"A Godly View of Circumstances"

This is on Solomon and I like to welcome you to our program today.

You know it's a tremendous honor that God is given us to be on stations all around the nation bringing the truth of God's word as it is uncompromising and straightforward and I'm so glad you tuned in to listen and be part of that. Thanks again for your support and your generosity that keeps us on the radio and now let's get to the word of God.

When I became a follower of Christ. 32 years ago. I really believe that now that I come to Christ all my problems are going to be over well. Since then my dad had three heart attacks and died, my mom and my 26-year-old sister-in-law both died of breast cancer. I wasn't allowed to finish my PhD dissertation, because I wouldn't compromise on biblical inerrancy in my professor threw me out of the program. I have three teenage boys who count them, have had six accidents totally one car and severely hurting a bunch of the cars and the I have a 10-year-old severely disabled little girl.

As I stand here before you looking at today. I have a broken rib. I have a leak in my roof. I have a beloved mother-in-law who has cancer. I have a master bedroom shower that's been broken for a month and I have blogs on my azaleas. Now the point of all of this is not learned in 32 years of walking with Christ that Christians have problems just like a body else does, but the difference is that as followers of Jesus Christ. God wants us to look at our problems to react to our problems and respond to our problems differently than people in the world system around us and that's what we want to talk about today we want to talk about what I like to call having a godly view of our circumstances were going to see the apostle Paul illustrates this in his life really use his life as a classroom to try to talk about how you and I can have a godly view of circumstances in our life now little bit of background before we dig in. Remember, the apostle Paul is on his second missionary journey. Let's show you a map. He's crossed over from Asia minor. Here and he's crossed to grease the northern part of Greece where he is spent almost a month in the northern Greek town of Philippi here in Philippi.

He's been arrested.

He's been beaten with rods till all the flesh was ripped off his back down to the bone, then he's been thrown in jail in Philippi and been fastened to the rugged of the jagged rock wall of this jail is a picture of the jail and that you can see the inside to well it's a little dark but you can clearly see the kind of rockets there. He was fastened with his bleeding back to that wall. His hands were put above his head. His feet were spread wide in stocks, causing his leg muscles to cramp up without there being any way of relieving that and that in spite of all of this as the evening wears on. He knows that the next morning he's going to face a trial where he very well might receive the worst penalty. Ladies already got that's where we been let's pick up the story. Verse 25. Acts 16. Paul, the Bible says about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. Now most people would give way to been in that situation we have been in that jail. The way the apostle Paul was our reaction would have been a little bit more like our friend Igor member Igor.

Igor would assert what is me.

My back hurts.

My legs were hurt, but I have heard that everything you're supposed to run at one of the possible.

No, sir. He was singing he was praising God and he wasn't doing it quietly, either because the rest of the verse goes on to say, and all the other prisoners were listening to them. This was like a Billy Graham Crusade going on in the middle of this jail and you save a lot. How do we explain Paul's reaction.

Paul's behavior in light of the circumstances, I mean he has got some nasty circumstances. His back all torn up. His legs are all cramped up using his old karate jail with his arms above his head, came to the wall and yet he's calm and he's got joy and he's got these cities got competent. Explain (the answer is that the apostle Paul had a godly view of his circumstances, and we wanted to find out what exactly does it mean to have a godly view of our circumstances well got godly below circumstances.

Very simply, is an outlook on life is a way of looking at our circumstances that is based on believing to biblical truths. Truth number one with the apostle Paul believe is that as a follower of Jesus Christ.

God was in absolute control of every circumstance that came in the Paul's life. Paul wrote first Thessalonians 517 give thanks in all things. You meet even when you're in jail with your back bleeding in your hands shackled in your legs all cramped up. Give thanks in all things.

Why, because this your situation, whatever it might be this is God's will for you in Messiah Jesus easy set there and I jail Paul said, you know what it is no accident. I'm in this jail.

