Are You Troubled?

Sermon Notes, July 24, 2016 AM

Are You Troubled?

Steve W. Reeves

INTRODUCTION:

A. Are you troubled?

    1. Are you concerned about the violence that has occurred in our country in the past

       several months? Most of us have seen reports of violence in Minnesota, Baton

       Rouge and Dallas. How has this affected you?

    2. Just two weeks ago two court bailiffs were killed and a deputy was injured when an  

       inmate grabbed the deputy's gun outside a holding cell in St. Joseph, Michigan, a

       small town that is the hometown of one of our members, John Boone. Such an

       incident could occur anywhere.

    3. Are you concerned about the terrorist attacks in France, Belgium, Orlando

       or San Bernardino? Do you wonder when or where the next one is going to occur?

    4. Are you troubled about the moral degradation of our society and the culture in

       which our children and grandchildren are being raised?

B. The great dichotomy of faith is that we are admonished to maintain calm in the midst

    of a turbulent world.

    1. Paul wrote, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,

       with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of

       God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through

       Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).

     2. Peter said, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Pt. 5:7).

     3. How do we reconcile God’s call to a life of peace with a world full of violence?       

C. Two artists were asked to paint scenes depicting serenity. One painted a beautiful

    pastoral scene of sheep grazing in a green meadow on a beautiful sunny day. The

    other painted a tumultuous river hurtling through a gorge with water crashing over

    jagged rocks. Just a few feet above the river hung the low branch of a tree. In that

    branch a bird had built a nest and was peacefully and protectively feeding her babies.

D. God has not left us to face the dangers of life by ourselves.

    1. In Luke 24:26 the eleven remaining apostles came together in Jerusalem after the

       crucifixion of Jesus.

       a. Their world had been turned upside down by Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion.

       b. Though Jesus had been raised from the dead this passage indicates that they

           were still confused.

    2. In this situation Jesus appeared to them. Verse 37 says they were terrified and

       frightened. Do you ever feel that way? Discouraged? Depressed? Disillusioned?

    3. In verse 38 Jesus asked, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your

       hearts?”

E. As you consider Jesus’ question let me remind you of something Jesus said shortly

    before His death. In John 14:1-3 the Lord said, “Let not your heart be troubled;

    you believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many mansions; if

    it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and

    prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am,

    there you may be also.” In these verses Jesus made three specific statements we

    need to keep in mind today.

I. UNDERSTANDING.

    A. Jesus’ words are part of a broader context that begins in John 13 when Jesus met

       the disciples in the upper room for the Passover and continuing through chapter 16.

       In that upper room after Jesus washed their feet and ate with them he carried on a

       lengthy discussion. John wrote about it in greater detail than other Gospel writers.

       1. Jesus told the disciples He was going to be betrayed and taken from them.

       2. They were troubled and had many questions that are mentioned throughout the

           entire section of Scripture.           

           a. Peter said in13:37 - “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my

               life for Your sake.”

           b. Thomas said in 14:5 – “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how

               can we know the way?”

           c. Phillip said in 14:8 – “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

           d. Judas (not Iscariot) asked another question in 14:22.

           e. Other disciples also had questions according to 16:17. 

    B. It is obvious the apostles did not understand everything Jesus was talking about.

       Do you? I certainly do not. Faith is a continual process of learning and growing.

       1. They were troubled.

       2. Jesus said in 14:1 – “Do not let your heart be troubled.” Do we need to hear this

           in the midst of a world that has gone crazy? We certainly do.

           a. “Lord, I am afraid…”  “Don’t let your heart be troubled.”

           b. “Lord, I am worried . . .” “Don’t let your heart be troubled.”

           c. “Lord, I am so discouraged . . .”  “Don’t let your heart be troubled.”           

           d. “Lord, I am just so upset . . .” “Don’t let your heart be troubled.’

