Transcription
Life can get so hard that it forces you to wonder about the God you worship. If God is God, why is this happening? If God can do whatever he wants, why not do what I asked? Somebody say that's a good question. She bowed and began in prayer with me.
"Father and God, you are amazing, and we thank you, oh God, for the abundance of your grace and your mercy that is amazing to us every day. For the opportunity we have now to hear you speak to our hearts, Lord, clear any distraction and disturbance that we might be focused on what the Spirit would speak to us. Lord, touch my head and my heart. Use my mind and my mouth. Allow there to be no gap between your will and my words. Speak, Lord, for your servants are listening. In the name of our Jesus and our Christ, we do pray. Amen. Amen."
As we seek to hear God speak today, won't you turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament, the third book of the New Testament? If you would navigate and journey into the seventh chapter, there is a word from the Lord that sets the foundation for our lesson of life today, beginning in verse 18, going into the 18th verse of the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Luke. And once you've located that, if you're physically able, we ask that you would stand, that together we might reverence the reading of God's holy word.
From Luke 7, beginning in verse number 18, reading this morning out the New King James version of God's holy word, it says: "Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. And John, calling two of his disciples to himself, sent them to Jesus, saying, 'Are you the coming one, or do we look for another?' When the men had come to him, they said, 'John sent us, asked to say, are you the coming one, or do we look for someone else?' And that very hour, Jesus cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits, and to many blind he gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, 'Now go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of me.'"
As we hang out there in Luke chapter 7, which is also paralleled in Matthew 11, today I want to talk, teach, preach about what to do when life is hard. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord.
When life is hard, I've shared openly with you before, and I reiterate today, that once a month I go sit on a Christian counselor's couch. I visited my therapist once a month. Now, before you judge me, allow me to tell you, some of you could stand to visit a therapist once a month. And I visit my therapist for a couple of reasons. Number one, I pastor y'all, and that's a stressful job. Number two, I'm trying to grow and be the best of me I can be. And at this stage of my life, I realize that I've got some flaws, some failures, some wrinkles I need to iron out, some stuff I'm trying to fix. And so I meet with a therapist to help me identify ways in which I can grow and be better.
One of the things I've noticed about myself at this stage of life, that my staff will quickly attest to, is that one of my flaws, one of my weaknesses, one of my wrinkles I'm trying to work out, is that I have a tendency to be a little short-tempered with people. Um, I, I, I, I got to confess, every now and then, folk can really get on my nerves. And although I'm a little bit older now and I don't say some of the stuff I used to say, Delon, it's quickly evident on my face when you're getting on my nerves. I, I can give you that look that lets you know you're getting on my nerves. So I'm trying to work on being patient. I'm trying to learn to be more patient with people.
And when I was meeting with my therapist, she said, "Well, Rev, what you need to do, you need to journal and take note of the things that aggravate, irritate, and frustrate you, because you can't work on being patient until you know the buttons that make you impatient." And so I started taking note of what aggravates, frustrates, and irritates me. I came to the conclusion that one of the things that quickly aggravates, irritates, frustrates me, gets on my nerves, gets under my skin, is when I have to, Sister Paula, repeat myself. I, I don't like having to say something twice. And you know, it really aggravates me, y'all pray for me. It aggravates me when folk ask me questions that they should know the answer to if they've been paying attention to what I was saying. Hear me, hear me. I'm, I'm working it out. I'm working it out. I know I got to grow. But, but when you ask a question that you should know the answer to if you were paying attention, it lets me know that when I was speaking, you weren't paying attention. And when I speak, I expect you to be listening. I, I got to grow. I got to grow in that area. But, but it aggravates me when folk aren't listening to what I'm saying and they ask questions that they should know the answer to.
Now, before you judge me, let me tell you, that makes me a little bit like Jesus. Because as you look at the humanity of Jesus, you will see that Jesus seemingly gets aggravated when people ask questions they should know the answer to if they've been listening to what he's been saying. If you don't believe that, you need to reread Luke 7 a little bit. You find out that that Jesus shows a little frustration with what goes down here in Luke 7.
John the Baptist sends two of his disciples to Jesus to ask the question, "Are you the coming one? Are you the Messiah? Are you the one we've been waiting on? Are you the one Isaiah prophesied about?" John the Baptist wants to know, is Jesus the coming one? Now, if you read the Bible, you ought to know that this is a really curious question coming from John the Baptist. Because if anybody should have known who Jesus was, it's John the Baptist. I wish I had a Bible reader that, that you remember in Luke chapter 1, in the story of the birth of Jesus, that Jesus and John are cousins. You recall that when, when Mary finds out she's pregnant with Jesus, she goes to see Elizabeth, who's pregnant with John. And when pregnant Mary, with Jesus in her womb, walks into the presence of a pregnant Elizabeth, with John in her womb, the Bible says that John gives some embryonic praise and begins to do backflips in his mother's womb because even in the womb, John knew who Jesus was. Can I push it?
