Playing the Ball Where It Lies

Playing the ball where it lies. I mentioned earlier, this is a golf term. How many in here have played golf before? Okay. There's a few of you that have played golf, okay?

How many of you have played putt putt? Okay. Good. There we go. Played putt putt.

All right. Anyway, struck a golf ball with a golf club. Reason I chose that as a title is this. Most of the time when you're playing golf and you hit the golf ball, it doesn't go where you want it to go. It doesn't go where you expect it to go.

And oftentimes, when you get up there, you thought you were doing Okay and you find out, oops, no, it's still in a place I didn't expect it or didn't want it to be. There's an obstacle. There's a problem. Usually the problem is I don't know how to swing a golf club or hit that little ball and so forth and so on. Golf can be a very pleasant, relaxing game.

Often for many people is a very frustrating game. It doesn't have to be that way but for some it is. Life should be a wonderful thing. Life sometimes can be a very frustrating thing and going to use primarily the scripture but a little bit of illustration this morning using golf to help us to see how important is it is that we deal with the ups and downs of life biblically and with the view from scripture that will help us to enjoy life and to succeed in life particularly in service for the Lord and not always be overwhelmed and frustrated by life. Philippians chapter four verse 10.

Paul writes, but I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at the last your care for of me hath flourished again. Wherein you were also careful but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, read these words with me if you're there. Therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound.

Everywhere and in all things, I'm instructed both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the rain.

We pray Lord for those that have been hindered by it. Lord, that they wouldn't be hindered from coming to church with us tonight or next week and we pray Lord for those that are are dealing with other problems today that are keeping them away, that you might bring healing to them, that you might bring guidance to them. Lord, we pray that as we meet here today that you would strengthen us through your word and that Jesus Christ would be exalted in our midst and Lord, if there be one here today that's never trusted Christ as savior, we pray most of all that they would come to know you today as their Lord and savior. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

As the apostle writes, the church in Philippi, he is under house arrest basically imprisoned in Rome. The Philippians and other Christians were concerned about Paul. Paul begins the the letter to the Philippians telling them not to be so concerned about him. He appreciates this gift that they had sent him. He appreciates their show of of care but they don't need to be worried.

They don't need to be anxious. God is still in control and God is going to take care of him and in this passage, in particular, he thanks them for this gift they had sent. But he also in doing so, reminds them that though he appreciates it, and it is helpful to him. That he has learned and whatsoever state, whatever condition, whatever circumstances of life, he finds himself to be one. To be, help me out.

To be content. To be at peace. Not to be all frustrated and strung out and angry and upset overwhelmed, or depressed. And Paul had every reason, humanly speaking, to have all of those problems. Probably more than the vast majority of us.

He was beat in first second Corinthians 11. He talks about all the terrible things that happened to him. Now, not because he wants other people to feel sorry for him. No, he says, these were good things. These are things that I glorify That God brought me through them all and I had the joy of suffering for the one who suffered so much for me.

Paul says here, I have learned in whatsoever state I am there for to be contempt. That he could through Christ's strength endure and overcome any circumstances of life that came his way. In order for us to do the same, there are number of things from scripture which we must apply to our lives. That the apostle Paul, it would seem, applied to his. God wants you to be at peace today.

He says so in his word. It's one of the fruit of the spirit. It's the second of the duet of verses in Philippians four. We read just prior in this chapter in verse six. It says, be careful for nothing or be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God and the what?

The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. It's God's will that his children be at peace. It's God's will that they be content, that they be satisfied, that they might not be always looking at other people's lives and wondering what if and what if and frustrated over what is happening to them. We can be content and God wants us to be content. The first thing we need to learn to do is to rely on Christ.

Number one, we need to learn to rely on Christ. The Bible says, the just shall live by what? By faith. The just shall live. That word live doesn't just mean that we gain eternal life by faith but that as Christians saved by God's grace through faith, we live our lives by faith and not by sight.

We need to learn to rely on Jesus Christ. That's what Paul says here. He said, how do I do this? How is it that all these things, ups and downs and and jails and all this kind of stuff? How is it that I have learned to be content?

He tells us in verse 13, I can do all things through whom? Through Christ who strengthens me. He says in verse 19, but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus. What is the key? The key is faith.

We need to learn to trust in our savior. We need to learn to rely in his strength and his grace get us through the valleys of life. For the more we learn to trust him, more we learn to rely and rest in him and his promises, in his person, in his word. The more peace we will have in our life. God will take care of you.