II. BELIEF

    A. The antidote for trouble is found in Jesus’ next statement. “Believe!”

       1. Jesus said, “You believe in God, believe also in Me.”

       2. Believing in Jesus Christ is the most important thing you can do in your life.

           a. It is more important than your education, job or career.

           b. It is more important than planning for your retirement.

           c. It is more important than your house or your car.

       3. Believing (trust and obedience) in Christ is more important than anything you will

           ever do and has greater power than any trouble you will ever face.

           a. In John 16: 21 Jesus compares the struggles of this life to the pain of a woman

               giving birth to a child. All mothers can relate to this. Giving birth is

               not a picnic in the park. But, after the child is born there is inexpressible joy.

           b. John16:33 – “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have

               peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have

               overcome the world.”

    B. Times of trouble are when we need to believe in Christ more than ever.

       1. Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983) was a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps

           whose faith in Christ enabled her to endure the atrocities of the war. Someone

           asked her how she could endure such suffering and still hold on to her faith. She

           replied by saying, “When you are aboard a train traveling through the darkness of

           a tunnel you do not tear up your ticket and jump off. You trust in the engineer.”

       2. When your life is derailed you need to trust the one who can put it back on track.

III. HOPE

    A. When your world is troubled you need the hope of better things. This is precisely

       what Jesus offers.

       1. In verses 2-3 – “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I

           would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a

           place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there

           you may be also.”

       2. The word translated, “Mansions” means, “permanent dwelling.”

           a. Wherever you are living is temporary.

           b. This body is temporary. It will wear out. Medical science can do tremendous

               things but eventually we are all moving to another location.

           c. Trouble is temporary. There is a dwelling place that cannot be destroyed. 2

               Corinthians 5:1 – “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is

               destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands,

               eternal in the heavens.”

    B. Jesus said, “I am going to prepare a place for you.”

       1. He has made the journey you are going to make.

       2. He has paid your fare.

       3. He has arranged your housing and furnished it beyond your wildest expectations.            

          

CONCLUSION:

A. Like the disciples, we do not understand every event that happens in life. We do not

    understand everything Jesus said. We have trouble. But we can have the assurance

    that God has a plan for us.

B. A man was walking along a sidewalk one day. His heart was heavy with grief over

    the death of his child. He wondered what it could possibly mean. How could

    anything good come of it. About that time he passed a construction site where a

    beautiful building was being built of expensive cut stone. He noticed a craftsman

    cutting a piece of stone in a triangular shape. “Where does that piece go,” he

    asked? The workman pointed to the very top of the building – the very pinnacle and

    said, “I am shaping it down here to fit up there.”  

C. My hope is that you will allow God to shape your life for a higher purpose, a greater

    calling and a more permanent dwelling than you have ever imagined. Are you

    troubled? Come to the one who says, “Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe!”

    If we may assist you in your faith or in repenting of your sins, confessing Christ and

    being baptized into Him for the forgiveness of sins we invite you to come.

Be Strong In The Lord

Sermon Notes, July 10, 2016 A.M.

BE STRONG IN THE LORD

Steve W. Reeves

INTRODUCTION:

A. Should a Christian fight in a war? You may not realize it but that question closed the      doors of Cordell Christian College in Oklahoma almost one hundred years ago. The  
    president of Cordell Christian was J.N. Armstrong who later became the president of 
    Harding College. Thus, the school was a part of the heritage of Harding University 
    and Oklahoma Christian University. This message is not about that controversy but I 
    want to clearly state that all of us who wear the name of Christ are in a war.

    1. It is not a war over geographic territory.

    2. It is not a war over human ideologies.

    3. It is a war that is being waged against us by the greatest spiritual terrorist of all

       time, Satan.

    4. Truthfully, many of us are poorly equipped for this war. It should not surprise us to

       see Satan winning battle after battle.

       a. To be sure, Satan will lose the war. God has already conquered him. His doom

           for eternity is sealed.

       b. In the meantime Satan strikes against the heart of God by seeking to drag as

           many souls down to Hell with him as he possibly can.

