Purpose Full: Difficult Good | Part 5

Welcome to the Awakening Church podcast.

We pray this message encourages you and provides the hope and light of Jesus Christ.

Thanks for tuning in.

Today we're concluding our series Purposeful.

This is a five-part series.

We've been teaching through the book of Acts, namely Paul's missionary journeys.

And we've been wrestling with this question: how do you actually live a life full of purpose and meaning and significance?

And if we're really honest, this last year, there's maybe a different question, an incredibly important question that we need to answer before we finish our series.

And the question is this how do you live a purpose-filled life through the difficulties of life?

Like, can you really live a purpose-filled, purpose-ful life through the difficulties, the hardships, the pain, the brokenness of our world?

You know, we'd all agree life's hard, isn't it?

It's difficult.

Um, maybe for some, you would say this last year uh maybe knock the wind out of you.

You ever have that happen?

Do you remember that?

Any anybody have the when as a kid, you have the you just you're running, you get hit, or you fall something, and then you're just you're gasping and you you feel like you're never gonna breathe again, don't you?

And then all of a sudden, you get that air.

And I think for many, this last year has felt like that, hasn't it?

It's been a sucker punch to the gut.

You feel like your legs got taken out, you feel like you've maybe been knocked out or knocked down or you're losing hope.

How do you live a purpose-filled life in the midst of the difficulties of life?

Now, here's what's so important: the pathway, listen up.

The pathway of a purpose-filled life always involves difficulty.

The pathway of a purpose-filled life always involves sacrifice and suffering.

In fact, the sermon titled today is simply this: a difficult good.

Can you say that with me?

A difficult good.

Now let's say it like you actually mean it, a difficult good.

See, in our day today, those are uh an oxymoron, right?

You don't put difficult and good together.

You just have difficult and get through it, and then you have good and happy and fun and comfortable.

And yet there is a difficult good that we need to embrace in order to live a purpose-filled life.

In fact, I think there's many today, this sermon's so important, there's many today who are pursuing a comfortable life, and as a result, missing out on a purposeful life because you haven't yet embraced the difficult good God has for you.

Over the series, like I said, we've been studying Paul's missionary journey in the book of Acts.

And what I want to do today, rather than take you through more of that, I want to zoom out.

I want to zoom out and let you kind of see all the missionary journeys.

He went on three missionary journeys, and an app title, if you had the title, all three missionary journeys would be a difficult good.

And you'll see why in just a second, that it was something incredibly difficult, incredibly hard, a lot of trials and tribulation and suffering, and yet so much good came out of it.

If you got your notes, open it up.

Let's look at Paul's missionary journey.

His first missionary journey, you can find that in the book of Acts, chapter 13 and 14.

Acts 13 · chapter mention

This happened somewhere around the time of AD 47 to 8049.

His traveling companions were Barnabas, if you remember, Barnabas the encourager who came alongside Paul when no one else would come alongside, and then John Mark, who's Barnabas' cousins, you remember.

And they start off and they go to the island of Cyprus.

Well, they immediately encounter difficulty.

It's uh spiritual opposition from Elimus, the sorcerer.

And then they travel to Perga and that they travel by ship there.

And when they get there, John Mark can't handle the difficulties, and so he deserts them.

And you can only imagine when you're starting off on something and feeling deserted or betrayed in that moment.

Well, you travel on Antioch Pisidia, Jewish leaders drive Paul out of town.

They go to the next town, Olystra, and um, actually, they thought because of the miracles Barnabas and Paul were doing, they interpreted them as being Greek gods in the flesh.

They're like, oh my gosh, Barnabas and Paul, and this is how fickle the human heart is.

Eventually they realized they weren't gods.

Some Jewish leaders came and persuaded them, and they dragged Paul out its side of town and he they stone him.

I mean, you went from being almost worshiped to then being having rocks hurled at you.

That's a bad week, if you um, yeah, for anybody right there.

