Trouble In My Way
Scripture: Job 14:1; Mark 4:35-41; John 14:1-6; Deut. 28:1-13
I am sure many of you know this….there are Christians who believe that because they have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior they will not have troubles in this life. As a matter of fact, they believe that because a Christian is blessed and highly favored by the Lord their lives will be one of continual blessings. Of course, when you read the Bible, we know that this is not necessarily the case. But what is troubling to me is that those who do believe this believe it because they are hearing it preached from the pulpit. They are hearing from the pulpit that if they are not walking in the blessings of God which include an abundance of finances then it’s because they are doing something wrong. It’s because they do not have enough faith. I want you to know this morning that we will experience troubles, but along with the troubles comes the blessings which I will speak more of shortly. The title of my message this morning is “Trouble in My Way.”
When I was growing up in our small country Church, the choir sang several songs that dealt with experiencing troubles. One of my favorite songs was “Trouble in My Way”. That song, even from the time that I was a pre-teen, always ministered to my spirit. I cannot tell you why except, as a youngster, I saw some of the troubles and difficulties my parents experienced raising the five of us kids. Seeing some of their troubles and their never ending faith in God led me to believe the words of the songs we sung. I came to the believe, based on songs like these, that no matter what I faced in life, God would be there to take care of me. Let me share with you a few of the words of this song since some of you may not know it. For those of you who do, I am sure that this will bring back memories and cause you to smile today if your Church still sings these songs. Some of the words to this song says: “Trouble in my way, I have to cry sometimes, trouble in my way, I have to cry sometimes, I laid awake at night, but that’s all right, for I know that Jesus, Jesus, He will fix it, after a while.”
There was another song sung by the late Ms. Mahalia Jackson titled “Soon I Will Be Done”. Ms. Jackson sung this song with such emotions that you knew it came from a lifetime of seeing God bring her through trouble after trouble. It says, “Soon I will be done with the troubles of this world, troubles of this world, the troubles of this world; soon I will be done, with the troubles of this world, I’m going home to live with God. No more weeping and a wailing, no more weeping and a wailing, no more weeping and a wailing, going home to live with God.” As you can see, the words of the song expressed the feeling, that although we are experiencing troubles on this side, the day will come when troubles will cease. There will be no more crying or sorrows over there for we will be in the presence of the Lord forever.
While these songs were sung in the Church, there were many secular songs that also dealt with troubles. Two classes of music that I am sure many of you are familiar with are the Blues and Country music. There is nothing like listening to the Blues when you are depressed or feeling down – if you want to feel even more depressed than you were feeling before you turned the music on. I remember hearing the song “Stormy Monday.” When you listen to that song, it tells you that Monday is stormy, Tuesday is just as bad, Wednesday is worse, and all Thursday is all so sad. Now if you are feeling bad on Monday and you listen to this song, you really have nothing to look forward to for the rest of the week. Some Blues and Country music can add to the deepness of your feelings of depression if you listen to them during those times. How many of you have heard the saying “misery loves company”? When you are feeling down and you’re listening to the Blues, it is like the song understands what you are feeling and/or going through which further justifies you continuing to feel the way that you do. It is my personal opinion that the worst thing you can do when you are feeling down is listen to some Blues and/or Country music. Yes it may help you understand that others know what you are going through, but it does nothing to lift you up.
This morning, I want you to take a step back and ask yourself two questions: “If I am serving God and doing what He has told me to do, why do I have troubles?” and “What do I have to do to be blessed if I am constantly experiencing troubles?” These questions may not seem to relate to each other but for a lot of people they are related. Many have been taught that when we do what God tells us to do and we are in His will, we won’t have any trials or tribulations. We have also been taught that when we obey God we will have success in everything that we do. Still there are others who will tell you that you must do things to earn God’s blessings and if you are not, you will have troubles because you are cursed. Within these teachings is the clear message that if you are blessed you will not have troubles and if you are not blessed, you will have troubles. However, when we look at the lives of men and women in Scripture, being obedient to God and remaining in His will rarely meant they were always successful and free from trials. When people define a blessed life as one without trials and tribulation, then their definition of a blessed life is wrong. This morning I want you to leave here knowing that based on your relationship with God, even when you are dealing with troubles, you are still blessed and you have the authority to rise above the troubles. Because of our relationship and fellowship with God we do not have to seek blessings, they will find us. But we need to keep everything in perspective.