B. The Bible contains many war stories.

    1. Abraham against the armies of Shinar in Genesis 14.

    2. The Israelites and Amalekites in Exodus 17.

    3. The conquest of Jericho in Joshua 6.

    4. The initial defeat and subsequent victory over Ai in Joshua 7-8.

    5. The victory of Gideon and the Israelites over the Midianites in Judges 7-8.

    6. David and Goliath. Israel’s victory over the Philistines in 1 Samuel 17.

    7. The greatest battle depicted in the pages of your Bible is the battle that continues

       to rage between the spiritual forces of good and evil. 

       a. John 18:36 – Jesus said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My

           kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would

           not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

       b. 2 Corinthians 10:3–4 - “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according

           to the flesh, ⁴ for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely

           powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”

       c. Romans 13:12 - “The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us

           lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

C. You cannot fight this battle successfully without following the instructions of Paul in

    Ephesians 6:10–18.

    1. There are three sections in this text that are vitally important to your spiritual well-

           being. I want to assign each of them a very brief heading that will help you

           remember them. (There is something to be said for brevity. A monk who allowed

           to speak only two words every ten years. After first ten years he said, “Bed hard.”

           After the second ten years he said,“food bad.” After the third ten years he said, “I

           quit.” His superior said, “I’m not surprised. All you have done for thirty years is

           complain”).

       2. The three brief headings are:

I. STAND FIRM - vss 10-12.

    A. What Paul is going to say here is connected to the thought begun in 5:18 when he

       said, “Be filled with the Spirit.”

       1. He has demonstrated what the Spirit-filled life looks like in 5:19 through 6:10 as

           we praise God, give thanks to God and submit to one another in the church, in

           the home and in our work.

       2. Now he writes, “finally.”

           a. Have you ever heard a preacher say “finally?” It’s like the two minute warning

               at a football game.

           b. The word Paul uses means, “to the rest.” He’s not done yet but he wants to

               connect what he has said previously with what he is about to say.

    B. “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.”

       1. This is the same type of command he gave when he said “Be filled with the

           Spirit” in 5:18. It is a present, passive imperative. It is a command for us to

           constantly put into practice every day.

      2. Do you think you can stand against Satan with your own strength? Can you

           protect your precious little boy or girl from Satan by yourself? Remember, Peter

           says “our adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he

           may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  

       3. You can try to be as good and well intentioned as you can be but you are no

           match for the devil and his angels who are waging a war against you.

       4. Look at verse 11 where Paul urges us to stand against the “schemes” of the

           devil. “Schema” means “methods.” Satan has a method with your name on it. He

           has a scheme he wants to implement to take you away from God.

           a. It may involve pride.

           b. It may involve conflict with another person.

           c. It may involve immorality.

           d. It may involve apathy, becoming complacent and self-satisfied.

    C. Do you remember the story behind the Star Spangled Banner? Francis Scott Key,

       a 35 year old lawyer, watched from a ship off the cost of Baltimore while Fort

       McHenry was being bombarded on September 13^th and 14^th, 1814. Throughout the

       night the cannons roared. The fort stood firm. In the dawn’s early light Key saw the

       stars and stripes  waving. The fort stood firm. This is Paul’s message, “stand firm.”

       1. In verse 12 Paul says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but

           against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness,

           against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” The word

           “struggle” means “hand to hand” conflict. It is personal and individual.

       2. I do not understand everything about this spiritual struggle that is taking place. I

           know it is real. I know that as we sit here this morning there are spiritual forces

           battling for our attention. Satan and his angels are attempting to make inroads

           into your heart. They are trying to alienate you from other Christians. They are

           devious and diabolical. We must stand with even greater diligence than that

           which characterized the patriots at Fort McHenry.

