Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast. Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast. Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast. Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast. Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast. Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast. Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast. Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast. Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast. Now, oftentimes at you and I we go through things and suffer because we've caused it.

And you and I need not confuse these two. Now, oftentimes that we will experience the chastisement of God in our lives because of disobedience, because of foolish decisions, and this is not the focus of these verses. Now, I want you to understand if you're suffering today because of your sins or your shortcomings or because of the decisions that you've made, I encourage you to repent and to seek God and get His forgiveness and fix that fracture in your fellowship with Christ and get your life right. But we're talking this morning about suffering for the cause of Christ. These speak to those that suffered for their faith and suffer for their faith and to those that are bearing burdens that represent not just the natural problems of life but because we are believers. We must plan for these valleys. First off, I want you to understand this.

Number one, they are painful. Look, if you would, at verse eight and verse nine again. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed, we are perplexed. Notice this, persecuted but not forsaken.

Cast down, that is painful. Now, what do all these things mean? Well, in these verses, Paul uses some very descriptive language.

And hold on, I'm getting ready to probably describe your life and my life. Number one, he says troubled. That word troubled in the Greek means, it means to be pressed, to be squeezed, to be under pressure. Any of you been there?

Any of you there now? Just pressured, stressed. It's like squeezing toothpaste out of a toothpaste tube. You just get to the point, you just don't think there's anything left. He says this, we are troubled on every side. And that word every side, as you conjugate that out in the Greek, it literally means in every way, place, and occasion. It means everywhere we turn, everywhere we go, there's something staring us in the face. He says this word, perplexed, it means to be at a loss, to be confused, to wonder which way I should go.

Anybody been there? He says this, we have been persecuted. This connotation here literally means to be hunted down like an animal. And that's exactly, by the way, what Satan is doing to you. The Bible says he's as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. You and I are being hunted as Christians. He uses this word, which I thought was very interesting, as cast down.

It means to literally be beaten down. I don't know if you've ever been there, but these words pretty much accurately describe how we can feel sometimes. These valleys, these trials, these burdens, this trouble that is at every side that Paul is talking about, they are painful.

Number two, they are planned. Now, while troubles and trials and valleys hurt us sometimes, there's a word that kind of changes things. And verse 10 and 11, I find this very, very interesting to me. Look at verse 10. This is what Paul said after describing the trials, he says, I've been troubled, I've been perplexed, I've been persecuted, I've been cast down.

Look at verse 10. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. Always bearing what? These trials. Always bearing these trials in life and in the body. And he says, I'm constantly going through these things. But notice this word after the comma in verse 10.

That. He said, I'm going through all this that the life of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. Look at verse 11. For we which live and are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

What that word that means is that he's connecting two things. I'm going through this and the reason is because of this. I'm going through these trials that or so that I can glorify Christ.

That means this, these things are planned. Paul tells us that he endures these things for one reason. And that reason is that Jesus can be seen in him. Dear friend, I want you to understand some of the things that you might go through and I might go through, while they might be painful to us, they're planned by God. It doesn't always mean that he caused it, but it means that he always has a purpose for allowing you to go through it.

And that purpose is that Jesus can be seen in your life. Can I challenge you this morning, you and I need to realize things don't just happen to a believer. It's not just circumstance. There's always a purpose, there's always a plan. If you're saved, there's no such thing as bad luck.

There's no such thing as unfortunate events. There is only the will of God seeking to glorify God. I want you to know this morning that God doesn't just inflict pain on you to be mean. But sometimes in life, trials happen and burdens happen and we go through valleys, but it's done and God allows it so that as we go through it that the grace of God can be evident in our life.

Once you notice number three that they're a privilege. Now wait a minute, preacher, it's one thing for you to say all right, God's got a plan, but what do you mean a privilege? Look if you would at verse eight all the way down through verse 11 and we've read those. Look at verse 10 again. He said always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus.

