Overcoming Fear [Part 2]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan Wright. The only way you can ever come to this kind of place in your life is realize God doesn't learn the good and the bad and God is all good, ever bad that everything that is bad and all the evil and wickedness of this world is still under God's sovereign that's pastor Alan Wright open to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Dino. Excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series.

Unspeakable joy is presented at renewal the church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program.

I will make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministry as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at pastoralan.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on that later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright just we would like to make it more simple than that. Like everything that you're going through that wrong is because you've done some of the from this is not true is, but on the other hand would be equally wrong to say that your actions don't have consequences. Of course they do in the Scripture is okay with just the balancing out of those two synergies would heal somebody and I said will wear this mine man's blindness, was it his sinners parents and just like it didn't come into one of the I love this man would heal this man got to be glorified, but are clearly other times the people who are suffering because of their own disobedience to God.

And so when you go through something difficult in life. There's this tendency we have is what I do wrong and why is God punishing me what beloved is a broken world.

This is helped me so much in life.

I do not default to this position that says oh I'm going through some difficult so God is really chasing me right now. I just don't go to that position but instead I think what the Christian mindset should be. You're going through something. It's okay to say Lord is there something that you want to teach me here and you just open your heart of the spirit, if you hear a voice of shame is not God your voice. A combination is not God. If you get some gentle correction to start moving you in a better direction you say thank you Jesus. But don't default into this position. It is like okay all this up this world has sin and just just this past week a man was highly intoxicated. Drove down the wrong way on Interstate 40 in a head-on collision was semi-coming from the right direction. Sometimes we even Chris's.

We just suffer in this world because of the brokenness in the sin of the world. Number two the Scripture reverie Revelation doesn't teach you can be so spiritual that you don't suffer, but it doesn't teach that you're more spiritual. If you do suffer the reason that I think that's important beloved to say is based on many many years of interacting with Christians of all kinds, but there are some that want to have the idea that if I'm just spiritual enough if I just have enough faith. I'm not to go through the sufferings that are common to humanity utterly un-biblical rental could make any sense. I was going on with Paul or any of the apostles all suffered so much and it could make any sense under Jesus telling them you can have trouble in this world is utterly un-biblical position, but I have been around Christians of different persuasion in which because there is a sense from the Scriptures that God cares for those that are disenfranchised poor disadvantage of suffering that somehow your hero more spiritual or the mark of spirituality. If you're suffering and that's un-biblical as well was neither one of those number three, Scripture Revelation doesn't teach that you should at all costs avoid suffering should not make an idol out and not suffering. The goal of life is not I'm going to avoid suffering.

That's not the goal of life. The goal of life is enjoying God and glorifying him forever. The goal of life is fulfilling the purposes for which God made you and sometimes that means taking a more difficult road doesn't you make it your goal to not suffer so many of the wondrous things that God has for your life you not to get there, but sometimes you have to walk through a difficult path in order to get to the glorious fruit that God has for you right. Some of us right now you need to have that difficult conversation. You don't want to because you don't know how well it will go you might suffer some of you have but if you face problems rather than going around them. God will be with you in the midst of it, but on the other hand, while we shouldn't at all costs avoid suffering.

It sure doesn't teach us the Bible to do just that we should go and be attracted to suffering or want suffering unknown people before us like they thrive on a crisis is like if everything's fine. They don't know what to do it themselves going to look for some suffering we are not is Christian supposed to paint a big bull's-eye on our chest and walk around hoping that the devil will come after us what Caesar say be wise as serpents and innocent as a dove was pulsate as much as is possible, live at peace with all people. I go looking for conflict, but some people do. Fourthly, just as much of the Bible doesn't teach the Christians can avoid suffering. The Bible doesn't teach that Christians can't triumph over suffering or be supernaturally delivered from suffering, we absolutely can't.

It is so interesting in Paul's own life. Do you think this interesting. We have stories of Paul who was imprisoned and God shakes the whole prison breaks off the shackles opens up the prison door so he can walk out scot-free lead the jailer to Jesus and impress everybody with the glories of God hallelujah. But in Rome he continues to stay in prison, no earthquake, both things happen in both happen somehow to the glory of God and one final thing in many many things. Of course it could be said addition of these but as for final thing I would say the Bible doesn't teach the Christian should be in denial of suffering. But the Bible also doesn't teach that God's sovereignty or God's good purposes or in any way thwarted or held back by human suffering because God's redemptive speech about the remainder of our time. Paul he is. If we were to take time and look and you might go back and study this in acts 21 we see where he's arrested in Jerusalem and that's what led to this. All these events and then he put imprisoned in Caesarea and everyone might be thinking his ministry is going to end because of these imprisonments, but it doesn't in fact he winds up in Rome. In prison, having made an appeal to Caesar as a Roman citizen. Paul could do that. So he comes from Caesarea to Rome, and the place of his imprisonment is what Paul talks about his so vitally important to what God is doing, because when Paul says I want you to know that what happened to me is really served to advance the gospel and he says that the gospel is being known now throughout the whole Imperial guard he's referring to what was called the Pretoria and the praetorian is a word it referred to. Originally, just to the general's tent but then came to be generalized to mean all of the officers and troops that would be with a high-ranking officer. In other words, this is the military and political elite in Rome at that time and Paul because of his imprisonment is having access to all these guards. All of these officials. In fact of the matter military officers, centurions, you could read about in acts 23 Roman soldiers and Roman governors, even Felix and Festus, along with King Agrippa and their wives, all of them because of his imprisonment. All of them heard of Christ talent right will have more teaching moment from today's important series actually is a delight reserved for those who have no problems or have you ever seen that some people are just born with a joyful personality, so get ready for some good news. Julie is afraid of the spirit available to all in Christ, no matter the circumstances of life there. Paul was in jail when he read his epistle to the Philippians he spoke of joy 16 times matter what you're going through.