And that same John goes out into the wilderness and begins to preach and proclaim Jesus. So the John who knew him in the womb is the John who preached about him in the wilderness. And if that wasn't enough, in Luke chapter 3, one day John is down by the River Jordan baptizing folk. Jesus shows up, says, "I need you to baptize me." John says, "I'm not worthy to baptize the Son of God." Jesus commands him to do it anyway, and John baptizes Jesus in the Jordan. And, and, and after he pulls him up, the heavens open, a dove shines down, and then God speaks. And God says, in the presence of John the Baptist, "Just in case folk don't know who that boy is, I want everybody to know that is my Son, in whom I am well pleased." John, John knows Jesus in the womb, he preaches about Jesus in the wilderness, he hears God speak by the water. And the question you ought to be asking is, how can a John who knew him in the womb, proclaimed him in the wilderness, and heard about him by the water, can now reach a place where he's unsure who Jesus is? How can John have doubts about Jesus?
Well, part of the answer deals with the context of where John is when he sends this question. The reason John doesn't go to Jesus himself and ask, "Are you the coming one?" is because if you read the other synoptic gospels, you'll find out that when John asks this question, John is in jail. How did John the Baptist get there? I'm glad you asked. Herod, whose king has married his own brother's wife, and everybody knows that's out of order, but nobody says anything but John the Baptist. John the Baptist calls Herod out for what he knows is an act of immorality. John writes a blog, puts it on the internet, it goes viral. Everybody knows that what Herod has done is wrong, and Herod is embarrassed. Has John the Baptist arrested, only for his stepdaughter to demand that John be beheaded. And so now John is in jail under a death sentence. And while he's in jail, he now has doubts about who Jesus is, because life can put you in such a hard place that you wind up having doubts about the goodness of God. Come on here, let me preach to you right here. It doesn't matter what your church title is. It doesn't matter how big your Bible is. It doesn't matter how many consecutive Sundays you come to church. Everybody in here can wind up in some circumstances that make you question whether God is who God said he was. I, I know, I know, I know, I know you can't shout right here. You can't say amen because you want your neighbor to think that you're saved and sanctified, Holy Ghost filled, and you wake up every morning with your mind stayed on Jesus. But there's some of us who can admit this morning, I've been in some tight situations that made me go to God and ask, "Why did you let this happen to me? When is this going to be over? Are you going to make a way? Will you take care of this?" Has anybody ever questioned the goodness of God?
Because life, life, life can get so hard that it forces you to wonder about the God you worship. If God is God, why is this happening? If God can do whatever he wants, why not do what I asked? Somebody say, "Ask a good question."
And what's amazing about this question that John asks is that Jesus never answers it. John sends a simple question, "I just need to know, are you who I think you are?" And Jesus doesn't give a simple answer. Wouldn't it have been easier for Jesus just to say, "Yes, I am"? Jesus doesn't answer because he needs to send a message to John that when life is hard like that, when you find yourself in locked-up situations, when you're wondering about the goodness of God, you don't need an easy answer. You need something deeper to hold your life together. Hear me, beloved, that when people are in rough seasons of life, I can't stand church cliches. I don't need easy answers. I, I, can I be real? Every now and then, them easy answers get on my nerves. I, I know he may not come when I want him to, but, but, but that ain't helping me right now. I, I know he'll never put more on me than I can bear, but, but, but that ain't... I know when the praises go up, the, that, that ain't helping me right now. Have you ever needed more than an easy answer? Have you ever needed more than some cliche that's been rehearsed and microwaved a thousand times? Have you ever needed more than that?
Jesus says, when life gets hard, you need more than these easy church answers. And so, watch what this text teaches us about what you need when life is hard on you. There are three things every believer, every child of God, needs when life is hard.
Number one, you need faith that is firm in days of disappointment. You need a faith that is firm in days of disappointment. Let me teach Bible for a minute. The reason John is questioning Jesus, Alan Co Peppers, PhD in New Testament, says, is because John is wrestling with disappointment. He is the cousin of Jesus who has preached Jesus and was trying to do right and wound up in jail. And John is trying to figure out, "How can I be your cousin? How can I preach your word? How can I try to do right, and I still wind up in jail? This was not supposed to happen to me." And beloved, I come by to tell you that if you walk long enough with God, you will have some moments when you go to God and say to God, "This was not supposed to happen to me." I wish I had some true believers who can declare, "Listen, I've been trying to do right. Why did God let this happen? I come to church. This ain't supposed to happen. I serve in ministry. This ain't supposed to be my lot in life." When you do right, it's hard to understand how you get wrong.