Antioch, Jerusalem, as they head down at the end of their missionary journey, they experience the internal opposition of Judaizers who are saying that you have to be saved, you have to become Jewish.

So his first missionary journey, you see this good that came about.

Churches planted people coming to know Christ, and yet incredible difficulties along the way.

Second missionary journey, you can find on Acts in Acts chapter 15 through 18.

Acts 15 · chapter mention

This happened around 8049 to 80 51.

His companions were Silas and Timothy, Luke, and later on Priscilla and Aquila.

Some of the notable events is before they even set off on the journey, Paul and Barnabas split way because of they were divided on whether to bring John Mark or not.

And so now your traveling companion and partner in the ministry is now going separate ways, incredibly difficult.

In Phrygia and Galatia, Paul is actually, it says, he's kept by the Holy Spirit to going into Asia.

He's going, like, I want to go this direction, but the Holy Spirit's keeping me.

And there's this, he gets this vision, this Macedonian call.

And here's what's fascinating when we think about like the call of God and the will of God.

We so often interpret the will or call of God based on our circumstances, right?

Open door.

An open door is, you know, that everything's going easy.

That's kind of how we talk about open doors.

Uh, instead of, okay, God called me here, it's gonna still be difficult, but I'm clear on my calling and what he's called me, so I can lean in through these difficulties.

That's what happened here.

Called to Macedonia, but when they show up in Philippi, Paul and Silas end up through the preaching and seeing what God was doing in his work, they get flogged and in prison.

In Thessalonica, Jewish leaders try to arrest Paul and Silas.

In Berea, there's even more opposition where he ended up, Paul had to get out of town and go to Athens.

We talked about that last week.

And then finally in Corinth, this is uh Jewish leaders try to arrest Paul, and while he's there, he actually pins the letters 1st and 2nd uh Thessalonians to the church in Thessalonica.

Think about these letters to encourage and equip the churches that he started.

His third missionary journey, Acts 18 through 21, it's really his longest time away.

It's in between AD 52 to 57, his companions, Timothy, his protege, Luke, who was the author of the book of Acts and others along the way, notable events, preaching the gospel in Ephesus, he was so effective.

Think about this.

He was so effective that the silversmiths start a riot in the city because uh his effectiveness in the gospels uh impacting their bottom line.

Because people aren't buying idols anymore or silver idols.

And so they throw a riot in Corinth or in Ephesus.

Paul actually writes the first book to uh the church in Corinth, 1 Corinthians there.

Uh Macedonia in Greece, Paul then writes 2 Corinthians in a letter to the church in Rome called Romans, and Potalemus, uh the prophet, this is on his way back to Jerusalem, says, Your difficult good isn't quite over yet.

In fact, when you get to Jerusalem, you're gonna get uh be in prison there.

See, a difficult good, the pathway of a purpose-filled life always involves difficulty, always involves sacrifice, it always involves some level of suffering.

I want you to notice something.

God did incredible good, and we are here today because of the efforts that Paul went out in those missionary journeys.

In fact, we have this new, what we now call the New Testament, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Philippians, these are letters that the apostle Paul penned, many while he was in prison.

And today we have them now because he leaned into this moment, churches were planted, the gospel was spread, people gave their lives to Christ, and it was difficult.

And it was hard.

So, how do you live a purpose-filled life in the difficulties of life?

How do we do that as a church?

How do you do that as an event individual?

Well, I can think of nobody else who I'd want to hear about how to do that than the apostle Paul.

In fact, if as he was describing his difficulties to the church in Corinth when he was uh defending his apostleship, listen to what he says about what he experienced.

This is amazing.

I just want you to kind of think about what you're walking through and then understand what Paul walked through.

He says, I've worked much harder and been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, been exposed to death again and again.

Five times I received from the Jews the 40 lashes, minus one.

Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stone, three times I was shipwreck.

Man, that's a lot of shipwrecks.

