God Never Said Things Will Be Easy | Rev. Vicki Harrison

Let's start with the word of prayer.

Lord Jesus we just thank you for this morning and we're grateful for how you are working in and through this church and we pray lord that you will continue to have your way with us,

We pray that for change hearts and change the lives in the name of Jesus,

God do a new thing in each of us today. Reveal yourself to us. Speak to us.

All about you and so I pray even as I speak as I share this message that it will be your words god it is not about me it is all about you it may everything we say and do here be pleasing

In your sights. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus and all god's people say, am I?

So throughout the month of August we are doing the sermon series called God Never Set right?

God never said and we're unpacking some of the common misconceptions that we have about God.

So often maybe this happens to you sometimes often we get in these situations with family, friends, co-workers, colleagues, and we want they're going through something and we want to offer them some kind of comfort, right?

So we say these things that we think are we we think they're healthy.

But sometimes you're not entirely accurate, right? So, we say things like, well, god really, god wants you to be happy.

Hey, god wants you to follow your heart. We talked about that last week. Today, we're talking about so we often say, well, well, god does want your life to be easier or

God will never give you more than you can handle. How many people have said that, right? So, or we'll say things like, it's it's okay what you believe as long as you love god.

You know there are many ways to heaven it's they're all like branches at the same tree have you heard that before?

So those sound nice but the problem is god didn't say any of those things. People did.

And they're all wrong and I'm so passionate about this because I'm passionate about good theology. Alright, say theology. So, theology are thinking about god.

And the problem is that bad biology leads to bad decision making and wrong assumptions about god.

So, sometimes without even realizing it, our theology is leading people away from the truth.

And giving in a way kind of creating a wedge in their relationship with Jesus,

So, our theology guides so much of our thinking and we don't even realize it.

So what we want to do is we want to make sure that our assumptions about Jesus and his teachings are grounded in scripture,

And if they're grounded in scripture we can't go wrong right so a number of years ago.

We'd be friended some down the street neighbors and our kids were the same age so it made sense. We got to know them and we started doing dinners together. You know, the normal thing. In our families got involved in,

With any others activities you know how that goes,

It became pretty obvious soon after we got to know them. That they were having very serious marital issues and a lot of questionable stuff are going on.

And you know I did my normal like let me try to share Jesus here and there and and we began taking their kids to church or I should rephrase and say Richard began driving their children to church because I was already here and,

And that's something unusual happened.

They started coming to church as a couple and they started coming very consistently for like a month and a half. And then they stopped.

So I talked I had a conversation with the husband. Who didn't hesitate to tell me that church did not work?

That's what he said. Church didn't work. He felt like if he and his wife started attending church and started to build some kind of relationship with God, then things would just get easier in his marriage.

And he said he thought that that would make his wife forgive him and life could just get back to the way he wanted it to be.

And that is not the way life works it.

And I wonder sometimes if church people I would include most of us in that definition that,

Church people maybe not all of us but you know what I mean I think sometimes we might paint the very incorrect picture,

That if you just give your life to Jesus if you start attending worship if you start doing religious kind of things then things are going to magically get easier in your life,

And the reality is that's not the case.

And it's never been the case. It just doesn't work that way and god doesn't say that it will work that way. God says he will offer forgiveness. He offers salvation. He offers abundant life.

He offers peace he even offers joy in the midst of difficult circumstances but easy is not promised.

In fact it's much as I wish it weren't so there is no easy button for our lives do you remember the easy button there is no easy button for our lives.

In this leads to our first scripture for this morning. Our main scripture. We're looking at John chapter 16 verse 33 if you could pull out your pew bible or your own bible if you brought that.

John 16:33

So John chapter 16 verse 33 it's on page 1068 of your pew bible,

John 16:33

And just like we did last week I'd like you to underline this. It's okay to write near Bible.

So underline John 16 33 that's like a little gift you're giving to the person who who picks up the bible after you.

I'm going to give you a little background here so Jesus has been teaching and preaching he's been spending a lot of time with his disciples and this is at the end of a long teaching block,

Now Jesus has been telling his disciples that he's going to die.

