INTRO.- ILL.- A 73-year-old woman in England was giving a traffic ticket for driving south on a northbound lane of a highway. She remarked to the officer: “I thought something was wrong. The traffic seemed to be coming the wrong way.”
Brothers and sisters, it seems like the traffic is often coming the wrong way in life. We may find ourselves going the wrong way on a one-way street. IS THAT HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR LIFE?
Or it may be that about the time we think that things are going in the right direction something happens to turn things in the wrong direction. Life is full turnarounds, ups and downs, highs and lows, mountains and valleys.
ILL.- Elaine and I enjoy watching the Fox TV show “American Idol.” Each week the contestants sing and then the American people vote on them. This last Thursday night there was a big upset according to most people. There were three very talented black girls on that show whom most people considered to be the best of the lot: Fantasia Barrino, La Toya London and Jennifer Hudson. But Jennifer Hudson got voted out of the competition. Now there is a big uproar with some people thinking that the public voting was somehow “fixed.”
The host of the show, Ryan Seacrest, said, “America, don’t forget you have to vote for the talent. You have to keep your favorites in the competition. You cannot let talent like this slip through the cracks.”
All I know is this: We win some and we lose some. Sometimes things seem to go in the right direction and sometimes they don’t. Life is full of ups and downs, joys and sorrows, etc.
ILL.- Someone else put it this way: “About the time we think we have everything in the bag, the bag bursts.”
ILL.- It may be like the businessman who had a tiring day on the road. He checked into a hotel and because he was concerned that the dining room might close soon, left his luggage at the front desk and went immediately to eat.
After a leisurely dinner, he reclaimed his luggage and realized that he had forgotten his room number. He went back to the desk and told the clerk on duty, "My name is Henry Davis, could you please tell me what room I am in?" "Certainly," said the clerk. "You’re in the lobby."
That man didn’t do anything wrong, but things didn’t work out for him. He lost his room. He thought everything was going in the right direction, but it turned out differently.
All of us experience ups and downs in life. The rich and poor, the famous and the infamous, the Christian and non-Christian.
But I thought Jesus came that we might have the abundant life? Or perhaps the better life? John 10:10.
I think this is true but, but better does not mean that we will not experience some bitter moments in life. We all do, because God is not a respecter of persons and this world is not a perfect place. We would like for it to be a perfect place where everything goes well for us, but it isn’t.
II Cor. 1:8-10 “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.”
Life got so bad for the apostle Paul at times that he wondered if he was even going to continue to live. He experienced serious setbacks and difficulties in life, but at the same time he always relied on the Lord for protection, direction and deliverance. And this what we too must do!
Life is so full of ups and downs. It is only by the grace of God that we live and survive as well as we do. What is God’s purpose in our ups and downs in life?
PROP.- Let’s consider God’s purpose in our ups and downs.
1- God’s purpose in our suffering
2- God’s purpose in our failures
I. GOD’S PURPOSE IN OUR SUFFERING
Rom. 8:18 “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
All human beings will suffer in this life in some form or another. It could be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual, but we will suffer. For example, have you ever had a bad boss?
ILL.- ILL.- One author wrote, “One of the worst situations I’ve heard of was a boss described like this: ‘He’s a bully and a mean spirited human being with the worst temper.
“‘He’s a little Napoleon, punishing and destroying anyone who gets in his way or questions his authority. He breaks the rules that he demands we keep and relies on his spy network to get information on people.’” Did you ever have a boss that bad?
Author Harvey Hornstein, Ph.D., estimates that 90% of the U.S. work force has been subjected to abusive behavior by their bosses.
Brothers and sisters, that’s one kind of suffering that we might have to endure in this life. But there are others.
ILL.- Wednesday, April 14, 2004, 5 year-old Ruby Bustamante was found near her dead mother in a ravine Tuesday near Banning, California, after a car crash that may have happened as many as 10 days earlier.
Police believe Norma Bustamante, 26, drove off a highway and plunged 400 feet over the guardrail to her death, according to Capt. Bob Clark, commander of the California Highway Patrol’s station in Banning. Little Ruby Bustamante survived those 10 days by drinking Gatorade and eating dried noodles found in the car, according to family members. WHAT A HORRIBLE TRAGEDY FORTHAT LITTLE GIRL AND HER FAMILY!
