Examples and Encouragements In Suffering - Pastor Daniel Batarseh

And what sounds 1:22 says, I was glad when they said to me, let

us go to the house of the Lord. I was glad when I got invited to

go to church. That was the greatest invitation

that I could receive. Can I ask you a question?

If somebody were to ask you, Where's your favorite place to

be? Or where would your favorite

place to be? What would you be able to

answer? Would Church be the first thing.

I hope so. Do you know why?

Being in the house of God is the greatest place to be on this

side of Heaven. Because it's the closest thing

to Heaven. That's why to be surrounded with

God's people, to be surrounded with the truth of God and to

sing praises to God. Ephesians 2:20 to says that we

Ephesians 2:20

are being built up together as a dwelling place for God as a

dwelling place for God. So, even if your bone tired this

morning, because I see a lot of baggy eyes today, I know we had

we celebrated many people here, celebrated marriage, a marriage

between a man and a woman that represent Christ in the church

and are part of this church. So, I'm fully aware that many

people in here are exhausted, but even when you're exhausted,

it's still a good thing to be in the house of God.

With that being said, turn to James chapter, 5, James chapter

James 5 · chapter mention

5, beginning in verse, Eight. James 58.

You also. Be patient.

Establish your hearts. Prepare your hearts.

Get your heart to ready. Establish your hearts for the

coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not Grumble against one

another brothers, so that you may not be judged behold the

judge capital J. The judge is standing at the

door. Verse 10 as an example of

suffering. And patience Brothers, take the

prophets. Who spoke in the name of the

Lord behold. We consider those blasts Who

Remain steadfast you have heard of the steadfastness of job.

And you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is

compassionate and merciful. Let's pray together.

Lord, as we just saying. And as we just read We establish

our hearts Lord, for your coming.

And we pray that. You would find us ready.

Lord, we just ask that you would speak through your word in the

power of the holy spirit that even through our weariness.

God, your where would grip has penetrate into the depths of our

soul. Or if there's anybody in here,

who's not ready for your return? Make them ready.

By convicted me of sin and reminding them that they need.

Jesus Christ as their lord and savior.

Let it be done today in this house for the glory of your

name. We ask that this meeting be free

from distraction discouragement. Or destruction.

And now your purpose is Prevail. We ask and the precious name of

the Savior Jesus we ask amen. Amen.

The scriptures are emphatic, Ali?

Clear that the second coming of Jesus Christ is an undeniable

event, that will take place at one point in history, based on

the trustworthy, testimony of the Bible.

You and I could be sure of this, that in the midst of all the

things that are happening in life.

Jesus said as in the days of Noah, this is fitting for our

context. There will be people who are

marrying. There will be people who are

buying they'll be people who are selling in the midst of all of

that. Jesus Christ will interrupt all

of our plans for his ultimate plan to bring the church to him

and to bring judgment on the world.

It's coming, it's coming whether you believe it or not, it's

coming whether you're ready for it or not.

And James here is reminding us of that.

But there's something else that he wants us to.

My to be reminded of that between this moment now and that

event that will take place whether it's in our lifetime or

not, there is a guaranteed experience that we will have in

that time period between now and Jesus returning.

There is a guaranteed just like the sucking Second Coming, is

guaranteed. This also is something that will

happen inevitably and it is this, that you and I will to

some degree. Free suffer.

And not just suffer, but be tempted in the midst of our

suffering. To become weary.

And to become relaxant and are faithful zealous obedience to

the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what the Holy Spirit does

through James and verse 10, verse 8 and verse 9, he's

telling the people his audience, he's telling us today.

Hey, hey, Jesus is coming back. And then he goes into this

seemingly random subject relating to suffering and

patience. And you go, what's the

relationship between now? And then we might suffer, and

some more than others, some with greater intensity than others.

But it is something that is surely to come to pass in the

Christian experience. And so he says, listen.

It's going to happen, the second coming and trials and

tribulations, and this is a beautiful thing for us because

he's not providing a philosophical explanation of why

Christians suffer he could have. And there are some places we can

go to explain that instead of giving us an explanation of why

we suffer, he wants to give us examples of suffering. he wants

to give us clear pictures in the Bible that you and I are to take

hope in and find life in You know what he does.

He says Annex as an example of suffering.

I want you to look to the prophets.

