God's Plan in Pain

Wisdom is...thinking from God's point of view.

  

Repentance... is changing the way you think to the way God thinks.

Pain... If you focus on it's purpose, it is much easier to handle. 

  

God uses pain to help us find our purpose.

  

Pain can be a stepping stone to maturity or a stumbling block in your relationship with God. 

We must harvest our hurts.  

We must gain from our pain. 

God doesn't create the pain, but He does use it.  

When you are in pain, run to God and not away from Him.

God's number purpose in my pain is to make me like Jesus.  

If God is making me to be like Jesus, He will take me through what Jesus went through.

Pain never leaves you where it found you. 

Resilience is the number factor of success. 

We all fall, but not everyone gets up. 

We must have a eternal viewpoint.  

We must look past the pain.  

Your greatest ministry will come out of your deepest pain.

Our witness comes out of how we handle our weaknesses and not out of our strengths.  

Our suffering gives us our credibility not success.    

Tell God exactly how you feel about your pain. 

Worship God in all the phases of grief. 

Rick Warren, Saddleback Church 

When God is Late!

John 11:1 (ESV)

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

In the ancient world, illness could end up in death.

John 11:6-7 (ESV)

6 So, when he (Jesus) heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”

Jesus does not act predictably.  He wasn't in a hurry to heal Lazarus.  Lazarus was probably already dead when Jesus heard the news.   

John 11:17  (ESV)

Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

Jesus shows up 4 days after the death.

John 11:21-22 (ESV)

21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

If you have just a flicker of faith like Martha, Jesus will fans the flame (M.H. Dennis)

John 11:32  (ESV)

32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Hold on to your faith.  Jesus is for you even if your circumstances are against you.  We don't determine the will of God by what's happening (M. H. Dennis).

   

John 11:41 (ESV)

41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.

This was at the end of Jesus's ministry.

1. Do you know who to call when you need a miracle?

Mary and Martha knew that they could call Jesus.  We are to believe in Jesus.  We are to pray bold prayers in Jesus's name.

  

John 20:31 (ESV)

31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

2. What do you do when you are disappointed with God? 

How do you get through that?  Mary and Martha knew that Jesus could answer their prayer, but He did not.  Lazarus had died.  Four days later Jesus had showed up.  

Have you told God how you are feeling?  You do know He already knows.  Mary and Martha were disappointed too.

John 11:35 (ESV)

Jesus wept.

Jesus knows our pain, and will speak to us in a manner that we will understand. He will show us His pain while He grieves with us. 

Jesus loves to turn a funeral into a celebration. 

3. Do you have confidence in your ending, and what happens after that?

Charles Barkley said that "Father time is undefeated"; however, Jesus will defeat him.  Jesus has the power to resurrect.

John 14:2 (ESV)

2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

Jesus is preparing a new home in eternity for you if you'd only believe it. 

Start with who Jesus is.  Can you trust Him in your pain?  Can you receive Him for you?  Tell Jesus a simple prayer. 

Jesus, I believe that you are who you say that you are, and I'm taking you at Your word. Please forgive me and be my Lord and Savior.  I trust You!

Steve Gilliam, Willowcreek Church 

God is in control

Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Anything God is in, he is in control.  Who's in the huddle makes a difference. Anything in God's control is never out of control. When you know God everything changes.  

1. Things are going to happen.  Not all things that happen are good, but God works it out for good.  

2. Let faith work and fear walk.  Feed faith. Starve fear. 

3. God works all things for good to those who love Him.  This promise is a conditional promise to those who love God. 

4. Response- Accept Jesus as your Savior.  

5. God's purpose will prevail.  

Job 42:2 (ESV)

2 “I know that you can do all things,

    and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

6. Decision- Discover your purpose and start doing your purpose.

7.  Realize your walk is your witness.  How you live matters.  

1 Peter 1:6-7 (ESV)

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Your pain is speaking purpose to others.  Your pain is not wasted.  Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Dino Rizzo, Church of the Highlands  

A Close Encounter of the Final Kind

An encounter with God changes everything.

Our greatest pain can be a catalyst for our greatest gain. (Isaiah 6:1-4)  God speaks to us when we are hurting the most. Run to God even if the pain is from your own mistakes.  Don't run from God. 