But who is to say that it couldn’t happen to any of us? It could, but if it doesn’t, it’s only because of the grace of God. And it’s only by the grace of God that little Ruby survived without her mother.
And no telling what kind of effect her mother’s death will have on her the rest of her life. May God have mercy on little Ruby and her whole family.
ILL.- On September 11, 2001, Lt. Col. Brian Birdwell (from U.S. Army Headquarters) had just stepped into a Pentagon hallway when the fireball from the hijacked plane hit him.
After recovering from the initial shock, Birdwell realized he was on fire. "Jesus, I’m coming to see you," he remembers praying.
When doctors finally attended to him at the Washington Burn Center, they found second- and third-degree burns over 40 percent of Birdwell’s body. To save him, they performed several skin graft operations.
Birdwell lives now with renewed purpose. "I’m a walking miracle. Christ got me out of the fire. In him not taking me, that means I have a mission to complete. He’ll tell me what it is in due time."
What a great attitude in the midst of tremendous suffering! Obviously, not many of us go through such horrible suffering as Birdwell did, but we all suffer to some extent.
It could be personal physical suffering as in a surgery or a serious illness. It could a family member who suffers in some way and you suffer with them, because you feel their pain. It could be the suffering from the death of a loved one, which we all have to endure.
The important thing for us to think about is how do we cope with suffering in this life? What is God’s purpose in our suffering?
I think God’s purpose is always: “Look to me. Trust me. Lean on me. I will help you. I will be merciful. I will give you grace. I will help you to endure and keep going.”
In II Cor. 12 Paul told about his thorn in the flesh, which caused him to suffer. Whether it was some kind of physical suffering, emotional or otherwise, it was suffering. He prayed hard that God would take it away, but God didn’t take it away.
Instead, He said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” II Cor. 12:9
Paul then said, “Ok, God, then I will go ahead and put up with my suffering and weaknesses so that I may experience Christ’s power in my life.” That’s a loose paraphrase.
This is one of the strange paradoxes of the Christian life. We suffer so we can experience greater power.
The world doesn’t understand this, but when we look to Christ in the midst of our suffering and trials we only get stronger. Our faith gets stronger, but only if we keep looking to Christ.
Brothers and sisters, nobody likes to suffer in this life. And nobody wants to suffer in this life, but we have the greatest power available in order to endure and keep on living! God’s grace or graciousness!
God’s grace isn’t just given to save us but also to enable us to live no matter how tough life might get!
ILL.- Do you remember the Todd Beamer story of 9/11? He’s the one who was on that flight #93 and said, “Are you guys ready? Let’s roll.” How do you think his wife, Lisa, is surviving? It’s called the grace of God! It’s the only way any of us can survive the suffering of this life!
Heb. 4:15-16 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
We must always ask for mercy and then ask for grace to help us in life. “God, have mercy on me. Give me grace…”
ILL.- A preacher wrote me one time about a video of Lisa Beamer’s testimony, which his church showed. Here is what he said, “Lisa said that she prayed about what to put on her husband’s tomb stone, and decided to use Micah 6:8, one of his favorite verses. Three things are mentioned in that verse. 1-Do justly. 2- Love mercy. 3- Walk humbly with your God.
“She then gave a powerful illustration of her 2 year old son who doesn’t like to hold her hand in the parking lot.
“She said, ‘He either wants to run ahead or lie down and throw a tantrum. Sometimes, however, he will think it over and realize that he ought to hold on to my hand and walk at my pace and go where I lead him.’ Then she said, ‘that’s the way I am so often. I either want to run ahead of God, or lie down and throw a tantrum. How much better it is to hold on to God’s hand and walk humbly.’”
In order to survive the suffering of this life we must hold onto God’s hand through prayer and worship and walk humbly with Him, before Him.
II. GOD’S PURPOSE IN OUR FAILURES
ILL.- Somerset Maugham, the English writer, once wrote a story about a janitor at St Peter’s Church in London. One day a young priest discovered that the janitor was illiterate and fired him. Jobless, the man invested his meager savings in a tiny tobacco shop, where he prospered, bought another shop, expanded, and ended up with a chain of tobacco stores worth several hundred thousand dollars. One day the man’s banker said, "You’ve done well for an illiterate, but where would you be if you could read and write?" "Well," replied the man, "I’d be janitor of St. Peter’s Church in Neville Square."