But here's what I come by to tell you this morning, and it's a bitter pill to swallow: that when you walk faithfully with God, there will be some moments when God disappoints you. There will be some moments when what you expect from God is not what you experience of God. That God doesn't answer prayers the way you always want them answered. God doesn't move in times when you want him to move. I don't care how much your tithe is. I don't care how loud you shout. You cannot force the hand of God to act in ways that are comfortable and convenient for you. That in His sovereignty, God will often times disappoint us. This ain't for the kindergarten. This ain't for the faint of heart. This is for the growing saint. I come by to tell you the truth: that God doesn't always say yes. God doesn't always move the mountain. God doesn't always take the thorn out. God doesn't always make a way. God has a way of disappointing you. And you've got to have faith that holds on to God when God doesn't do what you thought God should do. Can I preach right here? You got to have a faith that can endure some disappointments. Because real faith, beloved, is not expecting that God will do something. Real faith is believing in God when he doesn't. Come here. Real faith is not me just expecting God to do great things. Real faith is when I trust in God when God doesn't do great things. When I hold to God in spite of whatever happens to me. When I believe in God when the bottom of my life drops out. When I worship God without a dime in my pocket. When I pray to God when I got sickness in my body. When I hold to His hand no matter what hell I go through. That my real faith is seen when I trust God when God has disappointed me. That, that's why Jesus says, "Blessed is the one who is not offended because of me." Because I'm going to do some things that will upset you. I'm going to move in some ways that will leave a bad taste in your mouth. I'm going to answer your prayers in ways that you don't appreciate. I'm going to let some stuff happen to you that you didn't think should happen to you. And in that moment, don't be offended. Don't walk away. Don't give up on me. Don't turn your back on me. I've got a plan. I'm up to something. I'm doing something in your life. I just need you to trust me. My God, my God. Is your faith firm when God disappoints you?
You know what it reminds me of? Marcus, reminds me of a, a rural pastor who went to visit a member of his church. Goes out in the country, visits a member. And when he gets to the member's house, on, on the farm, the stable there, there is a weather vane that moves with the wind. And the weather vane has written on it, "God is good." And so he and his member are standing there, and they see that "God is good." But then the wind shifted, and the weather vane moved, and where they were standing, they could no longer see "God is good." And so the preacher said to his member, he said, "You know what? That's a theological inaccuracy for you to put 'God as good' on a weather vane, because you're suggesting that when the wind blows the right way, I can see God as good." And the old farmer said, "No, brother pastor, that's not what it means. He said, I put 'God as good' on the weather vane so that I would be reminded, no matter which way the wind blows, that God is still good. The wind doesn't have to be in my back for me to know that God is good. Uh, that no matter which way it goes, I can declare God is good." And I'm looking for about five folk right here, right now, who can declare, "No matter what happens in my life, I've got enough faith to say that God is good." Uh, when the bottom drops out, God is good. When Mama goes home to glory, God is good. When my money is funny, God is good. When the one I love doesn't love me back, God is still, He's good. You, you, you need some faith that is firm in the days that God disappoints you.
Let me tell you what else you need. Jesus said, "Listen, not only does John need some firm faith, but number two, you need friends who are faithful witnesses of God's wonders." Can I tell you what makes a hard situation worse? When you got the wrong people in your life. When, when life gets hard on you, you've got to be careful about who's in your inner circle. Some of y'all are messed up right now because you got the wrong folk on speed dial. Let me tell you the kind of people you need. You need people like these two disciples whom John calls. These two disciples come to John, they take his question to Jesus, and they bring Jesus' answer back to John. Let me tell you, let me tell you the type of people you need. You need some people, number one, who you can be real with. Watch this here. Is John the Baptist, the preacher, the elder, the bishop, the preet, the presiding elder, whatever title you want. Here is John the Baptist with his religious, sanctified self, and he's struggling in his relationship with the Lord. Now, now, who does the pastor speak to when the pastor is having trouble with God? But John has two folk in his life that he's comfortable enough taking his title off and showing them, "I'm just another brother who has struggled with God, just like you do." Because everybody needs somebody who you can be real with and share, share what's really happening in your life. Can I preach right here? I am tired of religious environments where I have to pretend to be what I am. I'm tired of coming to church and having to act every week like I'm blessed and highly favored, that I woke up shouting, "Thank you, Jesus," every morning. No, there's some of us that can be real. There's some moments I've come to church and given God glory was not on the top of my list because I felt like I was losing my mind. And I just need a place where I can be real about my struggle. But here's the problem with church: you have found out the hard way, you can't trust church folk. I can trust you with my John the Baptist, but I can't trust you with my real John. I can trust you with Reverend Doctor, but I can't trust you with Howard John. I can trust you with my Bible-carrying self. I can't trust you with my switchblade and my backpack. I, that, because there's, there's a side of me that, that you can't really handle the truth. I'm looking for some folk that I can be real with and you not judge me. I want to be able to tell you that, that I'm having trouble with God. I want to tell you that I'm about to lose my mind. I want to tell you that this burden is too much for me to bear. I want to tell you that I couldn't sleep last night. I want to tell you that I'm trying to be holy, but I backslide every now and then. I need to be real with you. I need you to touch somebody and ask them, "Can I be real with you?" I, I need to know, can you handle the fact that, that, that I've got a Bible in my hand, um, and some Hennessy under my shelf? Because when one don't work, I might reach for the other. I, I just need to know, can you handle the real me? Okay, okay. DW, it's going to be some emails on that one. Me, some emails. Don't be, uh, uh, he can be real with these folk.