I spent a night and a day in the open sea.

I've been constantly on the move.

I've been in danger from rivers, and danger from bandits, and danger from my fellow Jews, and danger from Gentiles, and danger in the city, and in danger in the country, and danger it sounded like a country song right there.

And danger in the sea, and danger from false believers.

I have labored, I've toiled, and often gone without sleep.

I've known hunger and thirst and often gone without food.

I've been cold and I've been naked.

Besides everything else, I faced daily the pressure, my concern for all the churches.

His heart was heavy for those churches and people that he planted, he felt and was their spiritual father.

And what I want to do with our time is actually give you four keys to navigating this purposeful life through the difficulties of life.

They come from the letters that the Apostle Paul penned to uh one, his protege, Timothy, and also to those churches, as he everybody gets to watch and see how he's gone about his life and what he's done.

And he's saying, Listen, I want to help you navigate this well.

I want to help you uh live a purposeful life no matter what you are facing.

And so, when life is difficult, when life is hard, first thing the apostle Paul's gonna tell us is get clear on your purpose or get clear on your why, and don't be surprised by suffering.

Don't be surprised by problems.

Listen to what the apostle Paul says to his young protege, Timothy.

He says, You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith.

He's got very clear on his purpose, and everybody else can see it.

And this led to patience, love, endurance, persecution, sufferings.

He goes on to say, what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Elystra, his first missionary journey, the persecutions I endured.

Like, like you know, all of those things.

You've seen that.

Now notice this yet, and circle, if you're taking notes, circle that word yet.

I love this, by the way, when you're going through something hard, yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.

When you're going through something hard, it's so easy to forget the good that God did and his faithfulness in your past.

Remember his faithfulness, remember how he showed up, remember how he moved and how he delivered in the past while you're going through the present suffering.

And then he says this in fact, everyone, say everyone.

That means, by the way, uh everyone.

So that's all of us included who wants to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted.

The first thing that the Apostle Paul wants us to know navigating this purpose-filled life in the midst of the difficulties of life is get clear on your purpose and don't be surprised by suffering.

Don't be surprised by problems.

You know, one of the things I hear a lot when we're going through things, I can't believe this is happening.

How could this?

And yet Jesus said what?

In this life, you'll have trouble.

So while we're here on this planet, life's hard, isn't it?

It is.

Life's difficult.

But take heart.

I have overcome the world.

Like in this life, the circumstances, the things that are going on, you're gonna have hardship, you're gonna have some of those things, but you can't take heart.

You don't have to lose heart.

Why?

Because my death and my resurrection has declared victory over anything and everything that's going on, and I've overcome it all.

And since you're in me, you are an overcomer.

So don't be surprised by it, be prepared for it.

And so, what do we do?

We get clear on our purpose.

We get clear on our why.

See, when you hit difficulties, what happens is we often lose our purpose, don't we?

The why gets knocked out of us.

My teaching, my way of life, my purpose.

I'll just give you a brief kind of big picture purpose for every single person.

Your purpose is to know God and then to make him known.

And as you get to know God more, then you get to understand more specifically how God has called and designed you to make him known in your giftings and your uh and who he's made you to be and the places where he's put you to be.

Get clear on your purpose.

I like how Gail Hyatt said it.

It said, people lose their way when they lose their why.

Like, have you lost your why over the last year?

Have you lost your why over your marriage?

Have you lost your why with your work or why God's placed you there or with that friendship?

Have you lost your why?

He says, people lose their way when they lose their why.

Get clear on your purpose.

You know, a few years ago, uh it was a really dark season for me.

I I actually went through uh 18-month just depression.

And yes, even pastors get depressed.

And it just was a season that was so hard.

And honestly, my wife is the most amazing woman on the planet, and she just put up a with a lot with me, and she really carried a lot of the weight.

It wasn't like I was ever going, like, you know, I I just want life to be done.

I just didn't care about life.

