[1] Christian Adversity, Sunday, 07-15-2007, Pastor David McIntosh

Text: Proverbs 24:10

INTRODUCTION:

• I played football back in my college days.
• I remember each August before practices would begin we would have strength testing.
• We would have to bench press for our upper body & squats for our legs.
• It didn’t matter what we said we could lift but our strength was evaluated by how our bodies responded to the strength testing.
• How does God test our Spiritual strength?
• Proverbs 24:10 – “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.”

TRANSITION:

• With this verse revealing that God allows “days of adversity” into our lives to grow spiritual strength, let’s look at how we can cooperate with God and use personal adversity to help us grow mighty in Spirit.
• First let me assure you we are in good company: Matthew 26: 31 (disciples warned) 35 (they assured Jesus they were strong) 56 (they fainted in adversity)

WHAT IS “ADVERSITY?”

• 1. A Hebrew word = “Ra”; bad, evil, unpleasant, affliction, anguish, distress, a negative attitude toward God or man; a bad thing.
  2. Dictionary: a state, condition, or instance of serious or continued difficulty.
  3. Psalm 10:6 – “He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.”

WHY WILL A CHRISTIAN HAVE ADVERSITY? (Many reasons; 3 main reasons, 3 things Jesus said)

1. Matthew 4:17- “Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
   1. Because we must repent we will have adversity (change the way we think about life to the degree that we change our life practices)
   2. To take on the way God thinks means I have to become acquainted with the way God thinks.
   3. I have to read, study, and learn God’s way of thinking. (automatic adversity)
   4. Example: Early in my relationship with the Lord, God brought to my attention one day in prayer that I had stole some money from a previous employer.
   5. I knew it was wrong, so I asked God to forgive me. But it continued to bother me in my conscience; I could not pray it was becoming a problem.
   6. I told my wife and she said maybe there is more to it.
   7. God why, He wanted me to see the situation as He does and respond accordingly.
   8. But I thought I had, but I had not.
   9. Listen to what God showed me: Numbers 5:6, 7 – “When a man or woman wrongs another…that person is guilty and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the person he has wronged.”
   10. I know what you’re thinking, because I thought all those same things: but this was before I was saved, this is the O.T. it doesn’t count, they won’t understand, but in reality I didn’t want to! (embarrassing, don’t have the money etc)
   11. By His grace and with encouragement from my wife I obeyed Numbers 5.
   12. See I was experiencing stress, difficulty, adversity because of changing the way I think and handle things.
   13. But my employer asked me back to work; he said if you did this, then I know I can fully trust you. Also, my financial situation has God’s blessing on it.

2. Matthew 5:23-25 – “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”
   1. Christians will have adversity because we are commanded to restore relationships.
   2. Jesus said that it is a greater priority to Him that we reconcile with others than bring Him a gift. (of sacrifice or praise)
   3. The adversity comes because most Christians do not live reconciled with the people in their lives. BECAUSE IT IS HARD TO DO!
   4. We have been hurt, laughed at, violated, persecuted, abused; so the natural tendency is to cut off people, not go and reconcile.
   5. Example: I remember early in our marriage my wife and I were having tremendous difficulty with people we loved, people God had placed in our lives. But things were said and done in the past and the pain was great. So we were going to do the right thing: Pray and give them over to God and not see them again or at least for a long time.
   6. Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
   7. Praise the Lord for a brother in the Lord (A Pastor) who helped us in counsel. Folks in times of adversity get Godly counsel.
   8. Well he loved us enough to show us God’s truth even though he knew it would initially not relieve the adversity. By God’s grace we followed his Godly counsel and slowly but surely reconciliation began to happen and God has been so good.
   9. See, I was experiencing adversity because God commanded me to reconcile relationships with people, I would just move on, but God has greater things for us than even we do ourselves.
   10. Incidentally, two of the people have made a confession of faith in the Lord Jesus and I know for sure that one is in a Bible believing church and reading the Bible.
3. Luke 9:23 – “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
   1. Christian will have adversity because Jesus calls us to deny ourselves.
   2. Deny means to refuse oneself or give up oneself.
   3. To refuse yourself and tell on yourself to God creates automatic adversity!
   4. Example: I was reading in the Bible not to long ago a passage of Scripture from Matthew 5, it was verse 37 which reads; “Simply let your Yes be Yes, and your No, No; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
   5. Now, what caught my attention was the last phrase that anything beyond this comes from the evil one. The opposite would be to have said “Yes” but then did not do it.
   6. The Lord gave me understanding that this meant “Keep your promises.”
   7. So I was challenged again to gather my kids and ask them if there were any promises I had made but had not kept.
   8. But see, they had never said anything, so I didn’t want to open a can of worms, so I tried to remember myself before I asked them and I did remember that I promised bikes to two of my children. But they would need to remember.
   9. So I gathered by children and wife and asked them if I have made any promises I had not kept.
   10. After a few minutes they said No, none that they can remember. The Lord was telling me deny yourself and ask them about the bikes. But Lord if they didn’t remember, but the Lord said, I remember, now tell on yourself.
   11. So I asked and they said oh ya, I remember now and now that you stirred our memory there was this other thing as well.
   12. About $200.00 and a vacation day later I was even.
   13. See, I wrestled with myself, it is not natural to deny yourself, and I was in adversity because of the command to deny myself.
   14. Matthew 11:6 – “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.”

HOW DO I RESPOND TO ADVERSITY?

1. Have a G.O.D. Response
   1. Give God thanks; 1 Thessalonians 5:18 – “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
   2. Overcome evil with good works; Romans 12:21- “Do not be overcome with evil but overcome evil with good.”
   3. Defer to the Word; Hebrews 4:12- “For the word of God is living and active…penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit.”
2. This is a process, if practiced will transform our souls (mind, will, emotions) for God!
3. Listen to this promise to all who will trust God enough to let Him discipline them!
4. Psalm 94:12, 13- “Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law; That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity…”

WHAT WILL GOD THINK OF ME?

1. Often we are like children with their parents, deep down we want to come to them and share our trials & adversity, but we aren’t sure how they will respond and so we resist.
2. Will God understand my adversity, I’m kind of embarrassed about it, will He laugh at me and tell me to just grow up, will He be harsh and really not understand?
3. Psalm 31:7, 8 – “I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities; And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.”
4. Did you hear that, God has already considered your trouble and “hast known” that phrase means intimately, like a husband & wife know each other.
5. Jesus is with you in your adversity!

CLOSE

1. Hebrews 4:15, 16 – “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
2. I believe that many in here this morning need to instantly obey this Scripture from the Lord.
3. So in order to help all of us, for the next few minutes this altar area is going to be our “Throne of Grace” that we are called to approach with confidence for the specific purpose of receiving mercy, finding grace to help, in our area of need!
4. Team begins to play “Lord I Give You Me” I welcome you and invite you to obey the Word of the Lord and come to this Throne of Grace!