I want you to look at the prophets of old who spoke in the

name of the Lord. And I want you to see what they

experienced as as a means by which you can continue to walk

Faithfully with the Lord. Like they walked Faithfully with

the Lord. And this heads-up from the Lord

to say, hey, things might not go your way in life, should not

discourage you, and I should not discourage us if anything.

It should encourage us because we know that he already knows

what's to come, and he is Sovereign over our suffering.

So I have hope and I have, I have an anchor of my soul to

know that I've read in the Bible already that if I've been

stamped by the blood of Christ, if anything goes against me and

it's not for me per se on the surface level.

I can rest to know that God is in control.

Control. And we have this commandment

from God. This this prescription go to the

Old Testament and look at the prophets of old.

He says, because they suffered and James.

I don't think James has one type of suffering inspired by the

Holy Spirit, one type of suffering in mind.

When you hear the word suffering, what comes to your

mind immediately. Severe persecution, physical

pain, severe disease, extreme poverty.

What comes to your mind? What jolts in your mind as an

image? When you think or hear the word

suffering, the reality is suffering comes in different

packages in various forms. And I believe James here does

not have one idea of suffering per se.

Why? Because he says look to the

prophets, plural, not one prophet.

And what we know from the prophets, Is that though they

all suffered in different in one way in the sense that they were

persecuted. They all had their unique

experience. Each Prophet had a slightly

different bent to their experience of pain and trials

and tribulations, which is amazing to us as a source of

encouragement because we can look at the vast roster of

profit, and look at one of them in a season of life and say, oh,

if he went through it, I can go through it.

So, if that person experience that, surely I can experience it

and this is the beauty about the Theology of suffering in the

practical sense, isn't it true that when we go through

something, we tend to Magnetize ourselves towards those who have

gone through the very same thing or something, similar and have

overcome it. Our ears are more open to those

who can relate to US based on experience, because no matter

how shattered we are in the midst of what we're going

through. We are faced with someone who is

flesh and blood like us but as overcome and there is hope even

if it's a small small dosage of it, we are drawn to people who

have experienced what we've experienced.

And James is saying, listen, go to the prophets and draw some

help from them. Because as much as they're

calling was very preacher, like and full-time Ministry.

Based there is something about the prophets in which the Bible.

In wisdom says you can actually relate to them more than you

think. And there's suffering is not as

far-fetched as you are experiencing in this Western

age. The purpose of this message, the

purpose of James's message to us this morning, is that we would

glean from them. And that we would have the

strength from that to continue to walk Faithfully with the

Lord. Which profits can we go to?

Which profits can we go to someone who has overcome?

Something that we seem to be overcome with.

I think one that is. Undeniable is Jeremiah.

Jeremiah turn to Jeremiah chapter 20.

Jeremiah 20 · chapter mention

Jeremiah chapter 20 beginning in verse 7.

Jeremiah 20 · chapter mention

Jeremiah chapter 20. What's the context here?

Jeremiah 20 · chapter mention

Jeremiah is doing? What Jeremiah was called to do.

Preach the word of God. And I one point, his audience

was greatly discomforted uncomfortable by his words and

verse 1, you can just lean over as his Passion of the priest,

the son of immer, who was the chief officer in the house of

the Lord, her Jeremiah prophesying these things.

And what did he do? He beat the guy up and threw him

in a holding cell overnight. Some response to a message and

what is Jeremiah experience? What he's been experiencing for

most, if not all of his ministry, rejection after

rejection after rejection, after rejection, And in this chapter

in particular it seems like Jeremiah the single-minded

devoted man of God has reached a Tipping Point in his soul. where

he now begins to Open his heart bear before God, and begin to

express without filter. What he's truly sensing.

What is he saying? First verse 7 O, Lord you have

deceived me. And I was deceived.

You were stronger than I and you have prevailed.

I'd become a laughing stock, all the day, everyone mocks me.

Think about what he said, you have deceived me.

And you're stronger than me. And you and In this wrestling

match, you actually overcame me. That's a bold thing to say to

God. you have tricked me, you have Manipulated you have hidden

goals behind this whole thing. What does he mean?

By say, you deceive me? He's going back to when he was

called in chapter one. When he was called as a young

man to be a preacher in the first place.

And he is now slipped into such Despair and discouragement and

such raw form. He pretty much just saying in

modern language, I did not know that all of this was a part of

the package. So when you came to me Lord and

you this you just brought this idea to me and you you said

these wonderful things about who I was that I was consecrated for

my mother's room and I was chosen to be a prophet to the

nation's and when I came to you as a response to that and I

said, listen I'm but a youth. You told me not to worry and I

said I can't speak very well and you said, don't worry, I'm going

to be with you. And when I was fearful of this

apostate Nation, you said I will be with you to deliver you.