Why? That the life also of Jesus might be manifest in my body. Look at verse 11. For we which live, he's talking about, are delivered unto death for Jesus' sake that the life of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. Two verses in a row. That he might be made manifest in my body. Look at verse 11. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

Notice this. You and I are mortal. He's eternal. What a privilege for us as merely mortal beings to be able to give eternal glory to the eternal being. I know that that might be a little bit heavy for your mind on a Sunday morning, but let me redneck it a little bit. We are privileged to be able to suffer for Jesus' sake.

Here's why. The Bible says the best we can do are filthy rags. That means this. There's nothing that I can physically do to glorify God. The only way God gets glory is if Jesus is seen in me.

Did you get that? Let me put it this way. If I'm a good person, and when people see that, they see me, it hasn't helped them a bit. And if I'm a good person and people see me, God didn't get the glory for that, they'll say, well, Daniel's a great person. The only way God gets glory in our life is if Jesus is seen. That's a privilege. I get to be the display for Jesus.

Wow. I think sometimes you and I work so hard on trying to be a good person so that people will think we're a good person and what we should work harder on is to display Christ to others so that they can see what a great savior he is. Does that make sense? I want you to notice these words that Paul uses in verse eight and nine and I thought this was interesting. He says that, you know what, he gives the bad side. He says, I'm troubled, I'm perplexed, I'm persecuted, and I'm cast down. But what is interesting in verse eight, he says, I am troubled, yet not distressed. That word distressed means to be crushed under pressure. You see, when he said first that here I am, I'm troubled on every side, it means literally to be pressured, to be pushed.

But he said this, I'm not distressed. Which means this, while this trial is pressing me and pushing me, I am not cracked under the pressure. I'm not exploded. I'm not ruined. I'm not destroyed. While it's pressing me, I didn't crack under the pressure. Dear friend, it is entirely possible for you to be so burdened and so trialed and to go through such a big valley that it'll literally press and pressure you in your life, but through the grace of God it doesn't have to destroy you.

That means this, I can be pressed, but I don't have to be ruined. That's why Paul said I'm troubled on every side, yet I'm not distressed. Secondly, he uses the word despair. Notice if you would, verse eight, he says we are perplexed, but not in despair. That word perplexed means to be confused, to be at a loss.

That word despair, it literally means to be hopeless with no sense of confidence or security. Do I wonder which way to turn? Yes, I am without hope.

No. That means this, that first phrase says I don't know where to go. I don't know which way to turn, but when he says in verse eight that I am not in despair, it means this, I don't have to wonder which way to go.

While the trials might be confusing, I know which way I'm going through the trials. Let me put it this way. I don't know why this is happening to me, but I know that God's purpose is that he gets the glory. You might not know why some of the things happen to you in your life or going to happen to you. It might not make reason.

You might not have a good reason why. I hate to bring it up again, but it's heavy on my wife and my heart. Here we got an open heart surgery for our three-year-old coming somewhere in March and April, and there's still that part that says God, why are you putting us through this?

Why are you putting that little three-year-old through this wire? You feel so pressured and you feel pushed and you feel backed into a corner and you feel confused. You know, all these things that could happen and yet in the midst of all that, during the pressure, I don't have to crack under the pressure and while things are confusing, I don't have to be confused. I want you to notice, he says this in verse nine. He said, persecuted, but not forsaken. That word persecuted means to be hunted like an animal. This is great.

Look at me. This word persecuted, he says, I literally feel like an animal, but you know what that word forsaken means? It means an ever-present help in time of trouble. It means this in my life. It might be that Satan is hunting me down like an animal, but God hasn't forsaken me and I don't have to fight Satan.

God can do that. It means this while I'm being hunted, God's watching over me during the whole thing and dear friends, Satan's out to get you, but he doesn't have to get you. Satan is hunting you like an animal, but he doesn't have to catch you. God is there. You're not forsaken.

You're not going through this by yourself. I want you to notice this last phrase. He says, I'm cast down, but I'm not destroyed. You remember that word cast down meant to be smitten or beaten down. That word destroyed means to perish. It means to die.

Here's what's interesting. The worst thing that can happen in your life, the worst trial that you could possibly think of probably is that something would take your life and here's what's interesting about that. He says this, I'm not destroyed. That means when your life is taken, that's when your life really begins in heaven. When you're saved and your earthly life is taken, your life didn't end.