I didn't really see, like, if I died tomorrow, who cares?

It's just a really dark place that endured.

It's only through our counselor that we even began to identify it.

I didn't really know what was going on.

And it's interesting, I can be preaching and getting into God's word and still lose your why.

There was a little, not little, but there was a crisis in our family in the summer of 2019, some things that were coming up, and there's just some stuff with one of our kids that just required like me to engage as a dad in a way that I never engaged and even really never knew how to engage.

So like fight for our family.

And what was so powerful about that moment is literally one of those things that shook my soul out of this like dark depression because in that moment I saw the power of a father's voice in kids' lives.

That's don't forget this.

Sometimes we think as our kids grow older, they don't need to hear from us.

No, they need us more, they need to know their love, they need to hear that you are so for them.

Your voice is powerful.

Have you lost your why?

Have you lost your purpose?

See, when you're traveling through the difficulties of life, get clear on your purpose.

Get back to your why.

The second thing the apostle Paul is gonna say is recognize that suffering has a purpose.

It's not pointless.

When life's difficult, recognize that suffering has a purpose.

God is actually at work in the difficult seasons of life.

He may not, he's not the cause of the pain or the difficulty, but he will not waste your pain.

Listen to what he says to the church in Rome.

He says, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

Period.

And I wish you'd just stop there, by the way.

Because isn't that great?

Like, yes, and amen.

We boast in the hope of the glory of God.

Awesome, thank you very much.

But he goes on to something that is so foreign for us as the Western Church, as Americans.

Not only so, but we also glory in our help me out.

It's in your notes.

Help me out.

Sufferings.

We glory in our sufferings.

Why?

Because we know that suffering produces something, it produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope.

And hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

That there are some things in your life, listen, there are some things in your life that can only be reshaped through the crucible of pain.

There's some of the character things that God wants to help form the life of Christ, of who you are called to be, and suffering plays a part in that.

Suffering produces perseverance.

That's the word hoopomino.

Remaining under.

Picture, you know, almost of like a weightlifter that just remains under that weight, and through remaining under is strengthened.

And as you endure, as you endure, then it produces the character, the Christ-likeness, the godly life.

That suffering has a purpose in your life.

It's not pointless.

And that's kind of what we kind of even talked about the last year.

It's just a waste, it's just pointless.

And Jesus is going, No, if you will surrender it to me, I want to produce something in you through this.

I remember when we lived in Atlanta, it was a little 14 years ago.

And it was an incredibly hard time for us as a family.

My job wasn't going well.

Anyone else, you know, you don't have to raise your hand about your job not going well.

It just was a rough season there.

And then we just had our desire.

Like Georgia was great, Atlanta's great, but we love California, love here.

We grew up here.

We wanted to be back.

We want to be by the ocean.

And then my son, he was born, and from the get-go, the doctors told us he's failing to thrive.

A couple months after his birth, he was actually under his birth weight still.

And I mean, we're pumping him on like protein shakes and everything and praying.

And you ever have one of those?

And I mean, I'm in my you know, mid-twenties at this point.

Just crying out to God.

Never really gone through this much pain at this point in my life, so didn't really know what to do or how to do it.

I'm just, it's just hard.

I'm going, man, my job sucks.

We don't like where we live.

My son, I can't even do anything about it.

I can't change anything.

I just get a hold of this little bean and pray.

We were driving as a family down downtown in the Buckhead area next to the mall.

This is one of those days it was just pouring down the rain.

It basically felt, looked how I felt, you know, just like it's just dreary, it's just gloomy, it's awful.

And then I see on the scrolling marquee, and literally, I don't know if I just saw this, if like God put that up for there for me, or if this was really on a scrolling marquee in downtown Buckhead.

But on the scrolling marquee at this mall, here's what it said.

It said, God does not bring a man into deep waters to drown him, but to purify him.

I just let's oh my gosh.

Because there's a purpose, and you're gonna work, and this sucks.

