The Good of Affliction - Part 2 of 2

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All this was that I might not trust myself, not you see this further in the 12th chapter of this epistle. When Paul had been caught up to the third heaven and had met with Mark about unique experience where in chapter 12 in verse four he says how he was called up into paradise and heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

So the man was a godly man and yourself and seeking to honor Christ to be somewhat elated over this matter himself and his experience so what happened verse seven. And last I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations that was given to me in the flash the messenger of Satan to buffet me, God was the messenger of Satan to say why would God use a messenger of Satan to God's in charge of everything God wants to use a messenger of Satan. He's not under his control just as much as it does anything else and he sends the messenger of Satan to buffet him is described as being a thorn in the flash. What's the first reaction when you get this chart done talking about the approach that some take that say you just develop an attitude of positive thinking. You kind of ignore your pain talking about ignoring pain to anything that is not there now is there affliction means that you're in trouble you do that you become emotionally distraught by it all was given to me this thorn in the flesh, but the purpose of it was. Was I should be exalted above measure for this thing I saw Lord fries to do my part for me that's obviously the reaction that any of us would've had Lord please change the situation. Please remove the storm and he sent me, my grace is sufficient for the for my strength is made perfect in weakness. None of us like to have a sense of being weak newly one time when I was physically ill. But I still tried to fill the stand and I was on the both sides desperately wondering if any given moment, I would just slink down behind it and suddenly the congregation wonder what happened to the preacher just disappeared outside a day, that's not very good feeling when you feel like just any moment. You may think that bite out of the picture. Well, none of us want to sign up to say yes, I'm ready to be identified with the week.

Think in those terms.

What do people get plaques for the awards for what to get recognition for not being strong aggressive front.

Paul says no but God had spoken to him, declaring my grace is sufficient.

My strength is made perfect in weakness. I rather glory in mind is the power of Christ may rest upon me. My great experience I had much I know where I stand in my weakness because it's the glory and the power of Christ. Therefore, I take place her in infirmities and necessities and persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. We strong. You have heard that exploding you have read it. You may have it on the black on your wall somewhere but how easy it is to forget that when I am weak, it's that I'm strong why because you have discovered and learned of the truth but it's not your strength. It's not your ingenuity is not your steamed is not your plan is not to cope with it, you have to admit, Lord, I am nothing.

I'm not able to handle it cannot be relied upon by grace and his grace is sufficient for us and that's the second thing that's made clear in this first chapter of the book of second Corinthians. The first thing was that he should not trust in himself.

Verse nine chapter 1 verse nine but we had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves what's the second thing, but God is it interesting that he couples this thought of trusting in God with the truth that he raises the dead. The two lessons in affliction, do not trust in yourself. Trust in God so basic my bridge. I knew that forking here this morning. I left him a little here learn that have you always remembered that just when you need.

Have you had any days this past week when you are running around in a state of chaos saying, but handle this. What about this all my plans are blown up my life: nothing more I can say you forgot about this when you need to almost 2 afflictions, we might not trust that we trust in God speaks of God is the one that raises the day that you have not any bigger problem that your burdens are having a real frustration when talking about God who raises the dead. So if God can raise the dead. He knew anything handle whatever the disaster in your life is at the moment and get you through who delivered us from so great a death, and deliver, in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us, so afflictions are good because they teach us dependence upon God and that we learn another thing here in this passage back in the second verse he says grace mean to you and peace from God our father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God the father Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies and the God of all comfort is a wonderful expression is to use the God of all comfort say I need comfort regarding not any competitors.

He's got the franchise on the whole comfort try to three different places here by pick and choose what works anything down the street is going to be.

Says he has it all comfort that God is the God of all comfort us in all regulation, God comforts us, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God � the third good thing about affliction that we now are able to comfort others see the world always has. It substitutes today become very popular to have support groups that meet together in discuss their common problems. I've had people like me and talk to me about their experiences with some of them. I'm not saying that everything that's said and done, is necessarily basement that I've heard of work certain in that category. Through it all had the same problem, but none of them knew the proper solution.

If you meeting with people that are not the same problem with the answer and your hashing and rehashing all the difficulties look at look at all my heart, with all my trouble with what I experienced.

My childhood on the adult child of an alcoholic father. All we went through when you rehash that over and over again. You're just wallowing around the mire you not been helping you're not honoring God what I just think it helps a lot to get together and discuss it is a sense that affliction, you learn that God is the God of all comfort.