Do you remember when Job was going through the tragedy of losing his children and thinking God was responsible? We know that God was not responsible but Job didn’t know that. He was suffering so badly that his wife, out of compassion for him, asked him to curse God and die. His good friends came to him and counselled him to admit his sins before God so that God could forgive him and then his suffering would be over. It got so bad for Job that he actually cursed the day he was born. He came to realize “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.” (Job 14:1) Job was saying a man is frail and from the day of his birth, he would experience troubles. There is no way that we can walk this earth and not experience trials and tribulations in some form. It’s part of our living here on this earth. However, and this is important, our trials and tribulations do not define our blessings, they open the door to the blessings! Do you remember what David wrote in the 23rd Psalm? In verse four he says “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.” Notice that David says “I walk through the valley …” New Light, when I read this, the message is clear to me: whatever the situation is that’s causing me trouble, as long I continue to walk I will come out on the other side of it! Praise God! And I know this because of what he says about the rod and the staff. A shepherd used the rod and staff to guide and protect the sheep from unseen threats and danger. What David is telling us is that we are going to face “unseen threats and dangers” but if we will follow our Shepherd, if we continue to walk with Him, He will guide us around them and through them.
Do you remember the story of the storm that arose on the sea when Jesus and His disciples were crossing over? Turn with me to Mark chapter four and we will begin reading at verse thirty-five. “And the same day, when the evening was come, He said unto them, ‘Let us pass over unto the other side.’ 36And when they had sent away the multitude, they took Him just as He was in the ship. And there were also with Him other little ships. 37And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38And He was in the rear of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awoke Him, and said unto Him, ‘Teacher, care You not that we perish?’ 39And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, ‘Peace, be still.’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40And He said unto them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 41And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, ‘What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” (Mark 4:35-41)
There are three critical questions that are asked in this story. As we have discussed before, several of the disciples including Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen. A fisherman in those days, and this is also true today, were taught to read the skies in order to forecast the weather. They would look at the clouds and the color of the sky and determine if a storm was approaching. Based on their knowledge of the sea, under normal circumstances, when Jesus asked them to cross by boat to the other side, they probably would not have gotten in that boat if they believed a storm was possible. However, these were not normal circumstances. Jesus told them to get in the boat and cross over and they did so without hesitation or question. Once they were out on the sea, a storm blew up and water started coming into the boat. Immediately the disciples – who were seasoned fishermen – panicked and ran to Jesus. Now picture Jesus being sound asleep while this storm is raging and the ship is rocking back and forth. When they woke Him up I can see Him yawning and asking them why they were waking Him. Now here is the first critical question. When Jesus woke up, the disciples asked Him, “Teacher, care You not that we perish?” (Vs. 38)
When Jesus woke up, immediately they asked Him if He cared that they were about to die. This is a key question. They had been with Jesus long enough to know a little, but not everything. Up until this time they had witnessed Him performing miracles, and they had knowledge that He could do something about their situation – they just did not realize what. So what they were really saying was “Jesus we are about to die unless You do something!” Theirs was the cry of impulse; a cry which comes from deep within us when we are experiencing danger. In case you are unaware, Christians have the same natural, immediate, emotional responses to a given situation as non-Christians do. In times of bodily danger and in times of public commotion and disaster the fears of Christ's people have often been awakened. The disciples’ crying out was evidence of their immediate fear of dying. But hear this clearly – if the disciples had been totally without faith, they would not have appealed to Jesus; they would not have called Him "Master!"; and they would not have entreated Him to save them. This is important to understand. They knew Jesus could do something, they just didn’t know what He would do. So when we are in distress and we call on Jesus our crying out to Him proves that we have some faith in Him to help us. It is when we refuse to ask for help because we think our situation is helpless is when we have lost our faith. So the disciples asked Jesus whether or not He cared if they perish. Now it’s Jesus turn to ask a question.
Jesus stood up and spoke to the wind and the waves. To the wind He says “peace” or “hush” and to the waves He said “be still”. Immediately the wind ceased to blow and the waves were still. When all was still He turned and looked at His disciples and asked them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” Jesus was justified in asking His disciples why they were fearful and without faith. Think about it. Why did the disciples not have faith when Christ had shown Himself by His character and His deeds to be deserving of their faith? The disciples had witnessed Who Jesus was – they knew Him! By faith, when we have lost confidence in ourselves or our fellow-men we can still have all confidence in Him because we too know Him! Remember how the John opens the epistle of First John? In verse one he writes “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life.” (First John 1:1) The disciples had often experienced His power which should have boosted their confidence, which would have been demonstrated in how they approached Jesus – with calm and assurance versus fear and panic. Now listen to what I am about to say New Light: the disciples’ response demonstrated what was in their hearts. And this will always be the issue – what is truly in our hearts. Jesus had never forgotten them or forsaken them. But you know what? Jesus could ask us the same question and this is where we begin to understand the blessings. Jesus made sure that we had documented examples of how He is taking care of us in the midst of our trials and tribulations. How can we have doubts about that when we read the Old Testament examples, understanding that they walked in faith looking forward to the day of Christ and we are actually living in His days? We are living in the aftermath of His death and resurrection which was what they hoped for but did not live to see. How could we be without faith?
