17-18;Matthew 6:33
Conclusion
Although there will be times in our lives as believers where we will have to face extremely dark and painful situations, we can take hope in the fact that God is with us even if our hearts and our circumstances may say otherwise.
Question for Reflection
Have there been times during this pandemic where you have felt that God has abandoned you despite your cries to him for deliverance? If so, how were you able to get your faith back on track? What role, if any, did time spent in his Word have in that process?
Quotes of the Week
“Adversity is not simply a tool. It is God’s most effective tool for the advancement of our spiritual lives. The circumstances and events that we see as setbacks are oftentimes the very things that launch us into periods of intense spiritual growth.Once we begin to understand this, and accept it as a spiritual fact of life,adversity becomes easier to bear.” – Charles Stanley
“Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has.” – Billy Graham
“Look at that beautiful butterfly, and learn from it to trust in God. One might wonder where it could live in tempestuous nights, in the whirlwind, or in the stormy day; but I have noticed it is safe and dry under the broad leaf while rivers have been flooded, and the mountain oaks torn up from their roots.” – Jeremy Taylor