When we see God clearly, we see ourselves clearly.  (Isaiah 6:5)  Let God touch the deepest part of you.   God removes our past, so He can redeem our future.  (Isaiah 6:6-8)

Get over your past, so God can redeem your future.  God wants to settle your past once and for all!  Don't look at your life from the lens of yesterday. 

God wants to reveal more of Himself to you.  (Jeremiah 29:13)  The key is to go all in.  Don't try to control your spiritual journey.  Trust God!  God wants to change you.  (Isaiah 1:18-19)

There is nothing that God has for you that you won't enjoy.  God loves you just as you are, but too much to let you stay that way.

The key is to take the next step.  You are a part of God's plan.  God has an assignment for you.  (Isaiah 60:1-3)  You discover your purpose if you put your life into God's hands.  (Ephesians 2:10)

Chris Hodges, Church of the Highlands       

To obey or not to obey that is the question

God brings tests into our lives, and then waits for us to understand that we can't solve them. 

To be a conqueror, you must first be conquered by God. 

God will test our obedience. Orders don't have to make sense to us but to God. 

We are not ordered to understand, but to undertake. 

(Adrian Rodgers notes)

When Your Setback Seems Irreversible

SETBACK: A loss of progress, a defeat in a plan, or a reversal of good fortune.  

Anything that sets you back. 

What do you do when your setback seems irreversible and permanent.

Job lost everything in a day including his wealth, family, and health.  

Job 30:26-27 (NIRV)  I hoped good things would happen, but something evil came. 

I looked for light, but all I saw was darkness. 

My insides are always churning. 

Nothing but days of suffering are ahead of me. 

These are the five things that Job did T.R.U.S.T.

Tell God exactly how you feel.

1. When God listens to you,He wants you to be honest. 

2. God can handle any emotions that you have because He gave them to you. 

3. You are made in the image and likeness of God, and you have emotions because God has them. 

4. God never wants you to fake an emotion. 

5. Because you believe in God, You can complain Him.  


Who does an Atheist complain too? 


If you complain to God, that proves that you believe there is a God. 

6. What frustrations have you never talked to God about? God can handle it.   

Refuse to become bitter.  

1. Bitterness is saying that you don't trust your God.  

It proves that you're not seeing the big picture. 

2. Will you love God and trust Him no matter what happens?

3. You are not promised a perfect life on earth. 

4. Your faith will be tested. A untested faith is no faith at all. 

5. Life is not always good, but God is. 

Our brains are not big enough to understand our pain. 

6. How do you trust God when your heart is breaking? 

How do you keep your eyes on God when they are filled with tears?

7. The antidote to bitterness is praise. 

It is focusing on God and not your problems. 

8. You can build your life upon these principles even when you don't understand.   

a. God will never stop loving you. 

b. God has a plan for your life. 

c. God cares about every detail of your life.

d. God is in control of things even when you don't understand it. 

e. God will protect you. 

9. Bitterness will only hurt you.  Resist bitterness. 

10. Both bitterness or happiness are choices. 

You have a choice of one or the other. 


Which one do you want  happiness or bitterness?

Unite with other people who will help you to focus on God. 

1. God never intends for you to go through life on your own during...

a. Sorrow

b. Pain

c. Loss

2. Our natural response to pain is to withdraw from others. You need to grow closer to...

a. Church small groups

b. Weekend worship

3. Pain is a great equalizer.  Both rich and poor experience it. 

4. Never use evil to escape pain. (drugs, affairs, etc...) 

5. Increase the amount of time that you spend with God's people. 

6. What do you ask God for in a set back. 

a. Wisdom for a clear perspective. 

b. Strength to overcome your pain. 

7. Worship relaxes you and is good for you. 

a. It will extend your life.  

b. You'll remember that God is bigger than your problem. 

Surrender your future to God.

1. Beware of bad advice. 

2. Trust reveals itself in pain. 

3. Worry is the warning life that your faith is weak.

Trust Jesus for every detail of your comeback. 

1. What is in the gutter of your life that one little spark would burn your house down?

2. Pray for others before yourself.  When Job prayed first for others, God doubled what He lost. 

Message by Rick Warren, Saddleback Church
https://saddleback.com/visit/locations/onlinecampus?autoplay=true