II. PUT ON – vss. 13-17.

    A. In the military you are given a uniform and the equipment you will need.

       a. You are given instructions on how to act, dress and use your weapons.

       b. You must use that knowledge and equipment. No one can fight the battle for you.

       c. When you became a Christian you enlisted in God’s army. God gives you every

           tool and piece of equipment you will ever need in spiritual warfare.

       d. You must put it on. Do you know why the church is so weak and the world is so

           wicked? We have a lot of naked Christians running around. We came up out of

           the water and never put on our armor. We think as long as we show up

           every now and then we have our ticket punched. We have forfeited the battle.

    B. Put on the full armor. The word here is panoply – the complete suit. What does it

       involve? These are listed in the order a solder would have put them on and are

       based on an Old Testament passage in Isaiah 59:17 – “He put on righteousness

       like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; and He put on garments

       of vengeance for clothing and wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.”

       1.  Belt of truth. A Roman soldier’s belt served several purposes. It could hold

           weapons, it stabilized his uniform. It was central to everything else. Truth is

           central to everything we do. Jesus said, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is

           truth” (John 17:17).

       2. Breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate covers the heart. Our hearts must

           be protected by the righteousness of Christ.

       3. Feet covered with Gospel of peace. Josephus says the Roman solders wore

           shoes with spikes like cleats so they could stand firm in battle. The Gospel

           enables us to stand firm against opposing forces.

       4. Shield of faith – 2 foot by 4 ft wooden frame covered with linen, overlaid with

           leather and metal. Before battle it would be soaked in water so the wet leather

           would extinguish flaming arrows. These shields could be interlocked together so

           Roman soldiers could protect one another.

           a. Wouldn’t it be great if Christians offered that type of protection for one

               another? We must stand together in this spiritual battle.

           b. This shield protects us against the flaming arrows of Satan. Ancient

               warriors would dip arrows in tar and light them. Satan’s attack is like that.

       5. The helmet of Salvation – the assurance that God gives us.

       6. The sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

           a. Would you go into battle without a weapon?

           b. So many Christians are thrust into spiritual warfare without any weapon and

               without any idea of how to use it. This is the only offensive weapon mentioned.  

 III. PRAY ALWAYS – vs. 18.

    A. When an enemy can cut the lines of communication he has a major advantage in

       battle. Paul urges in verse 18, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the

       Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all  

       the saints.”

    B. If there is anything you and I need to learn, it is the power of prayer.

       1. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it

           will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks

           finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Mt. 7:7-8).

       2. Many of our failures in life result from a failure to pray.

           a. I believe that one reason the church has so little influence on our culture

               and why we have become so influenced by our culture is because Christians

               spend so little time in prayer.

           b. William Carey said, “Prayer – sincere, fervent, believing prayer, lies at the root

               of all personal holiness.”

    C. You and I will never be strong in the Lord and will never be victorious in this

       eternally important battle with Satan and his sinister forces without daily, intimate,

       intense, purposeful prayer in our lives.

CONCLUSION:

A.  War is always fought at an awful cost.

    1. One hundred years ago Europe was in the midst of World War I. Dr. Julie Harris

       shared information with me this past week about the Battle of Somme which

       began 100 years ago this week.  57,000 men were killed on the first day of battle. 

       The battle raged on until November, with an average casualty loss of 6000 British

       soldiers per day (not counting German and other nationalities).  During World War I

       the young men from entire British villages would enlist. There were occasions when

       none of them would come home.

    2. During World War II five sons from one family, the Sullivan brothers, were killed on

       board the USS Juneau at  the battle of Guadalcanal.

B. There is a greater battle that required a greater sacrifice. It is a battle of spiritual

    proportions that required the sacrifice of God’s son, Jesus. He died for you. Will you

    live for Him?  He gave His life for you. Will you give your life to Him?

C. If we may assist you in your obedience to the Lord today as you confess Him, repent

    of your sins and are baptized into Christ we invite you to come. If we can pray for you

    as you rededicate your life to Him we invite you to come as we sing.