That sounded really, really Good.

But I didn't know all of this would be a part of it.

Because up to this point, I'm not really seeing much fruit in

my Ministry. That was all Splendid.

That was beautiful. Lord, that call.

I mean, we all go to that. Even we go to that chapter to

bring us, hope to know that God really has a plan for our lives

from the moment that we are even conceived in our mother's womb.

But Jeremiah saying, I feel tricked.

I did not see this in the small print.

I'm getting beat up and I'm getting thrown into prison and

I'm getting laughed at by everybody.

I was humbled at first, I was excited at first I was willing

to make any sacrifice. Do you realize in Jeremiah 16:1,

Jeremiah 16:1

probably one of the hardest things that Jeremiah had to

hear. Read it read it one day, God

tells them you're not getting married.

And you're not going to have children.

In this place, it's not going to happen.

I don't think we really realized the waiting is the depth of this

ministry and the sacrifice that this man had to make in order to

serve the Lord and Jeremiah was willing to do it.

Whatever it is. You want to put a hold on my

season of marriage. You want to put a hold on?

I mean, wanting to have children.

That's fine. I'm willing to serve you Lord.

And who knows what was going on in Jeremiah's, my, but all these

wonderful things that God had called him for no converts.

I mean, at least, if I'm going to make these sacrifices, I

would see some fruit. Come out of my Ministry.

If I'm going to go to these Great Lengths of putting things

on pause and life and and preaching an unpopular message,

surely there's going to come some fruit out of it.

And in fact, I'll top of all the things that he had to lay aside

for the Lord. He's getting pummeled by his own

people. Never mind Gentile Nations.

Did God deceive him? Did God leave that out with God?

Like well if I don't tell him the whole thing he's not gonna

know know Jeremiah just did not realize the extent of it here.

This in chapter 1 verse 19. God told them this stuff was

already going to happen, but it's just in our fallen nature

that we have selective hearing. Not only that, we didn't, we

don't just do that. Jeremiah is not just doing that

because it's Jeremiah we do that with our Bible reading the only

We find ourselves picking the things that we like, and we find

ourselves kind of muting our ears to the things that we're

not too fond of. Jeremiah 119, this is what the

Lord says they will fight against you.

But they shall not Prevail against you for.

I Am with You declares the Lord to deliver you.

It's going to happen, Jeremiah, but it's not to the point where

it's going to overcome you. so he's just frustrated here, he

and in chapter 20, is come to a place of just Total despair.

And I believe a great part of his despair as the weeping

prophet was. He did not see much apparent

success. In terms of people turning from

their ways and walking Faithfully with the Lord.

And that crushed him. And you say, what's the point?

How does that relate to James five?

It relates in this way that between now and waiting for

Jesus to come back, you and I can suffer in the same way

Jeremiah did in what sense that we remain faithful and Ministry

and don't really see much things coming out of it.

And that can make us weary of remaining faithful in Ministry.

This point is for those who really want to live for Christ.

If you don't want to live for Christ, this point means nothing

to you but if you have made it your ambition to bear fruit for

the glory of God. I hope this encourages you.

Because you hear it from pastors and you even hear from Layman

that want to serve God, you hear from people that really want to

serve the Lord. And we're not seeing things.

What? They've been praying for what

they're believing God for what they read in biographies and

stories, but they're not really getting it, it wounds them.

It weighs them down. It takes the fight out of them.

Like Jeremiah. Especially when you believe that

God has called you to something, especially when you felt like,

God is open a door and gifted you with something and you're

walking into that and as you're walking into that, you seem like

everything else seems to be crumbling.

All the things that you knew that you sacrifice to get to

this point all the hours, all the energy, all the driving, all

the prayer meetings and nothing Little bit of Hope here and then

it ends up. It doesn't take much long before

the people that your ministry or backing, all these things that

are crushing the man can Crush you and me as well.

And it feels tricked. Was this really worth it?

Man, I could have bought into something else.

That would have brought me instant results.

I could have invested my time and energy and other things, I

would have brought some kind of instant satisfied satisfaction.

But here I am living for God. Feel like I'm all alone and all

these wonderful things that he's given me as promises and I don't

really seeing things I thought I would see.

