The ART of Survival - A Theology to Understand, Part 2

Times and circumstances that are overwhelmed and everything in you wants to give up her to give it your number one's perspective. Perspective and how to get perspective. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge with Living on the Edges of international discipleship history start helping Christian what Christian this program chip wraps up a series. The art of survival based in James chapter 1 before you get it, but encouraged or motivated by the series. After this message a shirt with a friend that the chipping remap, or by sending them the free MP3s that you find Living on the Edge.what storage of now, as he concludes our series with the second half of his message of theology only know what I wanted to is I want to take the truth of this passage and I will develop three very practical specific principles to help you slay the dragon, discouragement, or as I like to say hanging tough in tough times. Demand first that we get God's perspective on the circumstances. How do you do that by looking at our circumstances to the eyes of faith that's that's exactly what he calls us to do.

Look at your current circumstance member.

What is it that's discouraging what is it that's difficult and painful right now that you just think I can't take it.

I can't take look at it to the eyes of faith.

What is it that God's going to do because you're trusting what you can't see your trusting his promises, trusting his character. How do you do that exactly well. You need to understand that the Lord has you in a position to develop a work in you that's primary and even more important than the work through you. So don't get discouraged just by faith I mean member I wrote for 20 months. There's a passage in Psalm 25 that God gave me that said trip chip I will instruct you in the way in which you should go and for 20 months, I'm gone. Lord, you know what he gave me cares what you do today. Here's what you do today. Here's what you do today. I kept saying what about six months.

What about six years. What about 10 years.

Lord, I have visionary gift. I need to know where I'm supposed to go and what he said as I'll show you what you need to do today and I'll give you grace to do it today and what I didn't realize I had no idea that God's purposes for my family, my marriage, my children and grandchildren in the ministry there were can expand and expand and expand and when God's going to do something. Why do through you. He first has to do something deep in you. And when God wants to do something deep in you, he has to remove the pillars and the dependency of your arrogance and your pride in your trust in people and wanting the affirmation of others, and he will strip you in ways for your good, because you're so precious. But it's painful. So, in your discouragement.

Can you say if if it looks like I have little you should boast in your high position because you are dependent and I would love to say I would love to say it, and after 35 years as a pastor I would love to tell you this is true, but it's not. I would love to say that when things are going well and when they're easy and when all the relationships are good and circumstances are wonderful and we have lots of money that we just trust God that we go to deep levels with the Lord.

The fact of the matter is, all of us.

All of us have to have seasons where God takes the things we trust in, and he sets them aside so the we have him just him and God's doing that right now he's doing it in the world. He's shaking people. He shaking communities is shaking the church he shaking the world question is will we listen will we humble ourselves and be dependent. So the first thing we need to do is look at our circumstances through the lens of faith. The second thing we need to do is get God's perspective on our future and how by looking at our future through the lens of hope.

See our hope if it's in the now. If it's in what I can see if it's in the ministry. If it's how people responding to me. If it's in my bank account. If it's an things going well or not going well.

My circumstance what we learned goes up and goes down. He says you need to take what you're experiencing right now whatever is discouraging you and he goes on to give you another new set of glasses after the glasses of faith you set those down and now you put on the glasses of hope.

Listen to what the apostle Paul said therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day for the light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal weight that outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes on not what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporal and what is unseen is eternal. He tells him I'm telling you this after I've been shipwrecked.

I've been beaten about three times I been left in the sea. I mean he is viewing all of this temporal difficulty paying circumstances through the lens of hope and what God is preparing for him, not just now but forever the third thing that we need to do is get God's perspective on our circumstances. God's perspective on our future, and now God's perspective on our motivation by looking at our mate motivation through the lens of love. Here's the question that and this is different for all of us and this is very personal so as you lean back on.

Generally think for a moment before you would immediately answer am I willing to enter into the fellowship of his suffering. Are you willing like the apostle John in the apostle Peter to consider it a privilege and enjoy to suffer for the sake of Christ.