John fifteen five, Jesus said, I am the vine, You are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing. Jesus said, Jesus knew what his disciples were about to go through. And he said to them, he said, please listen to me and hear this now.

They're going to go through very rough time. He was about to be arrested, taken to the cross. They were not going from this time forward to be very popular people in Israel. Most of them suffered martyrdom. He said to them, I am the vine, you're the branches.

He that abides, rest, trusts in me and I am him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. How are you going to bring forth fruit as a Christian, as a disciple of Christ, as he said to his apostles, you're going to do so by learning to rely, abide, trust in me. Matthew six thirty three, many of you know but seek you first the kingdom of his of God and his righteousness and what? All these things shall be added unto you. I like this passage.

The first verse is my my wife's favorite verse. Psalm thirty seven four through six, delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Do you believe that? Is it God's word? It is.

If it's God's word, then you should what? Then you should believe it. God says, delight yourself in me. I will give you the desires of your I will fulfill your desires. I will give you contentment and peace and joy.

Commit thy way unto the Lord. Trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass and he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light and thy judgement as the noonday. God says, commit your way to me, trust in me, rely on me. I will not let you down. You will.

You'll let yourself down. I let myself down all the time. I have such high hopes for me. It's sad to say a lot of times, I just don't measure up. Friends may let you down.

Your neighbors will let you down. Family may let you down. But Jesus never fails. He's not going to let you down. Trust in him.

He will bring it to pass. He will bring to pass the fruit, peace, joy in your life. He will bring to pass the success that you're looking for and the fulfillment and satisfaction. He will give you the desires of your heart. Don't trust in chariots.

Don't trust in your own heart. They fail. Trust in the Lord. Back to the golf illustration. These golfers that play on the PGA Tour that make all this money playing golf.

They didn't get that way by accident. They they weren't born with this incredible talent that they have. Though they may have been more inclined to it than some others. But what you may not know about these golfers is they have instructors. Even they be they 40 or 50 years old and played golf for thirty and forty years of their life, they still have coaches and they still have instructors.

And these coaches and these instructors, they give them instruction. They tell them how to do this. They tell them how to do that. They say you did that wrong. You need to do this better.

And they give them instruction. I remember when I first started to play golf, I grabbed the golf club like a bat. Okay? And that's how I played. And you hit the ball and you grab it like a bat.

Well, then somebody showed me you gotta take your two pinkies like this and interlock it around. And I first did that. It was the most awkward feeling thing. It was to hit something with your pinkies intertwined like this trying to hold the club. It just didn't feel right.

It didn't seem right. But after a while, I learned to do it. And now it's just second nature to hold a golf club that way. You know something? It does work a little better.

Nothing helps my golf game a whole lot but it does work a little bit better. If you want to succeed, whatever you're doing in life, you need to listen to those who know how to do it. Well, when it comes to life itself, there's one who knows. Who is he? He is our creator.

He made us. He knows us. He knows our frame, the Bible says. He knows the future. He knows what's gonna happen if we do this and what's gonna happen if we do that.

He has given us his word to instruct us. To guide us through life. He's given us his spirit. We have the creator, the sovereign God of heaven. Living in our heart.

We have his word. Every day, he instructs us if we're what? If we're listening, if we learn to rely on him, and if we will listen to his instruction, then he says we will succeed but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night and he shall be as a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Let not this book of the law depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein for if thou and I I I lost it there.

According to all that's written there for in, if you do that, then you will have what? Good success. Good success. Joshua one eight. God says, if you listen to me, I'm going to lead you.

I will never lead you astray. Not only that but I will strengthen and help you. To do it. Second Corinthians twelve nine. Even when things are not going right, even when things aren't going well, God says, as he said here to Paul, my grace is what?

Sufficient for thee. For my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Paul prayed three times for the Lord to take the thorn. Whatever thorn of the flesh that was out of his life and God said, no.

He said, my what? My grace is sufficient. Paul, to do that. We're to was well educated and he had to learn to push that pride aside and push that education aside and push all that he was and he could do in himself aside and he had to learn to trust in who? To trust in the Lord and this thorn in the flesh reminded him whatever it was that he needed to learn to rely on God and not in himself and not in his education and not in his works and his abilities but in his savior.

We must learn to rely and to trust in our God, our savior, our creator, our friend, our father, and our coach. He is not going to lead us astray. We can trust in him and if we will, we will learn to navigate the pitfalls of life. The ups and the downs. With contentment.