You too can discover the secret to unspeakable joy as pastor and NYPD through a life building explanation of Philippians. When you make a get to sharing and light ministries today with hinging a new CD album the secret and unspeakable joy as our way of saying thank you for your partnership. Your gifts are the only way we are able to continue broadcasting the message of grace all over the nation.

Happiness may rise and fall with happenstance, but joy is ever present in the spirit to become a partner today and discover joint like never before. We are happy to send this to you as I thanks from Alan light ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor out and got work in today's teaching now continues your once again is over a span of a couple of years. Even one of the governor's anthropologist to talk to them some more.

Paul realize that though the imprisonment was evil, and though the hardship was real is not in denial that this fact of the matter was that God was advancing the gospel in some ways that would not have been happening. Had he not been imprisoned.

Furthermore, Paul here is talking about what's happening with other preachers of the gospel and he says that verse 15 some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill and he speaks of these once you do so from the goodwill of your heart, and he says that they have been strengthened by this that actually the brothers that are preaching in the right way have actually been strengthened and become more courageous and more bold in their proclamation of the gospel, because Paul's imprisoned. How could that be is because they've seen Paul.

He wrote the one who was the chief proclaiming the gospel. They've seen him come into the worst of all their fears to be put imprisoned and what they see in Paul as he still got the joy of the Lord in his life, and they see that the gospel still going for in others what they see. They said you can put us in prison and you can't stop the gospel and this just made the more bold so they get more courage. They were preaching more fervently than ever before.

But pulses are also were some brothers who were preaching Christ, but they were doing so out of selfish ambition been much scholarly discussion about what is referring to.

But this we know for sure, he says, but they were afflicting me. These are some people that are using spiritual language to advance their own ministry while denigrating Paul in some way.

There's nothing more painful than somebody to use some spiritual mumbo-jumbo to try to take advantage or put you down because you're going through something difficult. Let me just tell you this point blank biggest way the devil wanted to tempt Jesus on the cross was essentially to say, look, you're not blessed you are suffering right now bring yourself down from the cross and what happens in our lives and things are going well there is this powerful demonic force that just invades all the culture around the people around us in our own thought is so much a part of the spiritual battle.

This battle started with Adam and Eve and is look at you you're not blessed because you're going through something that's difficult and so a lot of people think that what these preachers out of selfish ambition were doing. They were essentially one way or another, say look up all these in prison if you really were a great man of God, he would be in prison right now we don't know that for sure, but that's very likely to talk. It was going on and yet Paul being hurt so badly about what they were saying he recognized they still were essentially preaching the name of Christ, and he said his if I'm imprisoned. As long as the gospel being advanced okay with that and as long as these people are preaching Christ. Even those really hurting me. I'm all for it. Roots will rejoice in the Lord's basic it's amazing the only way that you can ever come to this kind of place in your life is to realize that though God doesn't blur the good and the bad and God is all good and never bad that everything that is bad and all the evil and wickedness of this world is still under God's sovereign power, you might face trouble.