See, in the early church as they were beaten and taken in by the Sanhedrin and what they went back there in acts chapter in two and three and four and it told the other believers. What happened, they were filled with joy being counted worthy to suffer for the Lord it it's out of loyalty. The apostle Paul would say I want the fellowship of his suffering. There's something about a love for the Lord Jesus that when you are suffering because you refuse to give up refused to give in.

That is very very precious and what I would have to admit to you is that sometimes when I work hard.

I've tried hard. I've prayed hard. I administered hard and circumstances don't get better and I don't feel better.

And candidly I'm not very happy and I wish God would change things in chains and faster what I have to admit privately is that my motivation is really about God working my life out instead of me being willing to experience what ever I need to experience for me to express my love to him a member number of years ago. Teaching a seminar was in Hong Kong at the time and that was meeting with a group of pastors and that evening I had dinner with a pastor who was a heaven be a house church leader in evangelist and he was telling the story and we can help him with some resources and help them with what he was doing in terms of discipleship, and as he was traveling doing evangelism of the church was meeting in his house and the Communist Party came as a remote area and his wife said no, no, I'm the pastor and the pastor.

None of these people were here and she got all the people to leave and they took her down to the police station and for two days. They beat her to a pulp and he came back from his evangelistic trip and found what was happening and I'm listening to the story and in my minds eye, thinking about my wife, my wife's name is Teresa and is is telling the story.

I'm just thinking what if someone did that to my wife. I don't know if I can keep my faith.

Boy, I would just having all these emotions and anger, and retribution, and he finishes the story and when he gets done with the story very calmly. He looks at me and my friend and he says can you imagine that God would count us worthy to get to suffer for him. I was too embarrassed to say the emotions and the thoughts that I want to ask you that these are the times that were living in is our love going to be loyal as we wrap things up. Let me help you evaluate, a little bit where you are and and remind you that you can slay the dragon discouragement. You are not a victim.

Victims have self-pity victims look to the lens of me. Victim looks to the lens of now victims look at are things going well. Survivors don't survivors have an attitude can we count it all joy, whether we feel like it or not, survivors don't know what to do, but we have God's wisdom and will take it one day at a time and survivors get a eternal perspective of a divine perspective, a theology, a way of thinking about life and circumstances and the future and a relationship with the Lord with terms or motivation and because of that, here's the deal you can over come discouragement.

But you have to fight so can I ask you member when we began this teaching time. I said what person what circumstance, what specific thing was really discouraging. You and I ask you get really clear in your mind before I go on to give you some practical tools where you struggle. From what I've shared so far what is God saying to you today. What does it look like for you to look at life.

Your life, your sadness, your disappointment, your challenge your heart ache through the lens of faith through the lens of hope to the lens of love to give you a couple handles that I think will help number one. Reevaluate your sick circumstances. And here's the test is my faith in things that are perishable or in things that are permanent, just pause promote your faith.

What are you trusting you trusting in things that are perishable or things that are permanent and I remember again in China. Speaking to a pastor lamb of many years ago and he was beaten and tortured and in the church grew and so they put them in prison and the church grew even more in and so he got out of prison after many years and he had almost like a tree house I remember and he had speakers and just hundreds of people would gather to hear him preach and proclaim God's word and the officials came at that time and said we are going to kill you, and he smiled at them. He said you torture me. The church growth you put me in prison. The church grows bigger, you can only the church will explode in dignity here, his faith isn't in what was perishable is faith is and what's permanent.

I was talking to one of our partners, who does minister in the Middle East, then you may know that the fastest growing church in the world is in Iran and they came out of a ran and did some teaching and they were growing in their faith. And as they were ready to go back into their country. One of the ladies said to the trainer before we go back into our country.

Would you teach us to die while she understood she understood what they were going to do and what they were going to share in all probability is going to cost them their life they wanted to die. Well, I sat across the table from a young doctor who had a contract on her life. She was in Yemen and the church is exploded in the midst of that Civil War. She was making her way to another country to be safe and she was young, maybe 30, 31, she disliked me because I know I won't live very long and she didn't say it with any sense of self-pity.