It is no coincidence I'm in this jail is not a matter of fate that I ended up in this jail with my back all torn up like I am God is an absolute control of my circumstances. I am right smack dab in the middle of the will of God for my life because even the smallest detail of my life is under the utter absolute and total control of Almighty God. The second truth, the Paul believe is that as a follower of Christ. He had a promise from God that God was going to convert every situation that entered his life in the good indoor blessing. He was the one who wrote that promise down and reminded us of it.

Romans 828 we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love him and as he sat there and I jail. The apostle Paul said that you know what, I got a promise from God. That is bad as things look right now they're not going to stay this way. Somehow God's going to take these bad looking things and turn them into a blessing for me and he remembered how God had done this for lots of other people in the Bible. For example, he remember the story of Esther member Esther's mom died, her dad died. She was forced to move to the capital of the Persian Empire city called Susa and live with an uncle that she didn't even know uncle Mordecai, now that one real good-looking situation, but God stepped into that tragic situation and lifted around for her blessing. She ended up becoming the queen of Persia and using that position to save her Jewish people from being slaughtered Paul as he sat in the jail knew the story of Moses and the Israelites down at the Red Sea, Moses found himself with the red Cedar was back and the charging chariots of Pharaoh in front of him and yet God stepped in and turned that very own enviable situation into the greatest delivery in all of human history. Paul knew the story of Ruth as he sat there in that jail. Ruth was married to one of the two sons of Naomi. Naomi was a widow and she had two sons. Her name in Hebrew were mail your own and kill your own, which means literally in Hebrew, sickly and weekly now to know why you name your boys sickly and weekly, but she did and the Bible tells us that sickly and weekly both die crown and Ruth became a widow and she and her widowed mother-in-law moved back to Bethlehem and they were so poor that the only way they could ease go out in the field and pick up the ears of corn that the harvesters accidentally dropped and yet into bad situation, God intervened and one day while she was out in the fields picking up corn. Ruth met Bo at this now Boaz was rich and Boaz was handsome and Boaz was godly and best of all, Boaz was available if you and they got married and before Ruth knew what happened to her.

She had security. She had family she had riches. She had provision and she also became the great-grandmother, a fellow named David who went on to become the greatest king of Israel, and the progenitor of the Lord Jesus finally sitting in that jail. One more example. He knew the story of Joseph would been in jail himself. Remember the story Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers at age 17, went down to Egypt sold to Potter for an Egyptian military officer and everything was going great to Potiphar's wife got what we used to call in the South. I hankering for Joseph while she tried to convince you to have an affair. He wouldn't do it. So she accused him of trying to rape her. What I went through, but her husband believed her throw him in jail and he spent third teen years in jail as an innocent man between 17 and 30 he never got out of jail and yet into that very unpalatable situation God stepped because one day Pharaoh had a dream. Nobody could interpret. And they took it to Joseph and he interpreted it and print before you can say you'll Brenner. He was out of jail and on his way in the Pharaoh's court to be the prime minister of all of Egypt. And so sitting in this jail.

Paul says I got a promise from God. The same promise he made to Joseph to Esther to route to Moses and he kept his promise to them is going to keep his promise to me so sitting there in jail. He said hey if I'm right smack dab in the middle of God's will because there are no accidents and if I have a promise from God that he's going to turn this whole situation around by his supernatural power. If I've got those two things going. Then I got something to sing about.

Not something to fret about. I don't need to be or I can be trigger here in jail and that's what he was. In other words, the explanation for Paul's behavior was that he had a godly view of circumstances that summarize what is a godly view of circumstances, then it means number one seeing God in absolute control of every circumstance that comes into our lives as followers of Christ.

Number two. It means seeing God as bigger than even the worst circumstances that come into our life that there is no circumstance that God can whip into a blessing. And third, and finally it means actively relying on God to keep his promise that he made us in Romans 828 relying on God to personally intervene in our everyday affairs to overrule even our worst circumstances and turn them into a blessing for us just like he did Joseph Ruth Moses Esther and his were going to see in the weeks to come just like he's gonna do for the apostle Paul.

That's the end of our passage, but it leads us to ask a very important question. Let's see we can remember together deep breath here we go.

