30 Nov 2009
=====================
WELCOME BACK. I AM PASTOR DOUG. WE NOW CONTINUE WITH PART 154 IN OUR SERIES ENTITLED, “PAUL’S LETTERS TO THE CORINTHIANS”.
-----------------------------------------
There is no doubt that a believer’s greatest incidents and periods of spiritual growth are during times of adversity and not in times of prosperity.
Not all adversity, however, is from the devil.
In fact, much of the misery is self-induced as it is a direct result of the negative decisions that we choose to make.
Some of the adversity that we will have to deal with will be a direct result of the negative decisions of those with whom we choose to associate.
Whatever adversity comes our way is a manifestation of God's direct or permissive will. God's direct will is usually much easier to distinguish and to accept than is His permissive will.
Whatever adversity God sends or allows has a divine purpose and will NOT cease until it has served its intended purpose.
This is why God’s answer to prayers asking for a premature release from the pressure that certain areas of adversity generate is, “NO”.
People often moan and ask why it is that God is not answering their prayer(s). It is not that God does not answer prayers, it’s that the recipients do not have the spiritual maturity to discern or to accept the answer(s) that are given.
Every prayer of request IS given an immediate answer of yes, no, or not now.
Mature believers know the importance of praying according to the will of God the Father.
God will NOT grant a prayer request that would cause Him to act contrary to His own character and nature, which includes such things as allowing humans to exercise the free will that He has given to each soul.
Personal and intercessory prayer requests SHOULD be a part of our prayer life, but we must place whatever the outcome is to be in the hands of God.
The prayer of a mature believer does not ask WHY, but WHAT is it that God wants to achieve in the midst of the adversity or circumstances that GOD has either engineered or has allowed to take place.
Since a spiritually mature believer’s desire is to learn, apply, and accept the will of God, he/she cannot then question the outcomes that reveals what the will of God is.
The surpassing peace that mature believers have is not based on the assurance that the outcome is necessarily going to be what we prayed for, but on the assurance that WHATEVER the outcome turns out to be, we know it is best for all concerned, because we had the faith to place it in the hands of God.
Evidence that we love God is manifested by our willingness to accept His will and desires, even when our desire or will differs from His.
Can a desire of a true believer be different from the outcome revealed by the will of God?
Absolutely!
For example, there isn’t a parent that would not pray for the healing of their children if they were to become sick or seriously injured.
But if it is the will of God to take the child home, He will.
But would this mean the parents were wrong to pray for the recovery of the child, even though it did not turn out to be God’s will?
In such a case, the believing parents had a legitimate desire for an outcome that was different than what the will of God turned out to be.
The parents will naturally mourn the loss of their child, but to accept the will of God under such circumstances, among other things, will enable them to be a tremendous example of faith to anyone who hears of their ordeal.
There are many other scenarios that could be used to illustrate this principle, but the death of a child, under ANY circumstances, is perhaps one of the greatest challenges that can come upon the life of most believers.
The ability to accept the will of God and not allow such an event to be used like a wedge to come between God and the believer(s) involved is a powerful testimony of faith and endurance.
We now continue with the exegesis of 2 Corinthians 6: 4.
For those who may not be familiar with the term exegesis, it refers to studying words/phrases in light of the original language in which God inspired the human authors of Scripture to use.
The original languages of what we now know as the Canon of Scripture was Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.
Exegesis is one of the three primary considerations that must be used in order to interpret and apply Scripture accurately.
Distresses is an English word that is a translation of the Greek word s-t-e-n-o-c-h-o-r-i-a-l-s meaning to be squeezed or confined physically in a narrow space, or to be pressured psychologically with limited options.
This is not a pleasant squeeze like being hugged, but one that results in a desire to break loose from it.
There is an accompanying feeling of helplessness to be able to do anything about it that causes us to become anxious for a solution and or an explanation.
The example of the loss of a child previously noted could certainly be used here as one of those events that seem to be without an explanation that is going to square with human viewpoint.
In such scenarios, the strategy of the Ephesians 6:12 forces will be to suggest that God abandoned the believer(s) at a time when he/she/they needed God the most.
The limited options here amount to either continuing on with one’s post salvation spiritual life, or allowing such an event to shake one’s faith and confidence in the plan of God, especially as it pertains to God’s personal calling on one’s life.
To reject the plan of God, come down from the cross, and to question the concern of God the Father were among the final temptations and taunts to come against the Humanity of the Lord Jesus while He hung, nailed to a Roman cross (Matthew 27: 40 - 43).
Beatings is an English translation of the Greek word p-l-e-g-a-i-s that can refer to wounds, stripes, or plagues.
Being subjected to corporal punishment or torture was not uncommon during the 1st century of the Church Age, and remains to be a common threat and reality for those who convert to Christianity in politically, socially or domestically hostile environments.
Pastor Doug Laird
| 