He uses his people to be a blessing to others to share with them is the source of it, but he may send somebody to be the channel of your life. Now how does God comfort us.

I realize that there times the Lord to just give us strength and support were not able to clearly identify God's spirit is able to console us principally his consolation comes to his word, think the more you understand about God's purpose and what he's doing and that there's a benefit to the affliction that you're experiencing more changes your concept. Now you been blast with comfort and when you comfort somebody asked say well I'm going to tell my not sure extend my deepest sympathies by certain understand how you hurt because I've been through a lot of the same thing as I know, I know all this terrible have you help them biblically and to the glory of Christ.

If that's your approach somebody bemoaning the fact that my life is been changed forever by this Harlan position by this terrible sin, but this offense that's about as committed against me by the actions of somebody else which I had no control just doesn't seem fair. And you say you're right, it's just not fair, but your heart. I don't know how you going to get through it all anyway� I will pray for you and I want you to know I'm here for you is that biblical comfort now somebody says well you know which is one of those things those things happen. All of us and once in a while just one of those things that really helps in tomatoes.

As you know, I was just just chance just bite does that give you comfort no understanding that the sovereign God of heaven is on the throne and he is at work. If you totally different outlook. But Habakkuk was trouble and looking for some answers because of the difficulties in his time and ultimately sad. I am at work. Habakkuk though you have not been able to recognize it, though, you think nothing's going on, something is going on but when he found out what was going on. He did like because God said what's going on. I'm get ready to judge my people because of their sin that he was disturbed, but he finally came to grips with the reality that God is sovereign and God knows how to run his business and whatever he does is all right and so we said the Lord is in his temple. Let all the earth.

Keep silence before him. Now, Lord, I'm ready to close my mouth with murmuring and complaining and just wait before the and then he went all the way from the place of complaint to a place of praise when in the last chapter he says, though there are no figures on the tree, and there's no breaks on the vine and there's no herd in the stall, yet will I rejoice in about she thinks that's comfort when we come to understand that we are not alone said the water, they shall not overflow me. When you look at all these dark seem to make sense. It seems to me that everything is going right but you can't understand that God is bringing what appears to be the main gods in jar that gives you different outlook on life with God's fate, chance what's but when you understand that the holy God of the universe who knows all things past present future was a God of love and mercy is in jar and your hope for the present for the future is in him all that gives comfort and backs the comfort but only with which you are comforted, but that which you can share with others. See one of the great problems when people are in darkness and trouble is reaching the point that they feel there's no hope, no hole about all of us were shocked once again by the terrible news.

When those shootings occurred in Atlanta just a few days ago and as I listened to the Atlanta radio stations while in the area. Of course it was the main topic of conversation on the talk shows various ones were offering their opinions and speculating about some of the circumstances that led up to it, but they didn't read one of the letters that this man had left behind and he said I'm going to do what I'm doing because there is no hope. There is that you decided things are devastating. They are falling apart. I have been maligned. I have been mistreated. I have harmed in many ways and there is no relief. There is no hole. There's no way to get better, you could indeed be driven absolute and total despair. But the point that I'm making here is that when we find that God is the God of all comfort.

We also find according to Romans 15 verse 13 that he is the God of hope you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may have bound and hold the power of the Holy Ghost, and I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren also are full of goodness and filled with all knowledge able to admonish one another because God's whole now you some information about God's truth is work about your sovereignty that you can share that you never need to be hopeless. The same God is working gives us we so desperately need time this running out, but he also clearly indicates that one of the benefits of affliction is that it keeps your sights set on heaven and get to the place that everything you're thinking about everything that you're concerned with his earthly and so with every disappointed here. If you feel like your life is been basically ruined as far as the plans that you had. And this is all of the reason for ultimate despair when your site is what's coming.

Romans chapter 8 and the 18th verse says this for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us to the scene is for you counting the sufferings of this present time are that shall be revealed, so you may be down and out of the moment (that's not that's temporary affliction when just look for a moment working for us a far more exceeding a you know all of our have no hope. As long as your faith is in the God of hope because you see, he's the God of all comfort. He's got all whole so you say things are going right all right still trust God. If things never go to my satisfaction here city which have foundations, whose builder and maker is not righteousness, pain, disappointment, depression in the presence of Jesus Christ. Singing about playing games to God you keep your sights on heaven friends you will have to pin up on some of the little frivolous things here, the people resort to try to get through the trials of something that's brighter and brighter to come in and one concluding thought back to the 119th Psalm after he has told us specifically in the words of our text that it is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn by statutes. He also says in the 67 first before I was afflicted I went astray. But now about to buy were you see sometimes prosperity causes an individual to go away you might be one of those that may been a time in your life that you were thinking more about God and his word, but you were prospered, said in Psalm 30, verse six, and in my prosperity I said I shall never be moved in. This prosperity is things going well. I got money in the bank.