As Paul did. The second thing here, we must learn to rely on Christ and the second point I have this morning is this, we must accept the circumstances. Now, the two are are not unrelated obviously but we must learn to accept the circumstances. You see, when the golfer hits the ball in golf, he must learn to accept the result of his action. Sometimes when you're just playing for fun and you hit the ball and it goes way off in no man's land, you say you call it a mulligan after you yell for it.

And you hit the ball what? Over. You do a second try. Now does that work on the PGA tour? Do they get a second try?

Do they get nine mulligans? No, no. They, when they hit the ball and it goes, they have to play the ball what? Where it lies. That's the rules.

You have to play the ball where it lies. You don't get do overs and you know something? You don't get do overs in life either. We have to play the ball in life where it lies. Sometimes, in golf, like me, you hit the ball and you hit it wrong and it, you're hitting it that way.

It ends up way over there. Sometimes, it ends up in a bunker. Sometimes, it ends up in a sand trap. Sometimes, it ends up in the water. Sometimes, you hit it right down the fairway and you walk down here and he's really happy and he get there and somebody had earlier that day had swung and took this huge divot chunk out of the ground and there sit your ball and your divot and you can't get a good swing at it.

Right in the middle of the fairway and it's still in a bad life. Sometimes, it's behind a tree. Sometimes, you hit a tree and it bounces out in the fairway. Sometimes, it hits a tree and it bounces out of bounds. Sometimes, you'd you watch and it's perfect and then, it catches this one little branch sticking out and it ruins everything.

You know, life's a little bit like that too. Sometimes, we make stupid decisions and we have to face the consequences of our actions. Sometimes, it seems that we do everything right and it still goes what? It still goes all wrong. But whether it was your fault or somebody else's fault, we still have to play the ball.

We're alive. Have to learn to accept the circumstances of life and continue to play on. Sad to say there's a lot of people that never learn to do that and they get stuck in life because they're all frustrated all the time because things never go as their plan. Of course, they don't. That's life.

We don't control all the variables. We just have to keep playing. Keep living. Keep trusting. Keep following the Lord.

In Ecclesiastes chapter nine, if you want to turn there, Ecclesiastes chapter nine, I don't have enough room to put all these verses on the on the overhead over here. Ecclesiastes nine, Solomon writes, for all this I consider in my heart even to declare all this that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good, and to the clean, to the unclean.

To him that sacrifices and to him that sacrifices not, as is the good, so is the sinner, and he that sweareth is he that feareth an oath. There is an evil among all things that are done under the sun. There is one event unto all. Yey, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil and madness is in their heart while they live and after they go and after that, they go to the dead. For to him that is joined to all the living, there is hope.

For a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living knoweth that they shall die but the dead know not anything. Neither have they anymore a reward for the memory of them is forgotten. Also, their love and their hatred, their envy is now perished, neither have they anymore a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun. Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart for God accepted thy works.

Let thy garments be always wide and let thy head lack no ointment. Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of thy life, of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun all the days of thy vanity. For that is thy portion in this life and in thy labor which thou takest under the sun. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. For there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest.

Now, praise the Lord. That's not the only passage of scripture in the Bible. If it were, you might leave kind of depressed. As you interpret scripture in light of scripture. As Solomon writes this from a temporal and sort of fatalistic view of life, He does point out some things that God would want us to take note of.

Bad things happen to whom? To all. Good things happen to all. Bad things happen to all. Just because you're a Christian doesn't mean that bad things don't happen to you.

We live in a sin cursed world. Bad things happen to everybody. Good things happen. But whether it's good or it's bad We need to keep on living. Whatever thy hand find us to do, do it with what?

With all thy might. In respect to Earth, once this life is done, is done. We cannot gain anymore reward in heaven. We can't serve the Lord here on earth anymore. We have a time, it's brief, it's short.

We need to take advantage of the time that we have while we want. While we have it. And not squander it, and not get depressed over the bad things that happen and keep us from doing and living the life that God has given us. As a Christian in particular, living our life for God. We must be willing to accept our circumstances.

And move on. It says here in verse one of Ecclesiastes nine, for all this I considered in my heart, even declare all this that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of who? Anybody there with me? Verse one, are in the hand of God. We are in his what?

We, his children, are in his hand. Now, that is a phrase, a thought that is meant to bring us comfort and encouragement. Because the God who loves us and the God who created us and the God who died for us is the God who has us in his hand. In the New Testament, Jesus said, he said that we are in the father's hand and no man is able to what? Us out of the father's hand.

