Beyond Ourselves - Part 1

Welcome to the intense catheter for Monday, January 10. Let's begin a series of messages reminding us that our ability to live differently is made possible only by Jesus Christ. Learn to lean on the Savior as the source of your strength is in the law over the wisdom of God that he has chosen not to tell laws many things in life. One of those aspects of life.

He does not reveal those things that are going to take place in the future of her life is difficult trials, hardships, tribulations, persecution, whatever might be. He has chosen not to tell is ahead of time about these things once in a while he may give us some signal in our life about something that is going to take place, but most the time he doesn't. This is why it is so very important that you and I are continually growing in our Christian life so that whenever these things take place in our life will be ready for.

There are some people who face difficult and hardship and the end result is they lose their faith.

They become angry, hostile, sometimes anger toward God begin to be cynical about life grow old isolate themselves and die in a cynical attitude. On the other hand hear someone else who can go to the same circumstance of life and hear the end results.

They are richer in their understanding of the ways of God. They are stronger in their faith in the power of God and their overwhelmed in the heart by the love of God know what is the difference in the way these two people respond. Here's the difference.

One of them knows the source of their strength, and the other one does not.

And that is the time of this message, the day the source of our strength and I want you to turn to a passage of Scripture written by man who understood so very very well what it meant to be pushed to the limits of his strength and how to go beyond our human limits and endure and survive and trial over the most difficult circumstances in life. Second Corinthians chapter 1 verse eight for we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively beyond our strength so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves in order that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, he on whom we set our hope. And he will yet deliver us. You also joining in helping us through your prayers that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed upon us through the prayers of many of the apostle Paul was the man who was a stranger to difficult to hardship and trial, but a man who was very very aware, knowledgeable and new, not only what it felt like, but who learned how to respond to the most difficult and trying of circumstances, so I similarly begin by saying that there are circumstances in life that require strength beyond what we have humanly there those circumstances in life that require strength beyond what you and I have humanly I was look at the apostle Paul for a moment what you notice the words he uses to describe this. For this reason, it may be that you want those persons whose going through one of those trials and you said what a minute.

Don't tell me about the apostle Paul, the apostle Paul lived about 2000 years ago and he did live in our society and he does know what I'm facing now could he have a solution to be 2000 years later when I want you listen these words because even though the apostle Paul did not experience exactly what you're experiencing in some way.

In many ways he did, but the end result and the effect upon him was indeed the same list of these words that he uses he says if you notice in verse eight he says brethren of our affliction, which means a crushing pressure this. It wasn't a bad cold or flu. Somebody hurt his feelings.

He was in a situation where he was feeling crushed by the pressure of the circumstance he says which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively burdened, excessively means he was way down beyond his capacity he thought it was used in terms of a slow sinking ship. I ship it was gradually sinking. He said that's what I felt we were so burdened excessively. We were just thinking hundred pieces beyond our strength. That is when he examined his own limitations and Lucas to see what was happening to me is that this is going beyond my endurance beyond my strength.

He says beyond our strength to the fact that he says we even despaired of life and what he saying there is this from the looks of things where he was at the moment the sentence of death had Artie been passed upon he was expecting to die in this particular situation. Here is a man who experienced every single facet of difficulty. Trial and hardship that you and I could possibly think of our experience ourselves so not talking about a man who relax on the beach in the Mediterranean and the just pray and talk to God. He was a man out there who was carrying out the work of God: the due but he was in a constant season of conflict. Now sell that to say this but sometimes we pick up the word we say well but you know that was 2000 years ago and things of change. Let me tell you what has not changed. Send heaven change. The devil hasn't changed. Tim Tatian hasn't changed hardships trial suffering difficult attacks. None of that's change is just a different day in which it is going on, and so the apostle Paul knew what he said was speaking of here and all of us face those circumstances in which we feel we are pushed to the limits and we are but we have to go beyond our human energy and strength with his intellectual, moral, spiritual, physical, emotional, whatever it might be. So as you think about it in your own life. Let's look at it this way, you may be one of those persons who says you know I have been so wrong and so wrong by the same person for so long I don't have the strength. I don't have the power to keep on forgiving someone who keeps on wronging me or you may be in the kind of environment or atmosphere in which the temptation is so strong, so prevailing, so overwhelming you. This thing I absolutely just don't have the strength to endure this or you may be facing some circumstance. The just demands endurance.

There seems to be no way out and you don't have a new way of escape, and that's what Paul said in this passage when he talked about being bird, not even to despair as seems to be no way out. Use I don't seem to have the strength to just keep on in during these kind of things.

This sense of rejection and the anger of the hostility that you feel toward someone or toward some group of people you just use I just will have the strength to do it well. I think all of us can understand that there time to replace those kind of situations. But we have to ask is this. Would God allow laws or places in the situation in which we absolutely cannot endure.

And I'm not saying that a person should stay in every single solitary situation, especially if a person is being physically abused to the point of danger and the destruction of their life that something entirely different, but the difficulties and hardships in people's criticism of the contention that things had gone. Should we just check out want to leave because we don't have the strength to do it or is there a solution is there an answer.

The apostle Paul could've said hey God, you call me a preacher struck me know the Masters wrote you gave me an absolute, unquestionable call to preach the gospel to Gentiles and now look everywhere I go, the Judaizers of that when I get that to persecute me if I beat them there there there soon thereafter everywhere I turn.

There is conflict there is war going on.

I'm in constant danger continually got. If you want me to preach the gospel. Either you correct this mass on checking out Laura what about lifting the logo by just giving me a break will you give a told God that give me a break. I may just lift depression do something when I read the book of acts, which is the account.

So much of it is of the life of the apostle Paul. You know what I discovered. At no point did God say to him. Well Paul, you had an abnormal to give you about six months. I just pure rescue menu does take it easy for six months and just forget this whole crowd.