Been there. Are you there?

My get there. One day.

But take hope. Because something happens to

this man in a moment. And what happened to Jeremiah in

this text. I believe it's happened to many

great men and women of God, you hear me very carefully.

In 1793, there was a man by the name of William Carey was a

missionary to India. He felt his heart stirred to go

to that place to preach the gospel and so he picks his stuff

up to go. He goes with his wife named

Dorothy and his sister-in-law Dorothy's wife sister Kitty and

they go to this place in India and they met a man named John

Thomas who was an acquaintance, a partner in the ministry.

So they have this band of people, you have, William Carey,

you have his wife, Dorothy you have.

Her sister Kitty of this man named John Thomas and you have

their families in a new land with Great Hopes believing that

Christ has commissioned, all Christians of all generations to

make disciples of all Nations. And it in a matter of a few

short years. In order to to, to sustain and

to live, William, Carey John, Thomas work in a factory, to

gain some income from their family, but this man John Thomas

ends up squandering all the money.

Within a short amount of time. William, Carey son, Peter died

at the age of five. Within a short amount of time,

William Carey sister-in-law, chitti abandons, the mission

field to go, marry a British shoulder Soldier within a short

amount of time because of some believe of the death of the sun

and the whole environment itself.

William carries wife literally, goes insane, To the point where

she saw her husband as the greatest enemy of her life.

And where people were trying to convince this man, put her in an

insane. Asylum.

And so wired, was she? With this mental illness that

she ended up dying. Probably due to that.

And you think, okay, this man had it on his heart to go.

He goes with his family, he has this plan, this Vision.

Surely something came out of this.

How many converts do you think William Carey saw in the first

seven years? Seven years baptized one person.

God, what did I get myself into did he have that know this man

is known now as the father of the modern Mission movement and

the fruit that came out of this man's sacrifice, As far beyond I

believe, what he thought, Bible translation school, and converts

in the hundreds after those first terrible years, at least

in the natural sense. What kept this man going?

What made him not jump ship and go back to England.

What was it? What was it?

That anchored him and faithfulness?

And not growing weary and serving the lord and proclaiming

the Lord? I believe, what?

Jeremiah in? Jeremiah 29. if I say, I will

not mention him, Or speak anymore in his name.

He's saying, if I say that if I come to the point where say I'm

done with this, I'm not preaching anymore.

I'm not gonna go and do these Mission things anymore.

I'm not going to serve and this I'm done.

I'd rather invest my time and my energy elsewhere.

If I say that there is something that reacts to very thought

before it leaves my tongue, what is it?

There is a my heart as a were a burning fire.

Shut up in my bones. And I am weary with holding it

in. I cannot I try to convince

myself. I try to make myself look like

the victim and right, when I'm about to press, right?

When I'm about to bring in my papers, right?

When I'm about to bring in my two weeks notice Something

begins to burn up inside of me and it's a fire.

What is that fire? I believe it's Jeremiah. 23:29

Jeremiah 23:29

were Jeremiah says is not your word like a fire.

Like a hammer that smashes The Rock in pieces.

There was something in Jeremiah that was greater than the

discouragement that try to overcome Jeremiah and it was the

word of God. The word of the Lord that

consumed him and even listen, it was so deep inside of him, even

when he came to the place where he thought that he would not

even share it, he couldn't, he would burst open. and I believe

it's something that we can relate to in Acts chapter 4 20,

Acts 4 · chapter mention

For Peter and the rest of the Christians were commanded.

Don't you dare preach anymore? In this name Jesus?

And you know what they say we cannot help but speak of what we

have seen and heard. We cannot help but to speak what

we have seen and heard you know what, Peter was trying to say

there. I've seen too much.

And I've heard too much. For me to retire.

And to retreat from what I believe, God is calling me to do

in this life. In other words, there are too

many testimonies, and too many Revelations that I have been

exposed to, for me, not to move forward for me to stop or to go

into reverse is actually in a possibility.

I have a question for you, this morning.

What have you seen? And what have you heard?

Have you been so blinded by the glory of God in your walk with

Christ? That to give up is actually

equal to dying. Have you been so enamored?

Have you been so stunned? Have you been so touched by the

Holy Spirit through the word of God?

Has your deliverance and salvation been so great?

That you're single purpose and the Earth is to glorify Christ

and whatever way he asked you to and if not then Lord take me to

Glory because it's all about your glory.