We are in his hand and we are in his father's hand. It's meant to be a phrase that should bring us as God's children peace in the midst of our storm. We must learn to accept God's will and we must learn to trust in God's will and we must learn to trust and rely on his care. When things are going great and also when things are what? Are going bad.

When you hit the ball and it lands right where you wanted to and when you hit it and everything goes bad. We must learn to accept our circumstances and part of doing that is learning to trust in our sovereign Lord. Romans nine twenty twenty one. Nay but oh man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus?

Hath not the potter power over the clay and the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another under dishonor? I would love to be six and a half feet tall. I'm never going to be six and a half feet tall. I would still like to have hair on my head. If I have hair up here, it's not going to be my hair.

It would have to be somebody else's because it's not growing, okay? There are other things in my life, things that have happened in my life that weren't necessarily good things that I was excited about or they all turned it out the way I wanted them to. I need to learn to trust in who. You know, God made me short for a reason. God allowed my hair to fall out for a reason.

God led me to Florida for a reason. He is the potter. I am the what? Clay. I am the clay.

Learning have contentment in life Begins with learning to trust in God and his will and to accept it. There are things you can't change. Happen to you, that happen to you. There are things about yourself. You can't change.

We must learn to trust in the potter. That he is the potter. And that I am the clay. And praise God, the potter knows what he's doing. There's a song in here.

It's entitled God Makes No Mistakes. The young lady who wrote the song wrote it just after her fiance had died tragically in a car accident shortly before their wedding day. My life I give to you, oh Lord, use me I pray. May I glorify your precious name in all I do and say. Let me trust you in the valley dark as well as in the light.

Knowing you will always lead me. Your will is always right. I know God makes no mistakes. He leads in every path I take along the way that's leading me to home. Though at times my heart would break, there's a purpose in every change he makes, that others would see my life and know that God makes no mistakes.

He doesn't. Praise God. He's the potter and I'm the clay because I've learned that I wouldn't want it the other way around. We are told to give thanks In what? Everything.

And everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. What is God's will? God's will does you give thanks and what? Everything. How can you do that?

You can do that when you learn that God ultimately is in control. And that as our heavenly father, the things that he allows in our life, he allows into our life for our what? For our good, for our benefit And he knows what he's doing. Therefore, though some things are good and some things we would call bad, They work together for our what? Good.

We know that all things work together for good to them that love God to those who are the called according to his purpose. How can I give thanks because God knows what he's doing? God allows us into my life and God has a purpose in it. I can trust him. The word good there doesn't mean that everything's going to be pleasureful.

Doesn't mean that everything's going to be wonderful. Doesn't mean that everything's going to be easy. What it means is this, God has your best interest at heart. He knows what's best for you. And like that little baby that you want to learn to walk, you pick em up on their feet and they fall over and you pick em up again and they fall over and you pick em up again and they take a step.

So, before they took the step, they did what? They fell over and maybe it hurt and maybe they cried but you want them to learn how to what? Want them to learn how to walk. We need to grow. We need to mature.

God knows that. God knows what he's doing. James one two to four. My brethren, count it all what? Read it with me.

Say it again. My brethren, count it all. Sure. Thank you, David. When you fall into diverse temptations, knowing this is the trying of your faith worketh patience but let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire wanting nothing.

Y'all need to wake up this morning, okay? Somebody help me out besides David here. Count it all. It wasn't very joyful. Okay?

One more time. I want you to do this, but count it all. Joy. Joy. Now, God isn't saying that you're gonna be excited when you get in a car wreck and you have to go to the hospital and you have to get a new car, you know, no, that's not happy time.

But God is saying, you can have some joy and peace even in the trials and the tests that come our way because as a Christian, you know that you're in whose hand? God's hand. And if he has allowed this into your life, he may not have caused this in your life. Person who drunken drove through the stoplight and rammed the side of your car caused it but if God allowed it in your life, he did it for a reason. So, even in the midst of trials, we can have what?

We can have some joy in our heart because we can know that God is working together things for our good. We just need to keep our eyes fixed on him and not lose sight. That he cares for us. He loves us and he's in control Another song in this book. It's called Rejoice in the Lord.

Anybody heard that song? The guy who wrote it, Ron Hamilton is known to kids as Patch the Pirate. He's known as Patch the Pirate because he had cancer in his eye and he lost it. And not long after that, he wrote this song as a testimony. Says God never moves without purpose or plan when trying his servant or molding a man.