When we are experiencing troubles the three questions that were asked should not be asked at all. We should never have to ask Jesus if He cares whether or not we perish in our situations and He should never have to ask us why we are afraid and without faith. Do you see the connection between the three questions? The late James Cleveland had an album out with a title song called “Where is your Faith?” In the title song it talks about all of the trials and tribulations we experience and asked the question “Where is your faith?” The disciple’s faith was shaken when they saw the waves overcoming the ship and filling it with water. They knew Jesus could do something, but in the heat of that moment their faith was shaken. I can imagine them thinking “You told us to come out here. Aren’t You going to do something?”
When we read this account and the outcome, two things stand out. The first thing is that although we may be following Jesus and doing exactly what He wants us to do, that does not mean that we will not experience troubles. The fact that we are serving God and following His directions actually increases our chances for trouble because of our enemy. Our enemy is out there with a team working overtime to stop the progression of Christianity. Getting Christians frustrated with life because of troubles is a key weapon in his arsenal. Troubles will come, not because you are out of God’s will, but because you do have an enemy working against you. Also, troubles come sometimes just because things just happen. I am very hesitant to say that all bad things are caused by the devil because there are times when we are the source of our troubles. However, what I can tell you is that regardless of the cause, there is hope and there is help. As a child of God, you will always have help available, not only when you are following what God has commanded you to do, but even during times when we miss God. God is always available to help us get back on track. All we have to do is ask, just as we would go to our natural parents when we are in need.
One of my absolute favorite scripture in the Bible is John 14:1-6. I have told you stories before about how I was a worrier as a child. When I became a teenager, I began reading my Bible more and I came across the words of Jesus as found in John 14. I was going through one of my “difficult” times at that point and the words jumped off the page at me. Since then I read or quote these words when I feel myself starting to worry. Here is what it says: “Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4And where I go you know, and the way you know. 5Thomas said unto Him, ‘Lord, we know not where You go; and how can we know the way?’ 6Jesus said unto him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.’” (John 14:1-6)
Let me share with you why these verses are so important to me. The very first line says, “Let not your heart be troubled.” When I read the word “let” it tell me that I have a choice in the matter. I can literally choose whether to allow my heart to be troubled or not. Do you see this? Other translations say “Your mind must not be troubled; you must not let yourselves be distressed; or set your troubled hearts at rest.” Regardless of how you read this, the message is the same; it is up to us. So many times we default to responding to our situations instead of rising above them. To rise above a situation means that you decide not only how you will respond to the situation, but also how you will allow the situation to affect you. Jesus is our example of how we should live on this earth. When He was performing miracles, His disciples marveled at what He did. Jesus told His disciples not to marvel because greater works they would be able to do. If Jesus is our example and He expects that we would do greater works than He did while He was on earth, the least we should be able to do is to begin to model His behavior. We may not get surpassing His miracles, but we can model His actions, His love and His dependence on His Father.
Once we move beyond our initial response to a situation, we can then choose not to have our hearts troubled by what we do from that point forward. There are some things that will bother us no matter how strong our faith is, but the strength comes in how we respond to the situation. Jesus asked us not to allow our hearts to be troubled – but to believe in God and in Him. He reminds us that life on this earth is temporary and He has prepared a place for us that will exist throughout all of eternity. If we see life here as temporary and our true life starting once we enter into God’s presence, we can start changing our responses to everyday situations. If life here is temporary then everything we experience is temporary. We just have to allow ourselves the time to “walk through the shadows of death.” This does not mean we stop caring or living, it just means that our responses are different. Jesus said He has prepared a place for us and that He will come again to receive us unto Himself.