Let's just call it what it is.

But you've not left me, and he's not left you, and he's in the middle of the difficulty with you.

When life's difficult, we got to get clear on our purpose.

Recognize that suffering has a purpose.

Next, the apostle Paul is gonna say, your God-given calling is not limited by your circumstances.

Your God-given calling, your purpose on this planet is not limited, is not hindered by your circumstances, by the problems, by the obstacles, by a pandemic.

It is not limited.

Notice what he says to the church in Philippi.

Now, remember the church in Philippi?

The church in Philippi is where he was flogged and imprisoned, and then now he's actually in Rome and he's in prison again.

And he's writing back to the church.

And notice what he says.

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me, uh, house arrest, imprisoned, has actually served, not hinder, served to advance the gospel.

As a result, it's become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I'm in chains for Christ.

It served to advance the gospel.

Paul got to preach to the most elite uh soldiers of his day, the Pregatorian Guard, who had incredible influence in Rome.

And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord.

Because of my circumstances and my boldness, God is using this to embolden other people and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

Your God-given calling is not limited by your circumstances.

Difficult circumstances can actually serve to advance God's calling in your life.

The unexpected problems, the detours, the stuff that you never wish to go through when you say, okay, God, I don't get it, I don't understand it.

But instead of throwing a pity party, which is our natural, let's just be honest, woe is me.

See, I like how I think how Ortberg said it.

There's an important line and distinction between grief and self-pity.

When you're going through those painful circumstances to grieve, that's that's absolutely.

But then when we cross that line to self-pity and woe is me, and we get stuck.

He says, no, no, no, those circumstances will not hinder your calling or your purpose.

It makes me think of someone that maybe some of you don't know.

I'd encourage you to look this person up, do a little bit of research.

Some of you know a gal named Joni Erickson Todd.

I was first introduced to her at college in Chicago where she came and spoke.

Her story is an incredible story of circumstance that none of us would choose.

That for most people, you'd say, Well, that's it.

Quit, give up, eek through life.

Joni, when she was a young woman, was having some fun with some friends and dove into a lake head first and broke her neck.

From that day forward, she was a quadruple, only able to move her head and her mouth.

She didn't say, Well, that's the end.

Certainly struggled, certainly had um challenging days.

She decided to use her gift of art and painting and started to paint using her mouth.

She would hold a brush in her mouth and begin to paint these paintings and realize that even though she doesn't have use of her limbs, she still has use by God.

It's amazing.

In 1974, she actually wrote the story of her life and it released and became an international number one best seller.

Later, a movie of her life was made.

She started a ministry, Joni and Friends, for uh the Ministry to the Disabled.

It's been an incredible ministry that served thousands upon thousands of families all across the globe.

She started a radio uh ministry called Joni and Friends Radio.

Uh, President Reagan appointed her to the National Council of Disability in 1988.

She spoke at the Billy Graham Crusade, over 100,000, and has continued to this day.

See, friends, if we would just expand our eyes and our scope, your God-given calling is not limited by your circumstances.

In fact, this is how Paul saw suffering.

This is not how I see it.

So let's be clear.

I want to see it this way.

Paul saw suffering and difficulty not as a problem to be solved, but an opportunity to be stewarded.

Let me say it again.

He saw suffering and difficulty, not as a problem to be solved.

And here's what I'm not saying.

Don't pray that you can't, you know, God, would you heal this?

God, would you take this away?

Absolutely.

He had a thorn in his flesh, he prayed three times.

God, take it away.

But he said it's an opportunity to be stewarded.

You, Heavenly Father, are gonna use this.

I don't know how, but when it's surrendered to you, you will work through me even in this.

When life's difficult, get clear on your purpose.

Recognize suffering has a purpose.

Your calling is not limited by your circumstances.

And finally, what's awaiting you?

What's awaiting you in Jesus is worth whatever you're going through.