It actually just started. That means this, that you know what? We literally cast down or beaten down. That's what death looks like to the average person, but we that are believers in Christ that have put our faith and trust in Christ, we're not destroyed because it's not death for us. Absent from the bodies present with the Lord. I hope you're getting this this morning.

I really do. What Paul is saying is that the trials and the valleys are tough and they're hard and they're painful, but they are the perfect arena for us to demonstrate to the world that God loves us and that the God we serve is worthy and able. We are walking billboards for Christ when we go through valleys. I want you to notice secondly, number one, we must plan for the valleys. Number two, we must prepare with a vision. All right, you say, okay preacher, I've got to prepare for these trials. I've got to prepare for these things that are probably going to happen to me this year because they happened to me last year and things happen and all these things.

So how is it that I'm supposed to plan for these things? Paul gives us the absolute means. Look at verse 13. We having the same spirit of faith according as it is written, I believed and therefore have I spoken. We also believe and therefore speak. That means this, Paul makes it very clear that for us to plan for our valleys that we must have faith.

Notice if you would. We having the same spirit of faith according as it is written. In other words, what is written, what is in God's word, I have faith and I believe it. Can I ask you a question? Do you believe in God's word?

Do you believe it's true? All right, number one, see the plan of God. Look at verse 15. For all things, what are all things? All these things he's mentioned, all these trials, all these valleys, for all things are for your sakes that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. Notice that all things are for your sakes. It is hard for us to understand this, but that includes our valleys. All things is all things.

That means there's good things that benefit us and some of the bad things in our life benefit us. I think of the life of Joseph. He was betrayed by his brothers. He was sold as a slave. He was accused and cast into prison. I could go on and on and on with the things, and yet, later on in his life, it was all done for one reason, and it took Joseph to the palace where God wanted him the whole time, and God looked at his brothers that had done all those bad things to him, and he looked at his brothers, and he said, what you meant for evil, God meant for good.

For good. See the plan of God. Dear friend, in your trials and in your valleys, and I've got to do the exact same thing. Somewhere in it, you and I have got to have faith to know that somewhere in here is the plan of God.

God has not forgotten me and just let these things happen to me for no reason. There's a plan. Second, I want you to see not only the plan of God, but number two, seeing the praise of God. Look at verse 15. He said, for all things are for your sakes.

Why? That the abundant grace might, through the thanksgiving of many, redound to the glory of God. That means this, your valley, your trial is a fantastic time for you to praise God.

Why? The darker the valley, the louder the praise, the brighter the light. What a testimony when you and I can sing praises to God in the midst of our deepest valleys. He says this, that this is for our sakes. That the abundant grace, notice that, abundant grace, when I praise God in my valley, that is testimony that God's grace is sufficient. I could mention person after person after person in this church that have gone through some unbelievable things these past couple years and yet, the more they praise God in the midst of that, the more that gives God the glory and the brighter that testimony is to us. See the plan of God, sing the praise of God.

Sometimes that when bad things happen, good things come out of it. You all know that I enjoy playing golf and I like golf. I don't feel like I get to play much.

It's been months since I played. And, but I enjoy playing golf. And years ago, Brother John Worley here in our church, through his work, they got tickets to the U.S. Open at Pinehurst years ago. I think, I don't know if it was 99, I don't remember, I don't remember what year it was. And they just recently had it last year at Pinehurst. And, I got, he gave me tickets. He gave me two tickets and so, I took a young man that was on our golf team with me and we went to the U.S. Open I think it was the Friday round, Thursday or Friday round, I forget what it was. And of all people that day, I just, I followed different golfers and then I just found out that and watched a lot of them come through. But I followed a golfer named Payne Stewart that day. And I didn't realize he ended up, he won it that year at Pinehurst and he was killed in an airplane crash later on that year. And I followed him most of that day and watched him, he was always one of my favorite golfers. And on October 25th of 99, Payne Stewart was killed in that plane crash. And, there's some things that came out about that. Some of you might remember that.