He's been telling them over and over again that he's going to die but they don't really understand that. So, he at the end of the chapter 16, he says, I'm going to stop speaking in parables. I'm going to be really straight with you.

Any tells them that he's going away and then when he goes away they're going to grieve but that grief will turn to joy and they kind of sort of seem to get it.

He's speaking about how he must go back to the father in heaven and they seem to at least on the surface begin to understand that Jesus has come from god. So, all that has happened and then he says this. Verse 33.

I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.

In this world you will have what? Trouble. But take hearts. I have overcome the world. So Jesus point blank tells us we are going to have trouble. It's not a like.

If we have trouble it's when we have trouble and Jesus knows that if we follow in his footsteps we're going to be following him to the cross,

In the cross is well it's a lot of pain and suffering. So Jesus doesn't sugarcoat things for us. We still live

In a broken world. We live in a world where he was executed on a cross. It was horrific. We live in a world in which evil exists.

Horrible things go on.

I don't know how many of you read just a couple weeks ago that 49 christians in the Congo were beheaded nine of them were children,

Beheaded with machetes simply because they believed in Jesus.

Nothing but pure evil and horror. And while we may live in America, we are not shielded from this kind of thing.

It's not like Jesus loves us more than the people in the Congo not at all. The reality is in Africa and in America the enemy is still at work trying to reek as much havoc as possible,

And sin is still a present reality.

We have to deal with our own weaknesses and then we have to deal with the weaknesses of the people around us. We have to deal with broken bodies. We have to deal with illness. We have to deal with pain and death and suffering,

There's nothing in scripture that that even remotely says that we're going to be spared these things,

The early christians were not spare these things. Think about how faithful they were. The people that you read about in the book of Acts.

I mean hey face hunger illness and extreme persecution the apostle Paul who's probably the greatest christian missionary of all time.

He he was inspired either we're going to talk about that in just a minute,

In fact Jesus talks a lot about us picking up our cross and following him and just imagine carrying across there's nothing physically comfortable about that or easy.

So, here's a big question. Why is it that we fall into this trap? Why is it that we think god would enface give us a trouble-free, easy life?

And I think sometimes again we we simplify. We sugarcoat the Christian life. Maybe it's in an attempt to make it more appealing.

Maybe it's in an attempt to convince people to follow Jesus,

We make it seem like easy street or worse yet we make it seem like it's a path to prosperity that's very dangerous.

Or maybe we inadvertently make it about being good that's part of my story,

Certainly I battled without for years if I'm just good enough if I'm just righteous enough if I'm just godly enough may god will protect me from bad things.

Prescription never says anything of the sort. Scripture promises peace. Scripture promises comfort, joy, but not protection from the difficulties of life.

And what's interesting I think that the statement god wants us to have an easy life has a very close cousin,

God won't give us more than we can handle.

Again, no such promise, no such promise in scripture, and I wanted us to use the apostle Paul's life as an example of several people

In the gospels I could use. I'm going to use Paul because he experienced really severe physical discomfort. For the sake of the gospel.

So we're going to take a look at second Corinthians chapter 11 verses 24 through 28.

2 Corinthians 11:24–28

Some page 1147 it's a pretty big block of scripture so you don't have to underline this,

But second Corinthians 11 verses 24 through 28 and these are the words of Paul.

2 Corinthians 11:24–28

And he says this five times I received from the Jews the 40 lashes minus one you know what that is? He was whipped.

40 lashes minus one how many lashes is that you math majors? 39. It's a lot of whipping.

Three times.

I was beaten with rods once I was pelted with stones three times I was shipwrecked 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

Endanger from bandance and dangers from my in from my fellow Jews.

Endanger from gentiles in danger in the city in danger in the country in danger at sea and in danger from false believers.

I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep. I have known hunger and thirst and have gone without food.

I've been cold and naked besides everything else I face daily pressure.

Of my concern for all the churches. So, does this sound like maybe this was more than Paul could handle?