Anyway, Have you so burn the bridges behind you brother.

Have you so burn the bridges behind you sister.

Like, Elijah, when he was called by Elijah, he went back and he

made a barbecue out of his business.

You realize that he was a farmer with oxen and with plows, and

when Elijah call them, he said, let me just do one more thing

here. Hey guys, no turning back.

We have it on our sweaters, right?

I'm burning all of this and let's have a feast because it's

one way, and there's no turning back, you know, where God wants

to bring all of us this morning. God wants to bring all of us to

such a place in our devotion to God.

Is that turning back or retreating or ceasing is

actually impossible. Because that's the only reason

why you live. I don't live for any other

purpose. So I go back and there's nothing

to go back to because there's no Bridge.

Onward. Christian Soldiers.

Jeremiah say I can't do it even if I'm trying to convince myself

it's not working. Peter says, Hey we've seen and

heard too much to keep silent. The only way you're going to

actually keep us from doing what God's called us to do is if you

kill us and they ended up doing that.

I'm sure all of Hell, had vacation when Paul Peter and

John died. Jeremiah.

Said there's a fire in my bones. And I'm weary of holding it in.

This is the place where God wants to bring us.

So if you're here today and you're suffering and what sense

if you're suffering, With the emotions of discouragement and

despair in light of the lack of apparent fruit in your ministry,

take courage, it's not about the fruit, it's about the

faithfulness that God looks for in our ministry.

I believe Jeremiah Jeremiah Was A spectacle to Heaven and Hell.

Why? Because when all the nation was

going downhill, you had a man who would weep because he knew

God's heart and he remained the course, And he's just as human

as you and I are. Take courage.

Don't give up. Let's look at another profit

together. We might not consider this man

as a prophet. He was a man that perhaps

suffered in a way that we would not necessarily immediately

consider suffering. But once we explain them or

perhaps, you'll be able to say, oh yeah, I know what that feels

like. This man is a prophet according

to the scriptures saying, who is he Abraham?

Abraham Genesis 27, God describes Abraham as a prophet.

And this man is another faithful servant of the Lord.

And he had an experience like Jeremiah that we can all

somewhat relate to if we really meditate on it.

How did Abraham suffer I believe Abraham experience suffering and

patience like James says, in light of this one thing that all

of you have experienced all of us will experience something

called waiting on God. Waiting on God.

Go to Genesis 15. Genesis 15 too.

Genesis 15 too. But Abram said, Oh Lord God,

there's a cry. They're all Lord God.

What will you give me? Fry continue childless.

And they are of my house is Eliezer of Damascus.

You can't read that verse without feeling the ache in this

man's heart. And he had a desire, and it was

not a selfish desire. This man had made great

sacrifices to follow the lord as well.

He was called to leave the comfort of his own home.

He was called to lead the familiarity of his area.

He was called to go somewhere where he did, not even really

know where he was going and to drag his family with him.

This man after a great victory in chapter 14 over many kings.

Had an underlying cry in his heart and that cry was I want a

child. I want somebody to continue my

legacy, I want to success sir, I want an heir from my own for my

own seed. And this is something that when

you read verse to, you know, that this is an ache in his

heart, you know, it was in the back of his mind, oh, even

throughout the whole adventure of following the Lord and all

the great acts of faith. And all the interventions of

God, this was still something that he could not fully bury.

This was something that always surface.

It was something that always came up, I'm sure as he laid

there in his tent at night, I'm sure when he saw other families

with their children, something was stirring and Abram.

And he would say, Lord, I really This.

And it's not a sinful desire. It's not a bad thing too long

for it's a. Holy thing.

It's a wonderful thing. It's a joyful thing.

It's a gift from God. He says, God will you give me

this? And God makes him wait.

And he's not in his 20s. He's not in his mid-30s, he's in

his 70s. He gets to his 80s and he's

just, he looks at his wife and he realizes, this is just

getting crazy. This is not going to happen.

Is it? But God promised him.

It's so this isn't just like it's going to happen within the

spent every single day counted at this point in his life.

It was a day by day thing that this man had to walk through and

trusting in the Lord's timing and again you could see that

because he is worried and he's anxious about this.

Very awesome thing. He starts to make plans even in

that statement. So as Eliezer of Damascus

supposed to be my Heir, is that the plan that somebody that's

outside of my family is going to continue my name and what

happens in the next chapter in chapter 16, his wife starts

getting antsy and a Buys in. And what does he do?