In fact, I had my shoulder reconstruction done and my bicep tendon repaired and all that stuff. The doctor that did that, Dr. Weller, was a very close personal friend of Payne Stewart. And there was another friend of Dr. Weller's that was on that plane with him that got killed. And Dr. Weller was actually supposed to be on that plane with him that day. And so we always kind of talk about that when I have a surgery.

You know, it, we've been talking quite a bit lately. I've gotten to know him very well. And those of us that heard about this, we knew the news about that this aircraft had lost control and it crashed and that Payne Stewart died and all those on board did and that's what was reported about their death. But there's some things that we weren't really told about Payne Stewart. Payne Stewart was apparently a very dedicated Christian. He was a member of First Baptist Church there in Orlando, Florida. And his funeral was preached by a man named Dr. Jim Henry.

And Payne Stewart's memorial service was literally broadcast live on local stations on ESPN, CNN, the Golf Channel. And as soon as the service was over there at First Baptist Church, now you just think about the opportunity because of this man's life, the fact that he died, nobody likes the fact that he died and that's not really good for anybody. But in that funeral service at a very doctrinally correct church and for that preacher to get on and literally give the gospel and I watched a portion of that service and it amazed me that this is happening on live TV. That we could not pay for advertisement like this for the cause of Christ. And literally the world was watching and at First Baptist Church in Orlando that day, as soon as the service was over the phones at First Baptist Church began to ring off the hooks.

Callers from all around the world, they began, they wanted to know how they could come to faith in Jesus Christ as was described in that service. Callers from around the world began to call, emails began to flood in, God literally used this valley in the life of the Stewart family for thousands to come to Christ in one afternoon. You say is it good that Payne Stewart died?

No, not at all. Does it make sense and we Christians will say here's a man that's a Christian, why didn't God take one of these golfers that's always drinking and boozing and showing up at the golf course drunk and drugging and all these other things and sleeping around with women and all. Why didn't God take one of them? I'll tell you exactly why because boy, he got the glory when Payne Stewart died. And lives literally came to Christ.

Why? Because when you have the plan of God and when you go through a valley as the Stewart family did and as his wife got up and gave testimony in that service of the grace of God after just losing her husband, thousands wanted what she had. I want you to notice number three, not just to see the plan of God and sing the praise of God but number three, survive on the power of God.

Look if you would at verse 16. For which cause we faint not? Well how do we faint not? Well, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. You know how you keep from quitting?

You know how you keep from literally fainting is the outside gets tired but you gotta keep the inside renewed. That's called the power of God. As you go through a trial, it'll wear you down and break you down and Paul even mentioned it'll cast you down. It'll beat you down but the way you don't stop in the middle of that is you get in God's word and you let God renew you day by day. It's not about who's better.

It's not about who's stronger. It's about who spends more time with God. That's what makes a difference in a Christian. I want you to notice fourthly to stand on the promise of God.

Now this is good. I'm almost done. To stand on the promise of God. See the plan of God. Sing the praise of God. Survive on the power of God. Paul tells us how to do it and I'm just telling you how to get through these valleys where you minister and give the message. Notice if you would verse 17.

For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Stand on the promise of God. You say what do you mean promise of God? Preacher what are you talking about? Oh this excited me. In verse 17 we are given two promises of God about our trials.

Now this is great. Number one we see that He controls the load in our valley. And number two we see that He controls the length of the valley. Notice the first phrase for our light affliction.

Light affliction. That means this God will not put on us more than we can bear. That means this that literally as you go through your valley God controls the weight of the burden that you will carry. He will not let it get too heavy for you. He will not let it overtake you if it overtakes you.

It's because we didn't depend on the power of God. God controls the load in our valley. That ought to excite you.

That means that you could walk out of this building and I don't care what happens in 2015. It's not gonna be too heavy for you with the help of God. He controls the load.

Number two He controls the length. Notice this. For our light affliction which is but for a moment. Guess what? Whatever trial you go through is not gonna last forever. You say what if it takes me to death?

It stops at death. Thank you for listening today. We hope you received a blessing from our broadcast. The Kirtland Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Road in Kernersville, North Carolina. You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192 or via the web. at kirtlandbaptistchurch.com Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin broadcast today. God bless you.