Things finally got good health never be moved and secure.

I've got it all in place them in the time that you struggled and just wonder how to make ends meet and then things took a turn got a better job better house yesterday.

The electricity went off in the church but midway through the morning service, we still had lunch and an afternoon service in front of us and somewhat more like home. This is the sister.

Well, I've been around long enough.

I remember the day that the warning air-conditioned churches there but if set there with the fans. It kind of brought back memories.

The mayor yesterday afternoon about Fannin is in fact I can remember the first time. I spent the night was somebody that had an air-conditioned house.

I was on a preaching trip and I was invited to this home and walked in and it was like a refrigerator. I mean that they know it was new for them to do so. They thought the idea was keep it as cold as possible and it was it was in South Georgia and it was hot and I me but walking and that it was these things must be the richest people ever met in my life, and you can you believe this, this whole thing in the wind. I mean the whole house was air-conditioned and the spectacular know we we get to the places we begin to take these things for granted.

I'm sure a lot of you when you were brought up as a child, you did live in an air-conditioned house you got place.

Now you think you have air-conditioning you just passed what he does�.That have well prosperity comes in sit back and say this boy you know really going places never can you imagine what what I've got in the process. You begin to be attracted to the world. Your prosperity said I'll never be moved but you went astray.

You forgot God and now affliction comes before I was afflicted I went astray, sin is going astray when you begin to depart from the Lord to rebel against his word allowing seem to dominate your life. That's going astray was young boy one time the got tired of all the rules at home. I get tired of having somebody tell me what time to get up in the morning to tell me about the chores that I've got to do always requiring me to meet certain responsibilities.

I'm weary of this man enough that I can make it almost ready to leave home that he goes to his father says father give me my inheritance and father gave the boy left home and probably the first thing you bought was a sports car than the next thing was to get a new outfit by brand name clothes where everybody was admiring the site while looking at that and it wasn't long until he had all extra things that people come to be so important that he became very popular. Everybody liked here is just like a man not meeting all these people like me having my personality is blushing since I've been away from home. Let me know that this kind of Members, not that I was never able to really expand my horizons but I think this is living.

This is living well you Spend and spend more, never had any experience in making money or saving money on his own experience was.

Instead, this is just expense management and finally he spent out and get a job and that was a real shock to work. Good job. His dad here in this things have dramatically changed the country for the first time you think about all the father's house one is bad really is iPhone what what was wrong that I thought I was really being deprived back there in my father's house having the lip of the rules, but I think in those meals. Mother put on the table. I will tell you surpasses anything on the residence since I've been gone. Sure would might be nice to be back there but I guess I blown it does not. No need for me to ever hope flat. I'm sure I'm going to be an outcast forever. Some thoughts about that of been passed around by various writers know who the author of it was originally said this boy went through this process.

The first was sick of home and then he was just sick and then he was homesick and then finally was home that I got homesick down there feeding the swine. This is why the hired servants back home much better not have finally set out arise and go to my father not say father have sinned against heaven and the � I didn't go back safe.

Father, I made a little miscalculation here.

I need along the payday know the women to cover up at this point. This boy knew he had done the wrong thing. Father, I don't deserve see he couldn't even get out the confession because the father loved him and he saw him come and he ran to right call said that the father stably liking them out the big race. You may want dances out that if there's one story in the Bible. It just gets my goat. Every time I hear about that list of the prodigal son. It upsets me so that boy didn't deserve it. I say you're right. That's exactly right.

That's what Gracie all this boy came home see affliction was good was that there was a famine in the land wasn't good that he ran out of money wasn't good that he became miserable. What brought them back home brought them home. Some of you today may be far from the father's house. You may be struggling in the midst of adversity, but the psalmist says.

Before I was afflicted I went astray. It's good for me but have been afflicted because God speaks to us in our trials. May we miss may we learn the lesson.

Often, in the midst of affliction.

It is impossible for us to see the good that will ultimately come out and yet we have the promise of God and we must rely upon and is fun. I encourage you to write us at the Baptist Bible. Our box 17 old, 37, Cincinnati, OH 45217 preacher next time. This is Lucero Bradley Junior beating you goodbye and may God bless you and all in all will all