I mean, in the next chapter though, if you're going to, we're going to look at it's the same page, but it's second Corinthians 12.

Versus seven through nine. Again, page 11 47 and your pew Bible. Paul talks about this thorn in his side.

I'm going to kind of pick up in the middle of verse seven. He says this, I was given a thorn in my flesh. A messenger of Satan. To torment me,

Three times I pleaded with the lord to take it away from me but he set but he said to me my grace is sufficient for you,

For my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses. So that Christ power may rest on me.

We don't know what that thorn in the flesh was. Scholars have guessed all kinds of things. But it was bad. Whatever it was, it was bad.

On his own. This is my point. On his own, Paul could not handle all the punishment, all the discomfort, the thorn in his side.

Pleaded with god to take it away. God did not take it away. None of it was removed. Two his dying day. Paul dealt with extreme physical discomfort.

There was the thorn there was the prison. There were all the things.

Was it more than he could handle? Was it more than what Paul himself could handle? Yes. I would say so. And I think Paul's experience and others in the gospels. It points to this truth.

And this is important.

There are times when god does allow us to experience more than we can humanly handle. I'm going to say that again. There are times.

When god does allow us to experience more than we can humanly handle,

Cuz in those times god provides the strength and the grace,

And the courage that we need. Does that make sense? In our weakness. God is glorified.

In our weakness god is glorified in our weakness god's power shines.

We can do more than we think not because of who we are not because of our own skills and ability but because of the one who lives within us the power of the holy spirit within our physical bodies,

So both of these statements got once things to be easy for you.

And god won't give you more than you can handle. They're clearly wrong from a theological standpoint.

So if they're wrong then what is correct?

What is it that would be more precise and more accurate according to scripture? So I'm going to give you three that I think are kind of a better,

A better way to comfort people when when you meet with somebody when you encounter someone who's struggling.

What can you say the first thing is so I think it's probably the most precise and at this you'll see it on the screen.

God will give you all the grace you need for every situation. You see the difference? God will give you all the grace you need for every situation. Why is this more accurate?

Because no matter how much suffering people face.

And how deeply they hurt because of their suffering they know the truth that God's grace will be sufficient for them and all their needs just like what did Jesus say to Paul he said my grace is sufficient for you,

From my power is made perfect in weakness.

And this is also less about us and our abilities. So, when I focus on me and my abilities and my resources in suffering, it doesn't bring a lot of comfort and hope.

Focusing on god though focusing on his resources in suffering is the only thing that can bring comfort and hope,

So the second thing that I think is a more precise promise is,

God didn't promise easy but he did promise we would never have to fight alone. We would never have to fight alone.

Jesus said in low I am with you always even to the end of the age,

In Hebrews the author writes that that god will never leave us or forsake us.

He cries with us. He comforts us. He guides us. He gives us hope. In Jesus, there is always hope. Say hope.

Hope in Jesus there is always hope.

Even if these bodies fail to function, which let me tell you, they will for every single one of us, right?

Every single year raising your hand like yeah I'm already experiencing it.

But so even when these bodies fail to function. We have the hope of eternal life.

That is the ultimate source of hope, right? Spending eternity with Jesus.

We will receive healing. It just may not be an earthly healing. And I know that's not always what people want to hear.

But it's truth. So the other promise that is more accurate that we can share with people is that God wants to give us abundant life.

God wants to give us abundant life. John 10 10 says this, the thief comes only to steal and kill and what?

Destroy.

But Jesus says this i have come that they may have life and have it to the full. So what does it mean to have full abundant life?

It's life with purpose and meaning. We're not wandering around aimlessly. It means we are not here by accident. We are here to live for Jesus. We are here to glorify him.

We are here to love Jesus. To declare his gospel.

Think about it Jesus died on a cross so that we could know God so we can intimately walk hand in hand with a holy God.

He loves us so immensely. He adores us every single one of us. Every single one of you that is sitting in this room. And all of you who are worshiping with us online. Jesus loves you.

And he wants to know you and he wants to do life with you.