He marries Hagar. So, you can see that this guy,

he's fidgety in the soul and he's longing and he's wanting so

desperately that he begin to. Now maneuver In the Flesh, plan

in his own ways, to make something happen that God said,

what happened? But didn't tell him when it

would happen. And this man love God, he

sacrificed for God. But he had a concern for his

future, you have a concern for your future.

Do you want something from the Lord?

But you just want to right now. That's what Abram wanted.

The sooner the better Lord. Have you ever prayed that?

I'm ready to get it now. What else do I need to do?

What else do you want me to fulfill until you bring this

thing into my life? And we even start to give God

advise. Lord, I'm getting old here.

Laura. I think it can bring you more

glory in my younger years. If I do it.

Now, if you give me this opportunity, now if you give me

this relationship, now if you give me that job, now if you

give me that Ministry, now I think I'd be better now.

No answer. and you wait and you wait and you wait and you saying

yeah, I know that Abram waited So, what does that have to do

with suffering? Waiting can sometimes be

torturous. Sometimes the hardest thing in

life is to wait. In fact, some people in here,

maybe could testify that the most difficult thing in their

life right now. Is that they're waiting?

It's not that they don't have enough.

It's not they don't have the right people in their lives is

not like, no, they're waiting for something.

They're not getting it. And some maybe would even pay

money to get that thing, whatever it is.

Just so you can be satisfied in that area of your life.

But here's the joy. If you were suffering between

now and the second coming of Christ in your desire to walk

Faithfully with the Lord because it's amazing like Abram, we can

allow waiting on, God become so overwhelming that it begins to

affect our faithfulness. We get so impatient and we get

so antsy that we begin tonight. Begins to affect the way.

We obey him and walk by him and wait on him and seek Him and we

go. Well if I don't get it then I

can't serve him the way I want to serve him.

Listen listen, listen. Listen this morning if God says

wait, is he still worthy to be loved and served?

If God says, hold on, hold on. Wait is one thing?

Let's take another notch if God says, no, Is he still worthy to

be served? It's convicting.

You know, why you can say yes to both of those things?

Do you know why you can say, yes, brother.

I can, I can love him and worship him and adore him.

I can do it with joy. You know why?

Because whenever God says wait or no, it's always because he

has something better. Always, God is not in heaven,

using you as a guinea pig, just for the thrill of testing you to

see what he can get out of you. That's not God's heart or mine

God because he's your father and mine whenever like a good dad

says wait or no, it's because he loves you enough.

Can I give it to you right now? That's where the pain begins to

drain. When we realize, the reason why

he's not letting it happen in our timing is because he has a

mind and thoughts that we don't. Sometimes we need a sermon like

this. We need to be preached to for us

to be reminded of that. Even if it's a truth that we

already have memorized, You know how we can believe that?

It's because we know why Abram had the way to some degree.

How do we know? Let me read this to you from

Hebrews 11 12. Therefore, as is describing

Abraham. Therefore from one, man.

And him as good as dead. Were born descendants as many as

the stars of Heaven, as many as the innumerable grains of the

Sand by the seashore. Did you read that slowly?

Therefore, why did God make him wait so long?

Why at 100 years old of all times at 100 was Isaac born to

Abraham. You know why?

Because Hebrews says that God was waiting for him to be as

good as dead. Abraham.

I want to get you to an age and I want to get you to a Frailty.

I want to get you to such a dependency that when I deliver

what I promised to you. And when I want to give to you,

that very thing that's been stirring in your heart, all

these years I'm going to time this so specifically that the

timing itself will be a testimony to my glory. so that

when people see little Isaac in your arms, Whenever heat, they

hear his giggling and whenever they see him stumbling across

the field, they will know that this is a gift.

It miraculous provision from God.

They won't be able to attribute it to Natural circumstance.

They won't be able to say. This was some know, every time

they see Isaac, they'll see God. Every time they see your little

family picture that sent over to the neighbors for Christmas.

They're going to see God. In other words, I'm going to

make that desire that you want so bad I'm going to time it for

a testimony. God's timing is for a testimony

for his glory but all the goodness of God it goes even

deeper than that my family. Genesis 21:6.

Genesis 21:6

Look what happens to Sarah. When Isaac was born and Sarah

said, God has made laughter for me.

Everyone who hears will laugh over me?