He never did.

And there are many people who live in situations work in situations have to dwell in circumstances that there seems to be no way out and it is crushing pressure and it is there constantly may be physical pain that they experience because of some illness as we said in the job in their home. Whatever it might be. Is there was strength genuinely practically available or is this just some religious talk is this just something that God's promise, but is impractical if it isn't real that we should be talking about and so the apostle Paul in this passage gives us the solution. He says I was pushed not just to my limit. But beyond my limit. He said I had nothing left in absolute total despairing knowing that death was imminent. Now there are many people who live in those circumstances every day and how they survive God's people. How do they survive well when you look at this practice trip to young to also conclude this. And that is that the strength required to enable us to endure the those circumstances beyond our human power and strength is available in the person of Jesus Christ and I know that may be a simplified statement that the power the energy required to enable us to face these things triumphantly and victoriously is to be found in Christ.

But it is it is to be found in him and the apostle Paul understood that he understood that.

Well that's what he says in this passage here, he says. Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves and all that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. Listen here. Here is a basic foundational principle but teaching us how to walk in the most difficult trying circumstance of life. I want you notice first of all when he says beyond our strength, and he talks about the strength of God. What is the strength that he speaking out. We talk about when Paul said, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. What kind of strength is this where there is a certain amount of human strength. Marley physically, emotionally, is a certain amount of strength and people have then there is a strength beyond that which is human that is human nature only goes so far, but there is a supernatural divine energy that expresses itself intellectually. Marley, physically, spiritually, in the life of the believer and it expresses itself at the pawn and the moment in time that it is needed that is the expression of that divine, supernatural strength is an expression of strength that makes it possible for us to meet and deface and to overcome and to be triumphant and victorious in what we are facing at that moment it doesn't make any difference what it is what he say he says the source of our strength is in the person of Jesus Christ what the meme a bit simpler this that when you and I received by faith. The Lord Jesus Christ as their personal savior.

The Bible says that Jesus Christ came to live on the inside of us in our spirit in the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives inside every single believer. What is he doing living out through is the life of Christ. Now who Jesus Christ was, is who he is. The day the same yesterday today and forever.

What he did in those days he's doing today and the same power and strength that prevailed in his life.

In those days still prevails in him the day and he's living on the inside of us, so that listen all the strength and all the power to endure survive and keep our joy and keep our peace is not only available to us today. It is already abiding in us in the very presence of Jesus Christ. You see, God doesn't have to sin down from heaven something to enable me to face anything, it is already my possession and your possession.

So God has indwelt in every single believer enough strength and enough power that you and I can face every single circumstance of life, no matter what it is and listen to what Paul said.

He said in Ephesians chapter 1 he said, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. He said to Timothy in second in the chapter he said, be strong in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul made a statement all of us have coded many times he said here's what I've learned. He said by this principle that I will assure you he said I've learned that I can do all things miss some of that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. He didn't say I can do anything at all things. Everything he said I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me that Paul always know that no you know how Paul learned that lesson he learned that the same way you and I have to learn in the way we learn that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us is to get thrown into those impossible situations where we feel the crushing pressure and the absolute total inability and in totally incapacitated.

The change of circumstances and learn learn the lesson that when our limits have been exhausted.

We can go beyond our limits because of a string and supernatural divine power given to and available to every single believer we learned by getting thrown into it. We learned only in that way because if you only listen to it from someone else reading the book you will never know and have a conviction about the adequacy of Christ in your life until you have to experience that. And so the apostle Paul, knowing exactly what was happening and as he looked at his own life and shared how God worked in his life. What is he saying he saying there is a power there is a string. He said I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Now once in a while somebody misinterpret that passage. There is a limitation on what you and I can do that limitation is clearly defined and that passage when he says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Where does the strength come from. It comes in the person of Christ. Our relationship with him. What is the limitation use the limitation God is not going to strengthen you and me to do anything that is not the will of the father so he's not going to empower us and strengthen us to do something is not his will to do and so what is he do whatever God called you to do it. It's in your occupation. If he's called you to a certain occupation and a certain type of work that may be very difficult if he's placed you there. He is going to enable you strengthen you and equip you to do every single thing required of you. God will enable you to do it and listen carefully. That's why running out on a difficult situation is never, never, never legitimate for the child of God is a confession to the world that our Savior is in adequate unlimited qualify that by saying I would never say that a person who is living in a situation where the light has been threatened by someone because of some kind of horrible physical abuse that is a situation that is an exception. There may have to be an exception there.

But I'm talking about difficult the hardships trial tribulations we don't like the way folks treat us.

We don't like that way things happen sometimes he is a person. For example, in a job and you been working there long time for the same company and you get passed over and raised and promotion and the job is given to someone else over here is far less qualified does not make as much money as you do hasn't been there as long as you been there and they just pass over you and you several why should I hang in here.

How do I have the strength and the power to be just as enthusiastic about my job when I am so ill treated. That is the kind of situation you don't run out on because you been ill treated. If the gospel of Jesus Christ doesn't deal with where I have to live in a practical way. There's something wrong with the book shut the thing up and walk out, but it is the adequacy and the sufficiency of the person of Jesus Christ to endure hardship, and the face difficulty in hardships and trials in criticism and rejection and all the rest. This is the living Christ. He's not a dead Savior. The tumor somewhere.

We have a living Christ and the power of the Lord Jesus Christ adequate and sufficient in 2000 years ago is the same adequate living Christ that is available to you and need to face any trial, situation, difficulty, hardship, persecution, and keep moving in our progress in our growth in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you for listening to part one and beyond ourselves. If you like to know more about child family were intense ministries that my intense data lighting podcast is a presentation of intense ministries Atlanta, Georgia