That janitor failed in one way, but not in another way. We all fail at times in life, but that doesn’t mean that we are failures.
ILL.- I used to work for the retail store, Trees ‘n Trends, home décor in Cape Girardeau, MO. I was far better with people than I was with merchandising. I failed in one way but not in another way. We all have this happen in life. But to fail at something does not mean you are a failure.
Mark 14:27-31 “You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: ’I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."
Peter declared, "Even if all fall away, I will not." "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "today--yes, tonight--before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times." But Peter insisted emphatically, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the others said the same.
We all know the story. In a sense, Peter was saying, “Lord, I will never fail you,” but he did. I think it’s always smart to think before we make a big brag or perhaps before we make any brag. Some people might say, “Well, I’m not perfect but I certainly would never do what so and so did.” OH YEAH! I would say, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Prov. 16:18.
We all fall and we all fail, but this doesn’t mean that we are failures.
ILL.- Most of you have heard of the singer, Smokey Robinson. On Thursday, April 15th, he was interviewed on the TV show Entertainment Tonight. I found his interview quite interesting. We generally assume that people like Smokey Robinson have a pretty good life, but not always. He spoke of his cocaine addiction, which almost killed him.
"I was still alive, but I was dead," Smokey tells ET. "I was walking around just emaciated, you know. I lost so much weight I was unrecognizable to other people and to myself in the mirror, just suffering physically, emotionally and mentally, and so it was a real dark period of life."
Smokey, who says he has been clean since May of 1986, claims he would smoke marijuana and sprinkle cocaine on it, but never snorted it. "At the time, I was not worried about my voice or anything like that," he says. "The only thing I was worried about was when I was going to get it. "
A spiritual intervention by his brother and invitation to his church redirected Smokey’s downward spiral. "I walked in that church as an addict and I came out free," says Smokey. "I never went to psychotherapy or rehab or the hospital or the doctor or anything like that. I just turned it over to God. It was miraculous. I was healed." In his testimony he also spoke of his faith in Jesus.
That salvation experience changed Smokey’s point of view so much that he’s shared his experience at rehab centers, jails, gang meetings and churches.
Smokey Robinson failed in life, but he is not a failure. How did he come back from defeat? He frankly and freely gives the Lord the credit. PTL! This just shows how the Lord can turn defeat into victory and losses into successes!
ILL.- Here’s another, gospel singer, Sandi Patty. All that glitters is not gold. And all has not been gold in Sandi Patty’s life. Since that Fourth of July night in 1986 when Sandi Patty’s rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner" caused the phone lines to jam at ABC News, Sandi has become one of the nation’s best-loved performers.
Fifteen years ago, Sandi Patty’s first album was released. With 11 million in sales since then, Sandi has amassed an astounding 33 Dove Awards and five Grammy Awards, three platinum and five gold albums, and has performed before millions in concert appearances. But all that glitters is not gold.
Sandi Patty was ostracized by the Christian music industry when she admitted to having two affairs while married to her first husband. Not only was she ostracized by the Christian music industry but also by many Christian people! But God’s grace is sufficient for all and for all sins!
Sandi Patty’s latest album from Word/Epic project is called “Find It On The Wings.” She said, "This album for me represents a lot of joy and a love of God’s grace and His redemption. It’s about celebration - the kind of celebration where God has accompanied you through some really rough times; He’s walked you through it and He’s seen you on the other side of it. When your world feels shattered, you have to begin rebuilding. You can stay where you are broken or you can choose to move on and build something better, by God’s grace."
She said, “Life is just really crazy sometimes. In the midst of the craziness, what is God doing? In the midst of sometimes the ups and downs, where’s the joy? I think overall what’s emerged from this record is it’s definitely a praise record in terms of a person in their own walk with God. The theme of the album is a celebration of God’s grace and forgiveness.”
Sandi Patty’s life says that a person can fail and even terribly, but it doesn’t make them a failure. And more importantly, her renewal of faith speaks of God’s grace in forgiveness and restitution.
CONCLUSION--------------------------------------
What is God’s purpose in our suffering and our failures? It’s as simple as ABC. A – all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. B – Behold the Lamb of God who takes away our sin.
C- Jesus said, “Come unto me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
God wants us to come to Him through Christ the Savior, to find rest and forgiveness in Him and to glorify Him as best we can in both our ups and downs in life.
