-Transcript-
00:39 Amen. Glory to God. Welcome to the program.
00:43 Welcome to the cafe. Pastor Clark Covington. So glad you can join me here today as we get into a second part of a multi-part series.
00:51 I can’t say how many parts because I don’t even know yet. It’s such a big topic. We may stay on this one for a while.
00:57 On having faith in times of trouble, of suffering well, of trusting that God is going to get us through these difficult times. We grow in hard times and our Lord loves us so much He wants us to grow more perfect in knowledge of Him.
01:14 And because of that when we get to our end we’ll be thankful for His molding because we are made more like Him.
01:22 Think about it. Christian means Christ-like. How can we be Christ-like if we’ve got it neutral and we are never seeking and desiring to be more like Him? Because maybe we’re just set in our ways.
01:37 Maybe we’re looking for an easier path. Maybe we’re intimidated or scared by what changes may come. You know people in general don’t love change.
01:44 I consider myself to be someone that used to be pretty spontaneous and I can tell you I don’t love change. I often think of that stubborn sheep you know and the Lord’s got his rod and he’s and he’s and he’s got a staff and he’s guiding and he’s chastening and he’s trying to get you to go over here and you want to stay over there.
02:01 Even I could tell you stories and I’m sure you could tell me stories of times of not wanting that change especially when we’re going through hard times.
02:10 But that is when we grow and we understand as the foundation of this principle that God loves us. Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you sayeth the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end.
02:26 You know God loves us. You know he thinks of us peacefully. We are precious to Him.
02:33 Amen. Those that have been saved those that have applied the blood of Christ have believed on on the blood of Christ for their salvation. Those that have believed that Jesus Christ died for their sins that He really did was a raise again rose again He really did rise again from the grave.
02:49 I should say I’m kind of tripping on my words here but that he rose again. Those that believe on on Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We’re saved.
02:59 We are born again. And the Bible tells us we are bought with a price. Paul himself calls himself a prisoner of Christ.
03:09 This idea that when we are bought with a price we’re no longer our own. We are now God’s. We are His children.
03:14 Amen. And see the world says everybody is God’s child. No.
03:18 Everyone is God’s creation. God’s child that’s the one that’s born again. Amen.
03:24 And in order to be born again you have to accept Christ as Savior and when you are born again then you become a child of God. And there’s some implications to that. You get the Holy Spirit living within you.
03:34 You understand that Jesus Christ God’s only begotten died for your sins and was risen again. There was a very precious price paid for your salvation. And that God loves us.
03:47 We have the comforter living within us. And yet we go through hard times. Could it be to compel us to have faith? Could it be that that’s where we’ll grow the most?
03:56 And I mentioned that the prosperity preacher and maybe not just a prosperity preacher maybe it is you fill in the blank type of preacher says God loves you so much you can be rich and live easy.
04:08 And that sounds real good to us doesn’t it tickles our ears doesn’t it? But that’s not true. That’s not biblical. The Bible preacher says God loves you so much you’re gonna go through hard times to grow.
04:19 Amen. You show me a man or woman of God in the Bible one that had God’s favor and I’ll show you someone that went through very hard times. I’ll also show you someone that had faith. So we are to trust God in hardship.
04:32 He’s up to something. He’s doing something good. And we aren’t to go crazy and try to do something big for God.
04:37 Oftentimes the underlying theme of this message at least is that obedience is better than sacrifice. You don’t have to feel pressure to do anything more than God calls you to do. It’s simply better to endure and trust and to do something big God doesn’t want you to do.
04:53 1 Samuel 15:22 and Samuel said hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams. God just wants us to obey. He wants us to listen.
05:08 And what’s he telling us here today? I believe by the working of the Holy Spirit God is telling us number one in your life expect turbulence but don’t panic. Number two you’re gonna encounter obstacles but you seek the Lord. And number three trust God’s plan.
05:22 It’s for our good and we are to work with our brothers and sisters in Christ. And today we’re going to drill down a little bit on number one. Expect turbulence.
05:31 You know calm is what we hope for but tribulation is what we’re promised. And Jesus tells us to prepare. John 16:33 these things I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace.
05:45 In the world ye shall have tribulation but be of good cheer I have overcome the world. Jesus here we love to look at this and say Jesus is going to give us peace and He’s overcome the world. But oftentimes we’ll skip that middle part of the verse here that says in the world ye shall have tribulation.
06:05 Now here the word tribulation as I understand it means problems. It doesn’t mean the great tribulation. Here in KJV Cafe we believe in a pre-tribulation rapture.
06:15 That means in the Bible the way that that I’ve studied it and understood it and the teachers I’ve been under have all explained to me similar that God’s gonna take us out before it gets very bad.
06:26 Us being the church. And so I don’t mean the great tribulation I mean daily tribulation right? Rather than looking for a comfortable life we should seek peace with Jesus Christ our Lord amidst the struggle.
06:40 Amen. We should seek peace. You know there’s nothing better than a preacher giving context to a verse because many verses are taken out of context.
06:47 So I read you the last verse from John 16. Let’s go ahead and bump it up and start at the top of John 16 and see what the Lord Jesus Christ is explaining here. These things I have spoken unto you that ye should not be offended.
07:01 They shall put you out of the synagogues yea the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God’s service. And these things will they do unto you because they have not known the Father nor me. But these things have I told you that when the time shall come ye may remember that I told you of them.