It was a sense of this is my calling in life there is more to life than right now my question is do you believe that does your behavior does my behavior declared that for those of us in sort of the first world. I'm a very good friend is gone broke a couple times and made a lot of money. I guess probably three times now and this big COBIT situation and all that it does to the financial markets and all the rest, and I ask you how you doing and he looked at me said it really doesn't matter, just money.

In other words, are there numbers on a sheet of paper. Over time, he has come to actually believe and understand that money can't make you money can't break you is looking at life through the lens of faith. Second is to reevaluate where your focus is on the test. Here is my hope, determined by the size of my problems or the certainty of God's promises to me is your hope for the promises opinion of this problem is getting smaller, or is it these big promises of God. Where is your hope focused the apostle Paul writing to the Romans and they have their share of struggles in the Roman Empire is persecuting Christians any sense to them for everything that was written in the past. The Old Testament instructs us or teaches us that through listen carefully. Endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and one voice. You may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and then he quotes a number of Old Testament passages about 45 about the inclusion of the Gentiles and any ends with verse 13 of chapter 15 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power the Holy Spirit in our dependency. I'm going to challenge you. One of the things that God wants to do is break down some of our preconceived ideas in our focus for then it was Jew or Gentile. For some of us if black-and-white for others it's different tribes for some of you in different countries, though you love Jesus. There is this division there is this prejudice God wants to take us to this place of dependency that brings about unity.

He says he gives encouragement and he gives what endurance how to the Scriptures. Here's the question.

Where is your mind going.

Does your mind focus on the problem. The problem the problem the problem or are you focused on the promises the promises the promises you know, as I as I shared before one of the reasons I memorize Scripture one the reasons I renew my mind, one of the reasons I sing, and worship out loud is I want to fill my mind and my heart with the truth in the promises of God, so I can look at them very challenging and discouraging circumstances in a Fresh Way, God's way is its perspective.

Finally, we reevaluate our motivation and the test is is your primary motivation and the motivation of your heart to love Christ, or simply experience relief and get what you want for you. This is a hard one to be honest with as I shared I think the brothers and sisters that I met around the world have taught me more about a pure love than anybody else in the world because they there is very little hope for any financial gain or fame or life getting better.

They do what they do they experience what they experience and you all suffer what you suffer because you love the Lord Jesus as I close when you start to get discouraged. Are you ready I just want you to remember three words. That's all you need three words as you struggle the art of survival were number one is faith. God is in control were number two is hope you are his child.

He has a place a plan and a promise for you and the last word is love suffering is a chance and a privilege for you and for me to express our love for the Lord Jesus father. These are words of hope and life but we confess in our humanity in our fallenness that there very challenging words to apply.

Lord, thank you for your word that gives us encouragement. Thank you for the examples of David and Moses said Deborah an extra Lord, thank you for Paul and Peter and John were thank you for people in our life.

The heroes of today the blaze the trail that love you that live by faith, that focus on what's unseen, rather than what's seen in Lord Jesus, may we be those kind of people.

Thank you that we are not victims that were more than conquerors in Christ when you fill us with perspective and wisdom, and hope we grant us the ability to fight the good fight to finish the race to do all almost Jesus. God bless you. That's depressing.] This application. This message of theology to believe from this series.

The art of survival. You know many of the pressing problems were facing today.