When I started this message, I told you that there are those who believe that you have troubles when you are out of God’s will and therefore you are not being blessed. There are those that will tell you that you can only be blessed when you are giving money to the church or doing good deeds. I want to ask you a question “Do you think that Jesus ever woke in the morning asking the question ‘What do I need to do today so that My Father will bless me?” I have read the Bible through many times and I cannot remember one scripture where Jesus asked His Father what He would need to do in order for God to bless Him that day. I cannot remember one scripture that gives us a formula to ensure that we receive a blessing from God every day. Why, because it is not required. If Jesus is truly our model for our relationship with God (and I know He is) then the relationship that He has with God the Father should be the relationship that we have with Him also. We do not have to work for God’s blessings. We are blessed because we belong to Him and the proof of those blessings is how God is always available for us both during times of troubles and when we are doing just fine. I want to close with what God said to the Children of Israel when He brought them out of Egypt. If you need a formula to guarantee your blessings, regardless of any trouble you might experience, think on these verses from Deuteronomy chapter twenty-eight. It says the following:
“And it shall come to pass, if you shall hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD your God, to observe and to do all His commandments which I command you this day, that the LORD your God will set you on high above all nations of the earth. 2And all these blessings shall come on you, and overtake you, if you shall hearken unto the voice of the LORD your God. 3Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your herds, the increase of your cattle, and the flocks of your sheep. 5Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading-trough. 6Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. 7The LORD shall cause your enemies that rise up against you to be defeated before your face: they shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways. 8The LORD shall command the blessing upon you in your storehouses, and in all that you set your hand unto; and He shall bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you. 9The LORD shall establish you a holy people unto himself, as He has sworn unto you, if you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and walk in His ways. 10And all people of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of you. 11And the LORD shall make you bountiful in goods, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give you. 12The LORD shall open unto you His good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand: and you shall lend unto many nations, and you shall not borrow. 13And the LORD shall make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath; if that you hearken unto the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day, to observe and to do them.” (Deuteronomy 28:1-13)
If you need a formula to understand how to keep the doors open to your blessings then think on what was said in Deuteronomy 28:1-2. It basically requires that we listen to the voice of God and do as He commands us. When we do this, all of those blessing that were listed in the rest of those verses would search us out and find us. I know some of you are comparing your current life with the lives of others and I would tell you that would not be good for you. Sometimes we can only see our blessings after something had happened and we look back. We do not understand what our lives would be like had God not already been working proactively on our behalf. Jesus never asked His Father what He could do to be blessed. God blessed Him because of His relationship with Him – He was His Son.
Let me ask you this question: “What do your kids need to do in order for you to bless them?” Have you ever brought your child a gift without there being a “special” occasion? Have you ever brought home ice cream “just because”? Have you ever given your child a list of things they could do to ensure your blessings? Of course not! We bless our children because of their relationship with us. They are our children. Because they are our children, we will do whatever it takes to ensure they have everything they need. God is the same way. He blesses us because of our relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. We cannot work for the blessing so therefore we cannot earn it. It is a gift from God, just as we do with our children on a daily basis.
What I need you to understand New Light is that we are blessed because of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We cannot earn a blessing – we cannot make God be indebted to us. Part of the package (benefits/blessings) is help in the time of need. When we recognize that our relationship offers us help in the time of trouble, we do not feel that we are alone. Walter Hawkins sung a song that said, “Everywhere I go there is trouble. Everywhere I go there is strife. Everywhere I go there is something that worries me, but my God is standing by. God is standing by, no need to cry. God is standing near, no need to fear.” This song is truth put to words for truly God is standing by. Will you allow Him to help you?
Living in the kingdom of God doesn’t mean we won’t face trials, disappointments and attacks from Satan. What it does mean is that we have an example to follow – Jesus Christ – in dealing with these situations. When troubles arise, remember God is standing by. You are blessed, not because you are so good and have earned it, but because you are a child of God. May God Bless and keep you.
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
(We are once again conducting live services on Sunday morning beginning at 9:15 a.m. We will continue to broadcast live on Facebook Live at 10:00 a.m.. Please tune in to "New Light Christian Fellowship Church" and like our page if you wish to watch our broadcast and be notified when we go live. If you are ever in the Kansas City, KS area, please come and worship with us at New Light Christian Fellowship, 15 N. 14th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102. We also have Thursday night Bible study at 7 p.m. via Zoom that you are also welcome to attend – please email me for the link. Also, for use of our social media, you can find us at newlightchristianfellowship on FB. To get our live stream services, please make sure you “like” and turn on notifications for our page so you can be notified when we are live streaming. We also have a church website and New Light Christian Fellowship YouTube channel for more of our content. We are developing more social media streams so please stand by and we will notify you once those channels are up and running. We look forward to you worshipping with us. May God bless and keep you.)