And watch it here. Here is the real shout: When these two disciples find out that John is struggling with Jesus, notice what they do with it. They go right to Jesus. You missed it. You missed it. When he shares with them his real self, the only thing they do with it is go right to Jesus. Okay, one more time. When he takes the mask off and shows what's underneath the robe, there's some folk that when they find out he's just human, they don't go tell nobody but Jesus. And that's what you need in your life: some folk that know how to get right to the throne room of God and call on the Lord on your behalf. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh. Here it is. What's hurting some folk in the sanctuary today? You've got friends with the wrong skill sets. You, you, you got friends that can do the wrong things right. Right, right now, right now, if you, if you're in a hard place and you want to go out to the club and drop it like it's hot, you got somebody you can call right now who's down for the get-down, who will meet you at the club and stay there till the joint shuts down. You, you got somebody with that skill set. You got somebody right now that when life is hard, if you needed to call on them to help you go bust out somebody's windows, they got your back all day long. You got some thugs in your life who will show up with a black hoodie on and say, "Girl, let's go do what we got to do." You got somebody with that skill set. If, if, if you wanted to do something in the dark, you got somebody you can call right now who will show up at your place 2:00 in the morning because they got that skill set. But that ain't what you need when life is hard. You need some prayer warriors who you can call on and tell them, "I need you to pray for me," and you know that they will go down on their knees, lift up their hands, and talk to God on your behalf. My God, do me a favor. Touch somebody, tell them, "That's what you need. That's what you need." You need some folk that know how to pray. You need some folk to know how to go to the Lord because there's going to come some moments when you don't know how to pray as you should have. Have you ever knelt down and you didn't know what to say? Have you ever bowed your head and felt unworthy to talk to God? And in that moment, I'm so glad somebody had me on their mind so that when I couldn't pray as I should pray, I got some prayer partners and some prayer warriors who went to God and whispered my name, and God blessed me because of their prayers. Okay, I got, all right, I got to go. I got to go. Uh, yeah, I'm, I'm tired.
You need faith that is firm in days of disappointment. You need friends who are faithful witnesses of the wonders of God. Let me tell you the third thing you need when life gets hard: you need to find fulfillment in the praise of other people. Here is what hinders many people when life is hard: you only praise God on your own stuff. Wh, wh, watch what Jesus does. This, this is a Bible study lesson, and I guarantee about two people on your few going to miss it, so I'm going to have to say it more than once. John is in a hard place. When Jesus finds out that John needs help, Jesus opens the eyes of some other blind folk. Alexander, I knew they're going to miss him. Try it again. When, when John is in a hard place and Jesus knows John needs some help, Jesus causes some lame brother to get up and walk. When, when John needs some help, Jesus finds a sick sister and heals her. You missed it. When John needs some help, the Lord tries to bless John by blessing somebody else because he wants John to know, "Don't limit your praise to God based on your own personal stuff." I'm going to surround you with people who I've been good to, and I want you to learn to bless God for the blessing your neighbor has. I want you to get happy because the sister sitting next to you got happy. I want you to lift your hands because the brother in front of you lifted his hands. I want you to be happy because of what I did for somebody else.
So here's what God does. I'm done. When the Lord sees you in a hard place, he will surround you with those who he's been good to as a way of encouraging you to know that if God could do it for them, and if God opened her eyes, and if God paid his bills, and if God healed her cancer, and if God protected his children, then surely God is able to do the same for me. Um, have you ever noticed that when you're in a hard place, the ushers always sit you next to Sister Shadot? You, you, you ever come to church and you're in a bad mood, trying to work some stuff out with God, and Brother Standup is right in front of you? You, you ever come in trying to figure some stuff out, and they put you next to that neighbor that wants to touch their neighbor 30 times in worship? The Lord says, "I'm, I'm trying to place you in a crowd of folk that I've been good to because you really have no reason to just sit with your arms crossed every Sunday." That even if you think you don't have a reason to shout yourself, when you see what God has been doing in the life of your neighbor, you ought to reach a point where I can bless God not on my own stuff, but I bless God because He's been good to you. And I thank you.