Give thanks to the Lord though your testing seems long in darkness. He give it a song. I could not see through the shadows ahead. So, I looked at the cross of my savior instead. I bowed to the will of the master that day then peace came and tears fled away.

Now, I can see testing comes from above. God strengthens his children and purges in love. My father knows best and I trust in his care through purging more fruit. I will bear. Oh, rejoice in the Lord.

He makes no mistake. He knoweth the end of the path that I take. For when I am tried and purified, I will come forth as gold. Ron Hamilton wrote those words but it could have been written by Job. You know, in Job's case, he wasn't being chased and sometimes God does bring stuff into our lives to chasing us when we're doing wrong because he loves us.

In Job's case, he wasn't doing anything wrong. God just needed him to grow the next step. Satan wanted to destroy him. God knew what was best for him. So, Satan, God allowed Satan to bring a trial into Job's life.

Job said this, Then Job arose and rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell down on the ground and worshiped and said, naked came I out of my mother's womb, naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. In this, Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly. Job didn't understand why these things were happening.

If you read Job, you can see that. He wasn't always happy about things and he didn't understand. He was very confused but but he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb and naked shall shall I return thither. The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord and you know something, we know the end of Job's story.

He didn't know it when he said those words. God was taking care of him. Didn't seem like it at the time. But he trusted in the Lord back few months ago, I herniated a disc in my back. For two weeks, I couldn't get out of bed.

I've never been in that condition. I've never been in that much pain. It wasn't pleasant. But you know something? God had a purpose in it.

Or he wouldn't allowed it to happen and I've learned to trust him a little more Hebrews thirteen five. Let your conversation be without covetousness be content with such things as you have for he has said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. There are some things that happen in life that we understand, we see, and we're happy about. One day, I was in college and I had a date planned with this girl and we were going to go to this this play or something. They do a Bob Jones.

Her name was Rebecca and I called her up to ask her something and she wasn't there and her roommate picked up the phone. And I asked her roommate. I said, well, is she going to be back soon? She said, well, I think so. She just left a moment ago.

I think she's coming back. I said, okay, well, can I talk to you while we wait for her? I was very shy in person but I was a little less shy over the phone when it came to girls. So I talked to this roommate of Rebecca's for forty five minutes while we waited for Rebecca to come back. I probably did most of the talking.

She probably did most of the listening. I got off the phone Rebecca never came back that evening. I got off the phone with her. I looked her picture up in the yearbook. And I think she told me she looked up mine.

Anyway, she's my wife. And that's how we met. You know, and I think it's neat how the hand of God works. I probably would have never, might have never known her. There's 5,000 students at Bob Johnson.

But she was a roommate of the girl I was going to go on a date with and I got to talk to her over the phone and it changed my life. One day, I was walking across the gym stage at the church where I was youth pastor. It's six feet off the floor. I was talking to somebody across the gym, one of the teenagers and I turned to walk this way across the stage and my foot slipped off the side and I fell and just about bashed my head against the concrete four, six feet down because this foot stuck up on the platform so I fell sideways. But I threw my arm out and I caught myself and I broke the bone in my elbow.

And I had to learn to make it work because the doctor didn't want to do surgery and I did. And for fifteen years it worked and five years ago it quit working and I had to have surgery on it. Now, one thing seemed really good when I talked to Kate on the phone that day. One thing seemed really bad when I fell off the stage that day but you know something, both of those things in my life have a purpose. God cares about me and he knows what he's doing and I'm in his what?

And I'm in his hand. And I just learned to learn to trust him more and accept the things that come into my life with joy and with thanksgiving. Some things are good and some things are what? Bad. But God can work all things together for my good and he does.

As I learn to trust in him. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Lean not into thine own understanding. All thy ways acknowledge what? Him.

He shall direct thy paths. Just play the ball where it lies. Trust in the Lord. He will bring it to pass. We'll finish or at least continue.

This evening. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you. For being our God, for loving us as you do. We thank you Lord that you are in control and Lord that you don't allow things into our life and you cannot work together Lord for our good.

Lord, we thank you most of all for Jesus Christ, our savior. We thank you Lord that despite our sin and ourselves that you gave your life for us. That we might become your children. That we might experience your forgiveness. That we might know and see someday our home in heaven.

Spend eternity with our savior. Thank you Lord for what you've done for us. Lord, it is not you that owe us anything. It is we that owe you. Lord, I pray that we would learn to trust you and to give ourselves freely to you.

We pray Lord today if there's one here that hasn't trusted you as Lord and savior today. They would come as we give this hymn of invitation. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.