So when this baby comes, when Isaac the promise is fulfilled,

you know what she says? She's not speaking,

sarcastically hear someone assume.

She goes, whenever people hear of this they're actually going

to rejoice. So I look at that truth and I

say okay I really want something really badly and God knows that.

But I can take comfort to know that the timing of this being

fulfilled is so that God would get maximum glory.

And that my joy would be to the brim And that not just my joy

like Sarah, who laughed, but when other people see it, and

hear of it, they're going to rejoice as well.

What an awesome God. We serve That's hard for us.

You know why? Because the day we live in

everything in our day is almost instant.

You can order a precious product and get it at your front door

without you putting your shoes on in a matter of hours,

everything is in your hands whenever you want it and it is

so affected us. Listen, it is so affected us and

I'm not pointing I'm saying I'm included here too.

Here in the west with all of our services, we are growing more

and more impatient to things that are ridiculous.

Even things that 10 years ago would have taken weeks now, take

hours minutes even and unfortunately, because our food

comes so quick because our internet service comes so quick

because of our products that come in so quick, all of these

things that can come right in the snap of a finger.

We've translated that into our relationship with God, listen,

Amazon might have changed how their products come quickly to

your house but God's ways do not change.

God is the same in Genesis as he is today.

And God has wisdom. in his timing and he knows when to give

it for his maximum glory and for the joy of your own heart and

for those who would witness your patient endurance, Or you can

birth in Ishmael. I don't want to birth in

Ishmael. If there's a prayer, you can

pray between now and God fulfilling what you believe.

He wants to fulfill in your life or give to you a gift.

A natural. Holy Gift.

Ask God between that time. Don't let me birth and Ishmael

please. I rather not have one then have

one that's enough from you. Gosh.

You hear some married? Couples.

Say that even today. We can go on two different

Prophets. How many prophets can we go

through? We can go to so many prophets

that have experienced a unique Dynamic of suffering, but we go

back to James. And what is James choose to do?

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit? He goes to not a man who was a

messenger? Not a man who was a messenger

called to full-time Ministry but a family, man.

And in james511, it says, behold we consider those blessed Who

Remain steadfast, you have heard of the steadfastness of job.

And you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is

compassionate and merciful. So now he's owns it and he says,

I want you to consider job you've heard of him, right?

And not only have you heard of him, but you've seen how his

patient endurance during that time has brought about a

manifestation of the compassion, and mercy of God.

Now, if you've ever read the book of job, you might have a

different opinion. Because if you read the first

chapter of job, I encourage you to do this.

The next time, you read the book of Job, take a timer.

And we've done this before here. When we went through job, a long

time ago, anybody remember that long time ago, we've talked to

Joe, take a timer and read the moments where everything was

stripped away from Joe. From the moment you he gets the

news and read it and then stop the timer and realize that the

man lost his business, his family, everything around him

burned to the ground within a matter of seconds.

That's how the text reads because one person comes in.

As soon as he finishes another person comes, as soon as he

finished another, it was just literally chaos in a minute.

You know what that tells you and me though, because there was a

hedge of protection, if God were to remove hedge of protection

over you, and I it would be a matter of seconds before

everything in our lives would be destroyed by the devil.

Oftentimes, we don't see God doing something and we get

frustrated brother and sister, you have no idea what God is

saving you from every single day.

Seven. Job chapter 1 shows you and me

Job 1 · chapter mention

that when moment God lifts his hand from your life, all of Hell

will eat you up like cereal in a matter of seconds.

So we praise him and we thank him.

You read job and you go. Compassion and mercy.

Not only do I see that? The devil attacked a man to his

very bones. I see that God allowed it.

And like many things in life, it's not really until you get to

the end of the story where you see God's mercy and compassion.

Even during, but that's for another time.

Because something happens at the end of Book of Job job 4212.

He says in the Lord blessed the latter days of job, more than

his beginning. And the Lord blessed the latter

days of job, more than his beginning.

The end of the matter produced something greater than if

nothing had happened to job in the first place.

And in light of what James is saying, look to job and see the

mercy and compassion of God in light of suffering.

And patience, this is what we can take out of this, that no

matter what suffering I experienced between now.

And when Jesus comes back, we'll always in the end proof for

greater fruitfulness and blessing in my life.

That's the principle of the story of job in light of James.

So as I go through it, I may not get it.

But the at the end of it, there's going to be something

better in me, through me. And for me, then if I had not

been touched by the devil in the first place, do you see the

win-win in the Christian Life? That have God protects you.