When he writes back to the church in Corinth, if you have your Bible open, flip back a couple pages to Corinth, 2 Corinthians chapter 4.

2 Corinthians 4 · chapter mention

I just want to begin a little bit earlier than where I have it in your notes in verse 7.

He says, But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not us.

That we're just on display.

Like that our lives get to display not anything about us, but the glory and the brilliance and the beauty of our Savior.

And so he goes on.

He says, We're hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed.

We're perplexed, but not in despair.

We're persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed.

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may be also revealed in our body.

Therefore, later on he says, do not lose hearts.

Though outwardly we're wasting away, inwardly we're being renewed day by day for our light and momentary troubles.

Like when we understand what's awaiting you in Jesus is worth whatever you're going through.

Like we get an internal perspective that life is way more than just about now.

The troubles.

They're light.

Like, no, it's been heavy, Ryan.

They're momentary.

No, it feels like it's forever.

Achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

See, I think moms understand this better than most of us.

You moms, you understand that what's awaiting you through the process of childbirth is worth whatever you're going through.

I remember when our our first was born, and um, you know, Jenny's giving birth, and I I thought that was a good time to make jokes.

A little Father's Day advice for you.

The worst time.

The worst time.

I remember she's like, you know, in terrible, terrible pain.

I'm like, yeah, you know, my back's really hurting too.

I about lost my head, and rightfully so.

See, there's something about that though.

The pain of childbirth and how hard and how difficult, and yet it is eclipsed in a moment when you see a mom hold their child for the very first time.

That's the picture here that Paul's painting for us.

That what's awaiting you in Jesus Christ, what's ahead of you, is worth whatever you're going through.

And so this is what he says: fix our eyes not on what's seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Fix your eyes on what's ahead so that you can endure what's now.

Fight for an internal perspective in the midst of trials and hardships.

What's awaiting you in Jesus is worth whatever you're going through.

That line I wrote down in 2019 through a season where I just felt like that was God's word to me.

So I had that 18-month depression.

I had actually many of you remember I had three concussions, broken nose, broken toe, and then the family stuff.

I was tired.

And honestly, I anybody remember being excited for 2020?

Yeah, that was sweet.

And yet the word of God remains the same.

What's awaiting you, friends?

It's not in this moment.

In Christ Jesus, you are an eternal being with a grand destiny in God's great universe.

It's worth whatever you are going through.

And so here's what I want to say because some of you walked in today and you're feeling tired, you're feeling overwhelmed, you're feeling like you just can't go on.

And God's word to you is don't lose heart.

Are you starting to lose heart?

Don't give up.

You feel, like I said at the beginning, like you're the wind got knocked out of you, your legs got taken out from you, and you're just trying to hang on.

And God says, I got you.

Get clear on your purpose.

I'm with you.

Don't give up in your marriage.

Don't give up on the process that God has you in that He wants to build and form.

I want you to do this with me.

I just want you to hold your hands out in front of you.

And I want you to just picture what you're going through as if it's fitting in your hands.

Whatever the difficulty that you're wrestling with.

I want you to just extend it out, and as we worship in a second, saying, God, I entrust it all to you.

I won't lose heart.

I'm gonna fix my eyes on what you're doing, where you're working, how you're moving.

You'll give me what I need today.

Tomorrow feels overwhelming, but you'll give me what I need today.

And so I trust all that I am to you.

Jesus, right now, would you comfort my friends?

Would you encourage their heart?

God, you meet those who are on the edge ready to quit and give up with your presence, with your strength.

God, we need you.

Thank you for pouring your Holy Spirit into our hearts, that the same power that raised Christ from the dead now dwells in us, empowering us through this life.

You'll never leave us or forsake us.

We hope you are blessed by this message.

Please subscribe to our podcast for access to every episode as they're uploaded.

And hey, we'd love to connect with you.

Take a next step by filling out our virtual connection card at awakeningchurch.comslash card.