And it's only through Jesus that we can have peace.

He says in this world he will love what? Trouble. It's only through Jesus that we can have peace.

But you don't say he overcame the world. He defeated death.

He rose from the dead even when things aren't okay we can trust that they will ultimately be okay,

As we walk with god we begin to see how we can have enduring joy in the midst of difficulty,

We can have peace in the midst of chaos.

You guys that is only possible connected to Jesus it doesn't make sense from an earthly perspective at all.

So troubles and problems will be part of life.

Okay. Got it. You guys tracking. Troubles and problems. We'll be part of life. We can be the best person. We can be the best christian we can be so good.

But eventually we will face struggle. We will face illness and we will experience physical death. This is part of being a human being.

But I want to close this way okay I want to encourage you but I also want to challenge you,

This is about reorienting reorienting our worldview as followers of Christ.

We're changing the way we think about the world. We need to let go of our quest for an easy, trouble-free life.

We I don't want you to go looking for problems. I don't want you to go looking for difficulty.

But the reality is we're going to face problems, right? We're going to face all kinds of of issues and it shouldn't be a surprise.

That means the question to ask is not why me. How many people have asked that question before? Why me?

Why me?

And and I know people don't like to hear this but that's not the right question to ask. Probably more appropriate question.

Is why not me yet?

Why not me yes because the asking yourself that question it puts you in a place of appreciation,

Rather than harboring resentment toward the world rather than being angry at god. I think this is a much more biblical perspective.

So, when we say why not me yet, we develop a deeper gratitude for what god has given us. So, people, people to love.

Children, grandchildren, friends, a home, food, the ability to do things that we enjoy. The freedom to worship him.

So I don't want you to think that I think you're suffering is insignificant. I don't. I care about you. I love you as your pastor and I care about what you have gone through and what you're going through.

But the gift of the Christian rock is that we know,

That everything we face, we face in and through Jesus. Everything you face, you face in and through Jesus. He's going to walk with us. He's going to walk with us every step of the way.

And that is the only thing that is going to bring us peace.

And we also have each other. We have the gift of each other. The family of faith. Look around you. These are brothers and sisters in Christ. And when you're going through your deepest, darkest issues and problems and struggles.

You've people who care about you.

We are a gift to one another.

So changing our perspective on this is so important. You know, something I often say at funerals and many of you have heard it because,

You've come to the funerals but when we get to the end of our life.

Only three things are really going to matter. Who we've loved? Who's loved us? And what we've done for the lord?

And so that's part of reorienting our world view from a bib to a biblical perspective.

Focusing on what is it the god created us to do,

And just a moment we're going to have time to come to the altar and you can bring your offerings and ties if you have them. There's different ways to give to new hope and you'll see that on the screen.

But really what I'd like you to do is just come spend some time with Jesus. And I know that there are many people in this room who are struggling. You are dealing with heavy burdens. You are dealing with difficult decisions.

Life feels really hard right now maybe it's an illness. Maybe it's chronic pain. Maybe it's a relationship issue.

Come spend some time with Jesus. Spend some time with Jesus. Get this sorted out with him.

Maybe you've been asking why me. And you're struggling with this. God God will speak to your heart today. I promise you.

Let's go to the lord in prayer.

Jesus we just we thank you that you never leave us you are always here and that your grace is sufficient for us.

Sometimes it is hard. Sometimes life is just difficult.

And we experience pain and suffering and we want to shake our fist at you and say why god why have you done this?

But we know you never promised us. An easy life. But you did promise.

Peace, enjoy, and hope and you gave us a gift of your salvation and forgiveness. And for that, we are thankful.

And I know Laura there are people that are struggling with this message even as I'm saying I can kind of sense it people are like I just don't believe you pastor Vicky,

Or maybe I want to believe you but I don't feel it and sometimes our feelings are so deceptive so I pray lord that you will just speak truth into the heart of every person here,

That we will make a decision to trust you. In the midst of our hardship.

Lord we love you. We give ourselves to you. We are your church and your people. And the name of Jesus. Amen.