It's a blessing, but of God allows the devil to touch you.

I'm going to be better at the end of it than what I've started

without it. so God bless him and in the Old Testament, there's an

emphasis on physical blessings material blessings, but in the

New Testaments emphasis on spiritual blessings, but I think

there's something even more that job experience that was greater

than more fields and crops and lands and everything else that

God gave to him in verse 5 earlier and job 42, the same

chapter liquid job says, I had heard of You by hearing of the

year. but now my eyes, see you This was a faithful man.

According to chapter one who feared God, who interceded for

his family without missing a beat day by day.

While they were having their celebrations out their houses

and they were eating and drinking.

This father came not in self-righteousness or hypocrisy

and Camus said, oh God less they've sinned against your

hearts. Would you forgive them?

Oh God I bring my children before you.

I love in the midst of all of his prosperity and blessing.

This guy was a business guy he'd never lost priority about God.

He never lost his relationship with the Lord and yet Through

his suffering and God's revelation of himself in that

suffering. Job says, at the end, I've only

heard of You by ear, but now I see you, like, I've never seen

you It's a wonderfully dangerous thing to ask.

God to know him more because he just might use suffering to do

it. Not to destroy you.

Not to harm you not to crush you, but only as we sang to

refine you. And in that refining, not only

do you look like him more, you get to see him with Clear

Vision. He said, how can you say that?

Because I know people who have suffered and when they've

suffered, they said, brother Jesus is near to me than ever

before. I don't want this to end.

You don't want this to end, man. You have cancer.

I know, but I know that the moment this cancer comes off me.

I'll start walking my own way. I only heard of you with my ears

but now I see what is he trying to say?

I perceived you in a manner that I've never perceived you before

in the midst of all. This chaos.

Oh God. If this is the only reward that

I have that you are more beautiful than you were.

When I first knew you then. Let me suffer.

Jesus is coming back soon. That's a promise. but know, this

is another guarantee that you and I as Christians may suffer

And some more than others, maybe you're suffering right now, in

light of these three examples, maybe you're suffering in the

fact that you're serving the lord Faithfully like Jeremiah.

But you are not seeing what you thought you would see.

In fact, you were seeing the opposite of what you

anticipated. To maybe you're suffering like

the prophet Abraham suffered in what sense, in which he was

waiting on God for a promise that he was walking with the

Lord. And you are, you are on the

verge of birthing and Ishmael God, right now is telling you

don't wait for the Isaac. Or three.

Maybe you have suffered like job has in a very real way where

you've lost someone or something and you don't understand why.

But let me tell you this, according to this book.

Wait till the end of the story of your life. you'll realize

something about God that you never thought you would realize

and you'll realize that it was better for you in the end and it

was before you were put on this journey of Trial.

Let's pray. Before we pray corporately, I

want to end with this note. Do you know how each of those

men handled their suffering while they were going through

it? Because though they're suffering

was unique, they all experienced one, common thing. if you read

those men's stories carefully, they all Express their pain to

the Lord while experiencing it. each of them came to God in

honest form and brought about their need While they were going

through it and funny enough here, this just hear it in James

James 5:13

5:13 after these instructions, about suffering and being

patient. Look what he says in verse 13.

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.

That's what it says. It is anyone among you

suffering? Let him pray.

I can come to God if I'm not seeing what I'm supposed to,

what I believe. I'm supposed to be seeing, it's

a god. I don't know what this is all

about. I did not sign up for this

necessarily. Would you help me as you're

waiting? God, when will you give me this

shot him? I say, get out of here.

You faithless kid. Jabba says all that I would have

a mediator. Oh that I would come before him

and plead my case and God comes and blesses him.

So if there's one Avenue between now and the end of this thing,

it is this that I can come before the Lord and say I need

you. He's all ears.

So now as a response to this message, we're going to do just

that because maybe you find yourselves in one of those three

categories or you're in a whole different category itself, James

by the holy spirit gives you permission to pray when no

matter what you're suffering with and God is there, why pray?

Why does why do we pray while we suffer what kind of, because

there's something that comes out of it for you to endure it,

that's why. Let's pray now.

You seek the Lord on your own just in your own heart.

You know what you're going through.

You know what? What part of this was for you

and just bring it before the lamb and just speak to your God.

And then we'll sing together and then closing prayer.

But just now just do what the Bible says and pray.