123 you didn't forget. That makes me feel good. You know what is the so what you save on the so what here is that Paul had a godly view circumstances, be will know no friends. So what here is that a godly view circumstances is not just for the apostle Paul. God wants every single one of us to practice a godly view of circumstances in our lives.

And when we do it will enable us just like you did. Paul to face any situation, God sends our way.

The good, the bad or the ugly done matter and a face that situation would call with Pease and with confidence because we know what God has promised us and were relying on is that one is great.

I appreciate what you're saying up there your preaching good and everything, but how do I get one of these godly views of circumstances in my life. Well, the answer is you and I get it the exact same way. The apostle Paul got it out of the apostle Paul get a godly view. Circumstances real simple.

He believed what God told him in the Bible. That's all he did he believed what God told him in the Bible he believed God's promise of Romans 828 so thoroughly so deeply so utterly and so completely, not just in his head, but in his whole being that it radically transformed the way he responded to every circumstance.

Attainment of life. He believed God reference if we are going to practice a godly view. Circumstances we need to believe God to so let's take God's promise of Romans 2828 apart a little bit member. The verse we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love him.

That's our first let's take it apart make sure we really understand what God is telling us there for things I want to point out to you about this first Romans 828 the promise. There is an unequivocal un-unquestionable promise. Notice the verse starts off by declaring we know Paul doesn't say we hope all we guess we wish Paul says we know something as much with as much confidence as we know our own name.

The second thing I want to see here is that the promise of Romans 828 is made to a limited group of people. This promise is made to those who love God, to those who are followers of Jesus Christ to those who are children of God by faith in Christ. This promise is not made every American is not made, every churchgoer if you are a follower of Jesus Christ. The good news is this promise is your personal possession.

This promise is your unique piece of property that God made this promise to you, not to the whole world and you can claim it as yours.

If you're here today and you never trusted Christ is real or personal savior. May I point out to the one of the wonderful things that you get when you give your life to Christ, you get all kinds of promises like this one that suddenly become your personal property suddenly become your unique possession because now you are child of God.

What a great thing to have this as ours who belongs to me, and friends.

If you're a follower of Christ. This promise belongs to you.

Chores. Third, like to remind us that Romans 828 promises that God will convert all of our circumstances into good that he will intervene in the everyday affairs of our life supernaturally. He will take an interest in the everyday affairs of our life and no matter how awful our circumstances may be, no matter how impossible it may look.

God promises that he will because look what it says God causes all things to work together for good. He actively gets involved and causes this to happen by his own supernatural power and forth and finally and I think is the best part of all the Bible says God causes all things. This promise applies to every single circumstance in life God causes all things to work together for good. Now what this means is that God just doesn't call some things are most things are all but the bad things.

This is a promise that there is absolutely no circumstance that could ever come into your life or my life that is beyond the reach of God's flip-flopping power God's overruling power, this world cannot send a circumstance bad enough that God can't flip it is what this verse is telling us now friends remember this verse is not telling us. God is not telling us here that all things are good. God didn't say that bankruptcy sickness car accident the death of a loved one, family problems, leaks in the roof. Children with disabilities.

These are not good things will God is promising here is that God will take all things, the good the bad and the in between. He will work them together blend them together skillfully combine them with one another so that by the time God is finished his overruling power would've turned the end result into a blessing and into good know many times we jump in and we look at things and we go God is not keeping his promise to me. But you know what if Esther had looked at her situations right after her mom and dad a God. And if Joseph would look at a situation anyone of those 13 years in jail. Every one of those people would've indicted God and said God you relied to me you did not keep your word to me. Romans 828 did not come true for me.

My life did not turn out as a blessing, wait a minute what we said.

I have baked cake is still yucky but when God finished the cake for every one of these people did God not keep his word to them.

Yes he did and I know many of us here going through tough times.

