1 Corinthains 4:9-13 – What to Do When You Can’t – Bible study

1Corinthians 4:9-13 What to Do When You Cant FIRST – This message is difficult for me: 1. It is difficult because it is not a text specific message. This message comes more principals of the Bible, experience I have as a pastor, and observations made in the lives of others. 2. It is difficult because what I will say some will not want to hear. I ask that: 1. You listen on purpose. 2. Give me the benefit of the doubt. 3. Consider what I say in faith. READ THE TEXT – We live in a fallen world, a world distorted and corrupted by sin. That makes for some unfair and unpleasant happenings. 1. The innocent suffer. 2. Bad things happen. 3. Wrong goes unpunished. 4. Right sometimes seems to be cursed. This is the way it is in your life. It is this way in my life. It is this way in everyones life. It was this way in Pauls life. In \#9\, Paul reasons that the apostles come last on Gods list. It is as if God created the office just so that they could be killed. \#11\, they live hungry, thirsty, naked, beaten, and homeless. \#12\ They work hard only to be persecuted and to suffer. \#13\ They are the off scouring of this world. That is not fair. The apostles represented God. They were doing Gods work. Yet, God let them be treated this way. Paul did not tell us why. Neither did he tell us exactly what to do about it, but he and other writers did offer to us some counsel that I believe tells us what to do when we think we cant do it anymore. Tonight, let me give you a few words. I. Accept A. The first thing we must do is to accept that this might be the way it is always going to be. 1. Im sorry to have to tell you that, but I must. 2. Things are not always going to get better. 3. There are some realities that you might have to live with as long as you live. 4. Oh, I wish I did not have to tell you that, but. a. Sometimes good people die. b. Sometimes people stay sick. c. Sometimes wrong decisions cannot be unmade. d. Sometimes a loss is never recovered. e. Sometimes evil goes unpunished. f. Sometimes people wont change. 5. These and others are just the consequences of living in a sin cursed world. B. You say, "Preacher, you are telling me that I might have to accept that?" 1. Yes, I am. WHY? 2. Because if you do not, you might waste your joy, your opportunities, your usefulness to God, your life for no justifiable reason. a. I understand the desire to throw yourself into a pit and pray that God will take you home, but to do so is simply not the answer! b. I cannot do anything to fix the wrongs in your life. The best I can do is to try to keep you from making another wrong. c. Friend, your lifewhatever it may beis a gift from God and you need to do with it what you can for God. (1) Wasting whatever God has given to you will not make your losses any less of a loss. (2) Wasting whatever God has given to you will not make those you grieve over any better. (3) Wasting whatever God has given to you will not make you any better. (4) Wasting what God has given to you will only make you feel worse and the devil happy. 3. Please understand, I am not saying, "Just get over it." a. Life deals hard blows and we must walk through the emotions of dealing with them. (1) I am not saying, "Dont grieve." (2) I am not saying, "Dont be lonely." (3) I am not even saying, "Dont be angry or hurt or scared. b. What I am saying is there are some emotional places where we do not stop and stay. (1) Despair – hopelessness (2) Of quitting on life (3) Of being angry with God or people (4) Of being fearful of the future c. Whatever you do, do not stop in these pits and stay. II. Pray A. I want to emphasize a word that you might have missed in my original statement. 1. We must accept that this MIGHT be the way things are always going to be. 2. MIGHT – That is the reality you and I have to accept; however, that is not the reality that we to limit ourselves to. 3. There is a word that should we in the Christian vocabulary – BALANCE. 4. We must accept that the world we live is sinful but we must never believe it is beyond the reach of God. 5. We must balance reality and faith. 6. To balance reality and faith, we must pray. B. What are praying for? 1. We should pray to find out what God will do. 2. We should pray to find out what God wants us to do. a. More important that finding out what God will do is finding out what God wants us to do. b. I can tell you somethings: (1) God always wants you to trust Him. (2) God always wants you to serve Him. (3) God always wants you to share Him. (4) God always wants you to move forward. c. However, somethings you are going to have to go directly to God and get for yourself. 3. We should pray that God will give us the strength to bear whatever we must bear. a. Do not expect God to give you the strength to make loss easy. He is not going to do that. b. Do not expect God to give you the strength to make hurt pleasant. He is not going to do that. c. Do not expect God to give you the strength to finish your race right now. He is not going to do that. d. What strength does God give? (1) God gives you strength for the step. (2) Im sorry, but it is. (3) You ask God for the strength to take the next step, and that He will give. (4) Then what? Ask for the strength for the next step, and the next, and the next. III. Listen A. Anytime we pray, we ought to listen. 1. Prayer is not just for talking to God. Prayer is for us to listen to God. 2. Prayer is communication between us and God. a. Sometimes God talks with words. b. Sometimes God talks with impressions. c. Sometimes God talks with events. B. Acts 16:25-34 IV. Follow A. God has a plan for YOUR life. 1. A most important part of your life may now be missing but that does not change the fact that God has a plan for you. 2. That is not a MAYBE and it is not a MIGHT. 3. It does not matter your age, your income, or your health. 4. You can still tough a life and perhaps many lives. B. God is going to open some doors to you. You need to follow Him. 1Sam 10:7 And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee. 1. There will be some opportunities open at church. 2. There will be some opportunities open in your community. 3. If you have a job and family, some will open there. 4. Even if you are homebound, you will find that God will open some doors. 5. Someone will drop by. Someone will make a request. Someone may call your house. 6. Dont let the size of the opportunity frighten you or mislead you. V. Wait A. I dont just mean wait. 1. I mean wait patiently. 2. Wait joyfully. 3. Wait faithfully. 4. Wait with anticipation. B. Why? Because God is not finished with you yet. C. Notice what Paul said after describing the conditions he lived in as an apostle in \9-13\ 1Cor 4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. 1. If you could ask Paul, "Paul, you just described a most miserable life and now you want me to join you?" 2. I believe Paul would say, "Yes!" 3. You would follow up with a "Why?" 4. And Paul would say, "Because the last page is not written yet and when we get to the last page, we are going to win!"