But take heart, I will overcome this world. God's wiser and more powerful than all the world sin you will back of your life. If you have the gospel and you start seeing it as something right now I can't see but I'll see it one day, but I do see something so when I was 1/4 grade boy my family broke up. My dad left home and the heart was crushed as bad family breakups bad divorce horrible. Everybody's been through it, you can say the same thing but but my mother fell down her knees and called Ellen Sagar if you're really there. I need to know you left like I'm sinking down. I'll probably take the three boys with me and a lady came and knocked on her door and led her to Christ. God just brought this lady over knocked on the door and she said I was waking up in the middle of the night when you will. My heart is or something you need. She said yes areas a miracle took place in my mom though she was the daughter of a preacher came to really know Jesus for the first time and you know what she did next. She told her three boys about the Savior. I hate that my family broke up the wood. I know Jesus had it not in a little child's heart was was hurt and with full shame. I'm talking but I bet it might as well be a straight a student employee of sport smoke go there by having nice girlfriend try to be cool in high school and inside man. I was torn up with the tyranny of shame. This is something wrong with you and you better perform or else you're not will be accepted to live without anxiety. For years, decades until I came to understand what grace really is a process of dethroning shame of my life so that about 18 years ago in this pulpit preach a series thought to be one or two syrups sermons turned out to be about 17 and I devote a big part of my life to writing and teaching and helping other people be set free and I love CMP will be set free. It was wicked and awful for fourth-graders part could go through that and start receiving shame, but had I not how what I understand and share the gospel in such a way to help others. So it was bad but it was good. If I had time I would take you back to the very beginning of God's word and show a man named Abram, called about early call these childless with his wife Sarah far beyond child bearing years in a society that far more than irises painful as infertility is in our families today and that society is stigmas attached and they had given up hope. What the Bible doesn't give us is a narrative of the decades and decades and decades it Abraham and Sarah try to have children and could, but they suffered and yet looking back on it.

If Abram and Sarah had not been childless if they had not faced the adversities of that infertility God could never have put on display in the way that he did the glories of the gospel wherein the sun that would be born would not be conceived in the natural way, but would be worn as a son of promise to prefigure the glories of the gospel that he is able to take that which has no life and create life that he is able to take that which is no son to him and make us into a son or daughter under him to show us the power of the gospel was on display in Abraham and Sarah. I wish I could have time just going through and talk to you about Joseph who was thrown into a pit and thrown into a prison and left for dead and forgotten by his family except God hadn't forgotten him in the dream that he planted in Joseph's heart never was diminished by the adversities of his life because eventually he was promoted to Prime Minister of Egypt so that God could have a man of supernatural wisdom on the back thrown during the years of plenty, so they would save up and not squander it because there was a famine that was coming and God knew that there would be a time in which Joseph's own brother to the persecuted and hated him wanted to kill him and sold him into slavery would come into Egypt looking for some way to survive is the only place in the whole known world, and at any food and come and fall down in front of Joseph, who finally would reveal that he was there brother and instead of telling them he said I forgive you because you meant it for evil but God meant it for good. I wish I had time to tell you every story in the Bible is pointing to this truth, there is good there is bad God is all good.

The devils all back and there is in the process of this broken world sin and bad things that happened, but our God is big in our God is why in our God is sovereign and he is able to bring every circumstance together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purposes even to the point when Jesus Christ, it looks like the worst moment in history when he's nailed to a Roman cross bleeds. He suffocates many die and the devil thinks it is one, but God had the last safe because the ground couldn't keep it buried that he was raised from the dead and bald.

He lives forever more, because God always had a plan, not God is on so sometimes what you have to say when that fear tries to get be about one of the worst happens, you just said it will. I can guarantee it won't happen. They probably won't happen, but if it did, will redeem and that's the gospel think we can all take that we can all imply that in our daily life. It's our teaching, overcoming your worst fears in the series. Unspeakable joy and Alan is back in a moment with additional insight on this for your life. The final word. New sold it seriously and constantly desires to label the rights. Julie is an elusive dream reserve for select who had no problems or for those who were born with a joyful disposition actually enjoys the fruit of the spirit available to all in Christ, no matter what you're facing. You can have the joy of the Lord in the midst the apostle Paul.even his epistle to the Philippians. While in prison he spoke of Julie 16 times. Alan writes newest album, the secretive unspeakable joy takes you chapter by chapter 3 Paul's explanation of the secret of joining Philippians when you make a gift to data sharing in light beacon light of the new CD out of our way of thinking. Thanks for your partners come apart and discover the secrets unspeakable joy.

We are happy to send this to you as I thanks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website past Rowan.work as we are wrapping up this particular teaching, overcoming your worst fears.

I like with the way you ended then there really is something we can hold onto and say you know I can't take my get worse if I get better. My stay, but the same nobody do about it.

But there is joy in theirs and there's a consistency that we see. We watch believers and saints throughout all of history have this unexplainable unspeakable joy if I could go back and turn the time back in. Teach myself as a very young man but I have now learned in the Christian walk. I think the primary thing I would've told myself is Alan you going to be shocked God takes the worst things and turns it into good and Paul's is a story like that most of us if were imprisoned like he was would be so focused on that Mincey realized that the place of his imprisonment to put in contact with Rome's elite and the link to that imprisonment serve to propel the gospel military officer century and soldiers governors King Agrippa heard Paul speak about Christ. The list goes on and on about the way your life if you go back and watch you'll see the Providence of God even in the worst that's how you overcome your worst fears is knowing that God is going to be redemptive so is it going. I'm so afraid something will happen well we say something that does happen still in charge. Today's good news message. It's a listener supported production Alan Wright Ministries