I know many of us here have really tough circumstances that were facing some of us here been passed over neglected in our jobs. Some of us here have children with problems that were powerless to fix some of us here have trouble in our marriages. Some of us here are single and lonely and we can understand why God hasn't led us to Mr. writer Ms. Wright. Some of us here that our spouse walk out on us and leave us with children to raise all by ourselves. Some of us here have aging parents that were trying to care for some of us here have loved ones were ill and infirmed we don't understand why God would let this happen to them. Some of us have teachers or professors are giving us a hard way to go in school or neighbor was driving us crazy. Some of us here want a child so badly and we and we can't seem to have one. Some of us here have cancer or some other disease, and you know we're going through things like this friends it's really easy. Spiritually, to indict God. It's really easy to get angry at God and say, God, you live to me, God, you haven't Romans 828 God there is no way under the sun that any of this could possibly turn out for good pay understand this. I told you earlier.

I have a 10-year-old little girl that severely disabled and you know in the early years when she came along and things were so awful. I went through this process of struggling the same way. In my relationship with God IQs God.

I indicted God.

I said God, there is no way under God's green earth, any of this could ever turn out for good. I cannot see one possible thing that could ever come out of the pain and the heartache and the suffering that we are going through is a family.

How would you ever turn this into good God. Well I'm here to tell you. 10 years later, I was wrong. I was wrong. You know, in the 10 years of my little girl's been around, God is used her to make me into a better man a better husband a better father a better pastor and a better leader than I ever would've been without her. She's actually doing quite well now, but beyond that friends God use my little girl to create a ministry here we call access to the ministry were we reach out to over 400 families who have children with disabilities. Half of them aren't even followers of Christ.

Yet route to get them put their not yet and you know we never would have access ministry McLean Bible Church of God had send Julie my life because I wouldn't even understood what people dealing with disabilities are going through. I would had no interest whatsoever in starting a ministry to them. But hey, because I was in it. I understood and you know we have churches who come from all around the country to see what were doing here and access ministry so they can take it back and copy it in their own churches and start ministries to children with disabilities in their own communities on the 5 acres just west of here were planning to build an overnight respite center at an afterschool therapy Center for children with disabilities because did you know 80% of marriages will have a special needs child comes into that marriage. 80% of those marriages end in divorce. We want to keep those families together and the biggest thing moms and dads need to stay together raising children like this is they just need a break so working to give him a 36 hour overnight break every single week to try to keep families together. None of this would happen without you and I'm here to tell you that if you got some tough things going on in your life. God hasn't lied to you and you save a lot. I look at my circumstances and I can't see 1 Single Way, God could turn them into good well so what God didn't ask you to be able to see you don't have the perspective to see you don't have the wisdom to see you don't know what God knows you have no idea what God's planning to do.

You and are in no position to judge God at this point, but I have baked cake besides God says were not to walk by sight were to walk by faith. Faith means we believe what God tells us even if we can figure it out friends and I'll tell you if you will demand from yourself a godly view.

Circumstances not only will God keep his promise. But you will have a lot easier time and a lot more fun in the process than beating your some of us here have tough things.

I know that having a disabled and girls tough thing to friends. We can rise above that if we really believe God and have a godly view. Circumstances may God help you do that the spray Lord you know that world human in Josh when tough stuff hits our life. The first the natural the normal reaction is to just come apart at the seams to panic to get angry.

To accuse you. We've all done it. Lord my prayer is that you would use the apostle Paul as a classroom for us. His attitude, and that we would understand that what you're looking for from us is a godly view of circumstances you want us to believe what you tell us so utterly and so deeply that we can rise above those human reactions we can be call and confident and peaceful.

As we know some things we know this is no accident and we know you're going to convert it into good and we know that so deeply were to walk by faith and believe it before we ever see.

Lord, that's where you want us to be as a way of creating a platform to people around us were we can share Christ with them.

So change our lives change the way we react to our circumstances because we were here for those of us struggling through some tough things God give us a whole different way of approaching those tough things. Give us a godly view of our circumstances help us walk by faith we pray these things in Jesus name God's people said Amen and listening to that went with Dr. Lon Solomon said when it is and how arrangement Lon Solomon ministering to listen to today's message, or for more information visit our website. Lon Solomon ministries.org.

Thank you for your support.

If you would like to contact us, please visit our website or call us at 86688777 we had people join us next time in line to answer when in life, my stand