Bro Gary Weds PM 4/6/11

Bro Gary Weds PM 4/6/11

Mat 16:23  But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Mat 16:26  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

The followers of Christ must deny themselves and follow Him.  We make a choice of what type of suffering we’re going to have.  The world and sinners have been taught by the devil that serving God is really hard.  What they haven’t been educated on is that the world and sin is really hard on people.  

I went to several homes this last week and the needs of the homes were very alarming.  They really need a savior.  If you’d talk to those people they’d probably tell you that serving God is tough and being a Christian is tough; I’m not sure what they see about serving God that is so hard.  

Jesus said if you’re going to follow me then you will have to take up your cross and follow me.  Whosoever will try to save their life will lose their life.  People that I visited are losing their lives by following hard after the things of the world.  You don’t have to go to a third world country to find people that need help.  They think they’re saving their life; they think they are having fun.

If they gained the whole world: the whole world of alcohol, the whole world of the tobacco industry, the whole world of being a fashion beauty 2011 at 49 years old; this is not a winning situation.  In their mind serving God is tough; what I see of their life is tough and full of heartache.  

The cross does represent suffering.  There are many words that are synonyms with the word suffering in the scripture.  Trials: there is no question; all that are saved are going to have trials.  Afflictions:  “Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” There are hardships in taking up your cross.  To be fair, there are a lot of hardships in not taking up the cross.  

Persecutions:  When people are rude crude and unacceptable, I think of how rude and when they lie about me, I think how sad for them to lie on me because it is going on their record.  I’ve found too many good things in serving God to give up for one that will lie on me.  

There are physical and mental battles. There are also spiritual battles.

Isa 30:18  And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

Isa 30:19  For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.

Isa 30:20  And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:

Isa 30:21  And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Isa 30:23  Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.

Isa 30:24  The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.

Isa 30:25  And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

Isa 30:26  Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.

Verse 18: If you are in persecution, or a battle, or a hard place in your life, don’t forget that God is still on the throne and is waiting to be gracious.  I’d always thought that Paul said, “Our light affliction” after he was out of the battle.  I have greater understanding tonight that what we’re going through today compared to what we’re going to get in heaven makes what we’re going through today look like a light affliction.  If you’re faithful then God will reward you for what you’ve gone through in your suffering.

Verse 19: When you’re in the heat of adversity don’t jump up and do something, wait on God and He will bring you through every time.  

To the widows in this congregation, you are fortunate to be a saved widow.  Sin is tough; the widow’s place was sold one hour before the bank foreclosed on it.  Sin doesn’t treat people well.  Not making good choices will put you in tough situations.  

2Ti 2:3  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

Take up your cross and follow Jesus.  He that loses His life for Christ’s sake shall find it.