07:15 And these things I said not unto you at the beginning because I was with you. But now I go my way to him that hath sent me. And none of you asketh me whither goest thou.
07:29 But because I have said these things unto you sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth that is expedient for you that I go away. For if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you.
07:40 But if I depart I will send him unto you. And when he has come he will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Of sin because they believe not on me.
07:51 Of righteousness because I go to my Father and you see me no more. Of judgment because the Prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you but ye cannot bear them now.
08:03 How a bit when he the Spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak. And he will show you things to come.
08:14 He shall glorify me for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine. Therefore said I that he shall take of mine and shall show it unto you.
08:25 A little while and you shall not see me. And again a little while and you shall see me because I go to the Father. And then said some of his disciples among themselves what is this that he saith unto us? A little while and you shall not see me.
08:38 And again a little while and you shall see me because I go to the Father. They said therefore what is this that he saith a little while? We cannot tell what he saith. Now Jesus knew what they were desirous to ask him and said unto them.
08:53 Do ye inquire among yourselves that I said a little while and you shall see not me? And again a little while and ye shall see me? Verily verily I say unto you that ye shall weep and lament but the world shall rejoice. And ye shall be sorrowful but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman she is in travail hath sorrow but her hour has come.
09:12 But as soon as she is delivered of the child she remembers no more the anguish for the joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow but I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day you shall ask me nothing.
09:28 Verily verily I say unto you whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name he will give it you. Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you shall receive that your joy may be full.
09:38 These things I have spoken unto you in Proverbs but the time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in Proverbs but I shall show you plainly of the Father. And that day you shall ask in my name and I say unto you that I will pray the Father for you. For the Father himself loveth you because ye have loved me and have believed that I came out from God.
09:59 I came forth from the Father and am come into the world again I leave the world and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him lo now speakest thou plainly and speakest no proverb. Now we are sure that thou knowest all things and needest not that any man should ask thee.
10:15 By this we believe that thou comest forth from God. Jesus answered them. Do you now believe? Behold the hour cometh yea is now come that you shall be scattered every man to his own and shall leave me alone and yet I am not alone because the Father is with me.
10:31 And here’s our textverse 33. These things I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace in the world you shall have tribulation but be of good cheer I’ve overcome the world.
10:43 All right there that’s John 16 you just got the whole chapter in amen if people saying you studying the Bible you can say I’m yeah I just read John 16 or I had it read too me Amen.
10:52 it’s story time but that’s a real true life story there in John 16 and that’s a true life event of Jesus Christ telling his disciples the future persecution of the church that the Comforter capital C Comforter the Holy Spirit is going to come as he ascends to be with the Father
11:07 that the Spirit will guide them in all truth that sorrow will be turned to joy and that the sorrow turning to joy is like a woman in in in birth pains once she has the child born she’s overjoyed
11:20 I remember when we had our son CJ and it was a complicated pregnancy especially at the end there there were some problems there and we were worried for CJ and man it was uh it was getting very scary as to what they might have had to do emergency c-section
11:36 they didn’t but when that child was born when that child finally was resting in the arms of the nurse and then in the little bassinet thing that they have there with a like it’s almost like an incubator with a light and CJ let out a big roar of a cry we all rejoiced because he was alive there’s breath in his lungs Amen
11:56 God had provided us a son Amen and this son was okay and we were so relieved and mom was okay Amen and we were praising God and all of that hardship that we had gone through with the child was now not being thought about at all because we were praising God for the joy of that new birth
12:11 and that’s what Christ is telling us that hey soon enough we’re gonna be with him in heaven amen and there’ll be a new Jerusalem Amen and there will be a new life full of joy and happiness and all pain and all sorrow and all sin will no longer be in fact there’s no night in heaven Amen
12:27 I love that there’s just the light and there’s no Sun cuz he is the light amen oh what a beautiful time that’ll be but this time here we are still as I understand it in that birth pain period when we’re in pain
12:39 and agony I believe Paul writes about it that the with a whole earth is groaning and moaning and in travail the Christian life is not for the faint of heart
12:51 Jesus Himself tells us to expect turbulence and that we should rejoice in him because the time is at hand Amen but when we expect turbulence we won’t be surprised when it hits right
13:02 and isn’t that part of preparation as a Christian is that part of what God wants us to know what what Jesus Christ was telling the disciples as he was preparing for His passion that they then had to prepare for a very turbulent and upheaval time in their lives when bad things were going to be happening Amen
13:19 they were gonna think everything was all over there was he Christ crucified on the cross before they saw him resurrected again where they saw him in his resurrected body those 40 days and 40 nights before he ascended up to the Father before the Holy Spirit came down from heaven
13:31 this is before all that and they were being told prepare yourself prepare yourself it’s going to be good but first it’s going to be turbulent so good could God tell us through John 16 and through His word for us to prepare ourselves that to be have faith in Him and not to panic but to trust God and trust God’s plan Amen
13:51 and not panic in turbulent times and if we’re able to do that if we’re able to trust God I believe that he will help us with that faith grow in knowledge of him and we will come out of that hard time better than we went into it Amen
14:04 and that is part of having faith next time we’re gonna look at how we encounter obstacles and how we seek God’s a tune in next time but again
14:14 thank you so much for listening here the KJV cafe take care God bless and Amen