Injustice, social unrest, religious persecution, moral decay are not new infected been around for centuries. So how are we as followers of Christ to respond for that answer. Trip turns to the book of James chapter 1 throughout the series. He explains that the uncertainties and fears that discouraged first century believers are similar to the hardships were facing right now by using the word art is an acronym chip highlights three critical truths for how we can endure challenging time. He stands for an attitude that strengthens hours for a resource God offers NT's for a theology that guides this is such a relevant series. So if you missed any part of it, or will learn more about our resources get plugged in with our ministry through the chipping remap will before we wrap up the series chip. I can see you want to jump in here and talk about something it's really important to thanks Dave, you know, we live in very unsettling times. In fact, I would call them disruptive times and we all know the change is normal but we never experience the kind of chaos and division like we see now how do we navigate the turmoil of the world that were living in, and whether that's in our personal life. Our families are churches are workplaces, and what I want to suggest is that James chapter 1 the very first book in the New Testament written gives us a blueprint about how to survive and even thrive in the midst of life's greatest trials and what I'm can invite you to is to dive into James chapter 1 in a brand-new daily discipleship with chip is called the art of survival. And here's how it works. Each day I'm going to meet with you one-on-one for 10 days and we can discover what James chapter 1 teaches about the art of survival and life's trials will start her time together where I will literally get a couple coffee open my Bible and all talk directly with you one-on-one and will walk through how to study the Bible, you'll learn to study the Scriptures for yourself in a way where you hear God's voice and have God speak in such a way that gives you the strength to make it through life's hardest and most difficult times. So here's the challenge spend 10 days 10 minutes a day with me 10 minutes on your own and then let me encourage you invite 10 people to join you, let's be difference makers. Let's learn the art of survival in the age of chaos. You know those early disciples turned the world upside down and that's God's plan for you and me. Won't you join me fixture will were so excited to share with you our new daily discipleship with chip. The art of survival used in James chapter 1 through this free video series will discover how to handle circumstances out of our control guard or attitude against discouragement and trust God in his provision. If you're ready to learn the art of surviving in these challenging times, then register today to take the daily discipleship challenge and when you sign up will send you a new leather bound prayer journal is our gift to you to take this free 10 day daily discipleship challenge go to LivingontheEdge.org or call us at AAA 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003 or go to LivingontheEdge.org app listeners Discipleship as we come to the end of our time today and to the end of the series. I was talking with a group of pastors from India and the situation there is beyond almost what you could believe and you could just hear the angst and in the trusting of God and the desire and I'll never forget. One of the pastors turned to me when he heard this message and he said to me, actually pastor your last three words were what I take away from God.

Faith, hope and love, faith, God is in control either believe that or I don't hope I am his child.

I have a future there is a heaven it's real my physical life is not all that there is in life is not about money or what anyone thinks I have hope and love. I've never thought about it this way, but suffering is a chance and privilege to prove to my Savior that I love him. Not a love of feelings, but a love of loyalty that his life for mine, his love for me. His plan for me is more important than my life. My agenda and my personal dreams faith, hope and love. We get God's perspective on our circumstance regardless of how difficult when we look through the lens of faith we get God's perspective on her future will look through the lens of hope. We don't know what will happen today.

Tomorrow the next two years decades. We don't know when the Lord will return, but the anchor of our hope is a promise that I go to prepare a place for you and if it weren't so, I would not of said it that there is a certainty that death can't touch.

Circumstances can't touch. And finally, there is love and I can say I love God all day in many ways as can you, but times like this. Give me a chance to express it. The kind of sacrifice back to him. The apostle Paul would use the phrase that he was filling up the sufferings of Jesus as he was pouring out his life for others. So that's my encouragement be the hands of Jesus. Now there must be at least someone that has a low bit worse than you be his feet and go where there's needs, share and care for others. There is an art to survival.

There is an attitude that you can choose to have considered all joy. There's a super natural resource. It's available if you're willing to do whatever he says. And there is a theology theology that will give you a perspective that can overcome discouragement regardless of your circumstance. May the Lord Jesus fill you with his spirit and all insight into his will, and may he grant you a deeper and deeper knowledge of himself fill you with the wisdom that comes from above and give you the grace to trust in to not give in to not give up to be an outward focused loving follower of Jesus, there would be the light of the world, holding forth the word of God in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, may we be that by his power, and by his grace. God bless you this, keep pressing ahead, we will survive before we wrap up this program I want to thank each of you who's making this program possible through your generous giving 100% of your gifts are going directly to the ministry to help Christians really live like Christians. A few phone chips teaching helpful which are not yet on the team. Would you consider doing that today to donate. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org Donate all me up or give us a call at AAA 83336003, let me thank you in advance for whatever the Lord leads you to do one selects time for everyone here. This is Dave Drewry saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge