What Would Jesus Do? Part 3: In Response to Adversity

Job chapter five verse seven. That song was in the form of a prayer a prayer of thanksgiving, a prayer of trust in the Lord. Some of what we're have tonight is about prayer as we go through this series, I think we'll find that Jesus often dealt with things with prayer and something that we do not do enough. We're going to start this evening with Job chapter five verse seven. Says there, yet a man is born under trouble as the sparks fly upward.

Let's pray. Dear God, thank you Lord for your word. Lord, I pray as we look at how you dealt with adversity this evening. I pray Lord that you would encourage us and strengthen us for what lies ahead in our life. For you are able.

We can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth us. In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. Man, it says here, is born under trouble as the sparks fly upward. There there is a little bit of a difference of opinion on the interpretation of that last phrase phrase as the sparks fly upward.

However, it's clear in context in the book of Job. That Job is saying that man is born to trouble. That is an an axiom, okay? That that is going to happen in our life. We are going to have at times what we call trouble.

We are going to go through trials. When God created Adam and Eve and put him in the Garden of Eden, there was little to cause them trials. When Adam and Eve sinned and disobeyed God, we were born of Adam and Eve into a sinful world. Trouble is to be expected. We try to avoid it the best we can.

Sometimes, we try to deny that we're having trouble or we're we'll have trouble. There's a lot of people today that aren't living in reality rather than dealing with life as it comes at them, they try to avoid life because of the trouble that they find there. Some of them turn to alcohol in order to escape the troubles of life. Some turn to other drugs to escape the troubles of life. Some turn to promiscuous lifestyle to try to avoid the troubles of life.

Some even turn to suicide to avoid the troubles of life. Some just simply deny that they're there and ignore them until eventually they catch up with them. It is a certainty as sparks do fly upward that we will face trouble in this life. Even Jesus faced adversity and trouble in the life that he lived here. Why do we have trouble?

Where does it come from? Well, there are several reasons. To begin with, turn if you would to Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12 verse six and then we'll skip over to verse 11.

This is the passage on the chastening of the Lord. It says in verse six of Hebrews 12, from whom the Lord did, for whom the Lord loveth, he chasten it and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Proverbs basically says, spoil the rod. Yeah. Spare the rod.

Spoil the child. There we go. Spare the rod, spoil the child. Not not exactly in those words but the sentiment is, children need what? They need discipline.

As Christians, we are also the children of who? God. We often, not rarely, not every once in a blue moon but we often like children require discipline. Sometimes, that discipline can be rough. Especially when we don't heed the warnings and we continue on.

Eventually, God has to stand in the road and block us and say, no further. Because he what? Because he loves us. It says down in verse 11. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous.

Nevertheless, afterward, it yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Now, it says at the beginning of that verse, now, no chastening for the present seems to be joyous. I remember when I was disciplined by my parents and I never thought it was a joyous event. I tried to avoid it. Sometimes, I avoided it until it really caught up with me and then sometimes it hurt in more ways than one.

Chastening does not seem joyous but what does it say here in verse 11? Grievous. Often when it comes. And one of the reasons we deal with adversity in life is because as Christians, we have a heavenly father who loves us and he at times has to chasten us so that he will draw us back closer to himself and help us to open our eyes and see the destructiveness of sin in our life and in the lives of others. In Job's day, his friends assumed that every adversity or trouble that came into life must be the chastening hand of God.

If you read through the book of Job, you will see as Job's friends talk to him that it is their assumption that the reason Job is facing these troubles is because he has committed some terrible secret sin and he needs to confess that sin so that God will quit chastening him but having read the book of Job, we know from hindsight, the Lord has left us. His words so we might understand that Job wasn't suffering because God was chastening him for doing evil, for unconfessed sin. Job was suffering to increase his faith. Job was suffering to demonstrate to God's enemy that God is greater and God is stronger and Job was suffering that in the end, God would strengthen him and God would reward him. Not because Job had committed some sin that he was unwilling to confess.

Not all adversity is chastening hand of God. Not all adversity is God's chastening us. In the in the gospels, Jesus met a blind man and healed him. There was this blind man. He'd been blind since birth.

Jesus came to this man and he healed him of his blindness. After the man had left, Jesus' disciples asked, master, who did sin? This man or his parents that he was born blind? They they they kind of scratch their head. They looked at Jesus and you know, who sinned that this man was was born this way?

Was it he or his parents? Well, he was born what? He was born. He was born blind. That's why they're quandary.

You know, why is he suffering? He wasn't even born yet. So, they thought, well, maybe it was his what? It was his parents fault. He was born blind because his parents had committed some terrible sin and therefore, God had punished them by punishing their son.

However, neither was the case. Jesus responded, neither hath this sinned nor his parents. Now, that isn't Jesus isn't saying that they had not sinned at all. The point was Jesus is saying, this affliction that had come on him was not punishment for sin, okay? Neither had this man sinned nor his parents but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

Jesus said to his disciples, this man was born this way. This man suffered adversity and in that culture, he suffered a very great deal of adversity in the first part of his life. But he didn't suffer that adversity because he or his parents had committed some particular sin. He suffered that way, Jesus said, so that one day, I could meet him. And I could heal him.

And God could manifest his love. God could manifest his power through me, the son of God to this man that he might be what? That he might be glorified. Jesus said, this man was born blind so that I might meet him today and demonstrate who I am and the power that I have and the compassion that I have. That's why he was born blind.

Wasn't because of a particular sin. We are quick to judge often times when adversity comes where it comes from. Sometimes we are wrong. The Jews in general assumed, as did Job's friends, that all adversity was a result of a particular sin and chastening but that is not always the case. Though, it sometimes is.

Our tendency often, at least a lot of people, is to be quick to judge that the adversity I'm suffering is somebody else's fault, and it's not because I've done something wrong. But yet, when somebody else is facing adversity, sometimes we're quick to judge and say, oh, well, yeah, like Job's friends, well, they must be suffering because they've done something terribly wrong. And we need to be not so quick because we do not always know the whole story. One events in life bring adversity and suffering. There are several things that bring adversity and suffering in our life.

Circumstances of our own making. This is kind of akin to the chastening part. Failures on our own part are choices that we make, sometimes bring us adversity, laziness, selfishness, drunkenness, promiscuity, cheating. We could go on and on and on. There are many things that people do in their lives, choices that they make that bring adversity.

Let's take one for instance, laziness. You're lazy. And as a kid, the teacher gave you homework, but you were lazy and so you didn't do your homework. The next day, you got to class, you didn't have your homework done. Several things ensued, especially if you were me.

Number one, you got a bad grade. That did matter to me some. Number two, the teacher wasn't happy with you and often times, you would get pointed out in the class when she took up the homework that you didn't have anything to turn in. So there was a little bit of humiliation there. Thirdly, if mom and dad found out, that was the real problem.

Okay? Because I got the lecture from the teacher and then I got home and I got the lecture from the parents. You didn't do your homework. Why? I don't know.

That was usually the answer. The answer really in most cases, a lot of cases was just, I'm too lazy and when I wanted to play, I didn't want to do homework. So, that's just one example of things we can do that bring trouble or adversity into our life especially if we continue in that pattern of life. Number two, another thing that brings adversity is circumstances of others making. Not every adversity we face is of our own making, sometimes it's brought into our life because of others around us.

Abuse, hurt, disappointment, neglect, rejection, we could go on listing. There are several things that other people do to us or around us that can bring adversity into our life. Particularly into the lives of children that many people carry with them. For many many years to follow. Just for instance, hurt and disappointment.

A child has a parent. The parents always promising to go to their ball games or their school play or take them somewhere or just spend time with them but something always seems to get in the way. Something's always more important. And that brings adversity into the life of a child because their father says, I love you but their father doesn't take time with them and it causes hurt that sometimes sticks around for a long time to come. Circumstances also which seem coincidental, sometimes brings adversity and suffering into our life.

Often, call them accidents, accidents. Now, nothing I believe in this life is completely coincidental or an accident because there is a sovereign God in heaven. He knows what's going to happen to you the next minute, the next hour. Excuse me. The next day, the next week, and God can step in at any moment and intercede and however he desires to because he is the sovereign Lord of the universe and I don't believe there's anything that is outside of his knowledge or his ability to step in and to change at a moment's notice.

However, they do indeed seem coincidental and some things are not necessarily a particular sign from heaven. You're walking along and you miss the little crack in the sidewalk and you trip and you land on your face. There are some people that would assume, well, because I trip because the sidewalk was uneven, God must be trying to get my attention but sometimes that's not the case. Sometimes, what's the case is you're just not watching where you're walking, okay? And you just tripped and that happens.

And those things sometimes calls us trouble often of a physical nature and sometimes of a humiliating nature and we have to deal with those as well and often times, they happen when we least expect it. When we least expect it. You get in your car to go somewhere and life can change. In a moment. Health problems.

Sometimes health problems can be somewhat of our own doing. But health problems are something that sometimes comes into our life no matter what we do. And we have to deal with those adversities and sometimes they are very difficult. Difficult. Financial woes calls us trouble in life.

You say, well, that's because people don't plan right. Well, there is some truth to that. But sometimes, it's because things happen that are not foreseen. And people have to deal with debt that accrued because of an accident. Or an unforeseen health issue or other things Persecution for our faith is another area in which Christians sometimes must face adversity.

It's an area in which if we're serving the Lord, we will most definitely face some adversity. Sometimes from family, from friends, from coworkers, and some parts of the world in particular from government, from even the police. As we sit here today, there are brothers and sisters in Christ who are losing their lives, who are being imprisoned, who are being beaten, who are being threatened, who are being kidnapped for their faith. On the other side of the world. That persecution is real and it's really happening And we may not face it now but we could face it later.

God does not promise us. He says instead that those that serve the Lord will face some persecution. We may not suffer that kind of persecution but sometimes, family may shun us or friends may shun us. Coworkers may leave us out or joke behind our back. Because of our faith.

And while we would like to say that sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. Those things can bring adversity. For it is our nature to care what others think about us. We must learn to care a little more about what God thinks of us. And not so much of men.

These are events that bring adversity and suffering into our life. Some of these brought adversity and suffering into Jesus's life and though he was the son of God, he is also the son of man. He humbled himself and became a servant. He was made in the likeness of man. And he suffered far more than any of us will ever experience in this life.

How did Jesus deal with suffering and adversity in his life? We're going to start with one thing and we're we we will end with it at the end of the next point and this is this, how did Jesus deal with adversity? He prayed. I mentioned that a few minutes ago. When Jesus was tired, he sought to get away from the people to be with who?

To be with his father. Because Jesus understood more than we do that spiritual refreshing also can bring physical refreshing and is just as necessary in our life. When Jesus was about to go to the cross and suffer again more than we will ever understand in this life for us. What did he do? He prayed to his father.

He prayed and said, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me but not my will but thine be done. It said, he sweat as it were great drops of blood. Jesus was feeling the weight in his humanity of the suffering that he was about to partake of on that cross. Jesus knew more than any other person alive what was about to happen? You see, we suffer and sometimes we can suffer fairly greatly but most of the time, we don't know ahead of time.

Jesus knew. What did Jesus do? He prayed. He went to his father. He sought the strength that only his father could give.

And first thing we need to do when we're facing adversity and not the last should be go to our father in prayer. How did Jesus deal with adversity? Well, at times, he wept and he cried and he sorrowed. You know, Jesus in his, Jesus also had these things called emotions and he dealt with them the same as we. And in John eleven thirty five, we have what is called the shortest verse in our Bible.

And in response, to the suffering that Lazarus had gone through as he died and the suffering of his kin that were gathered there. It simply says, Jesus what? Jesus wept. Jesus didn't hold it all in. Jesus didn't ignore his emotions.

Jesus wept for the suffering. He allowed himself to feel for his friends and what they were going through and he expressed it in weeping. In Luke thirteen thirty four and thirty five, He said, as he looked out over Jerusalem, all Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee. How often when I have gathered thy children together as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings and you would not. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

I think as Jesus cried out those words as he looked over Jerusalem, he did it as it would seem with great sorrow. For his city and for his people. Because rather than receiving him, they rejected him. And not only had they rejected him that day, they had been rejecting him for hundreds years. For every time he sent a prophet, the masses rejected them.

Every time he sent his word, the people wouldn't listen. This was just the culmination of hundreds of years of people rejecting their God. Jesus cried on the cross, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? You say, pastor, isn't it wrong to cry out and question God? Well, to truly question God as to say, God, I know more than you do.

Yeah, that's wrong. But to cry out to God in anguish and to cry out to God in pain and to cry out to God in answers. That's not all wrong. The Bible says that Job throughout his suffering did not charge God what? Foolishly.

But did Job cry out to God? Oh, he did. Over and over and over again and in the end, though God did rebuke him and that he reminded Job who was in charge and that he needed to trust the God who made him, that made the heavens and earth. And that would sustain him. He rewarded him.

It isn't wrong to cry out to God It's a good thing to cry out to God when we're suffering. It's not all wrong to show emotions. Who gave us emotions? Who gave us emotions? God did.

It can be wrong for us to allow our emotions to control us. But it's not wrong to have emotions. It's not wrong to express them. Particularly when we're hurting and particularly to who? Our heavenly father.

Jesus trusted his father I mentioned this last week. Forty days and forty nights in the desert and Satan came to him. Forty days, forty nights without food. And Satan came to Jesus and said, if you're really the son of God, turn that stone to bread. Why are you sitting here starving?

You you can do that, right? Just turn it to bread and eat. Jesus said, man shall not what? Live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. He trusted in his father.

He said, I can endure whatever I will not usurp authority That is not mine. Jesus had submitted his will to the will of the father. And so he wouldn't do anything that his father did not command him. Will him to do. He trusted him.

Jesus kept his cool when he was suffering and when he faced adversity. Jesus didn't complain. He didn't lash out at others. Look if you would at Isaiah chapter 53 verse seven. Isaiah 53 verse seven says in a nutshell, prophetically, what we read about in the Gospels in respect to how Jesus dealt with his arrest and his trial and his crucifixion.

Isaiah fifty three seven, he was oppressed and he was afflicted says up in verse three, he was despised and rejected of men. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Back to verse seven, it says, he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. Now, the sheep before the shearers doesn't know what's coming. Does the sheep is dumb?

But not so with Jesus. He knew what was coming. He knew it very well. But he still chose not to lash out in anger. He chose not even to really defend himself.

He didn't even complain to those who hit him. To those who jabbed a crown of thorns into his scalp. To those that pulled the hide off of his back and his torso. To those who plucked out his beard. He was silent.

And he opened not his mouth. We complain and lose our cool over the smallest things that trouble us. We should be ashamed of ourselves When our savior endured the suffering of the cross and all of those things I mentioned and more. And didn't complain. And didn't open his mouth to lash out at those who beat him.

He instead of thinking of himself and the circumstances in which he found himself, he thought of others. That's who he thought of. He he thought of his mother as he hung there on the cross and he asked John to take care of his mother. He even thought of those who drove the nails in his hands. Those that gazed at the cross that day in unbelief.

And those that down through the centuries whose sin nailed him to that cross He thought of them and he said this, father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Our first response is usually, why me? Our first response is, I gotta get out of this. Our first response is to try to blame somebody else. For the pain Our natural response is to even lash out at others But not our savior.

When he hung on a cross, he asked his father to forgive them. When he was hungry and tired, he looked upon the masses and he had compassion for them and he fed them with food and he fed them with the word of God. He indeed did turn the other cheek. He was the one who went the extra mile. He was the good Samaritan who went out of his way.

For God about himself. To care for the man in need that was beaten and bleeding on the side of the road. Who said to the innkeeper, after he paid for that night stay that whatever expense this man accrued on his return trip, he would pay for. That is our savior. He is the good Samaritan.

We are the man beaten along the side of the road. Beaten in sin. Lost and without hope. Dead and in trespasses and in sins. Who Jesus stopped.

And forgot about himself and humbled himself and left heaven to pick us up. To bind our wounds with his love. And to pay the price by his sacrifice. Not only for the sins we committed last week but the sins we will commit. He has promised to pay it all.

That is our savior. That is what Jesus did. That is how Jesus dealt with adversity in his life. How can we deal with adversity in arms? Look if you would in Hebrews chapter four.

Hebrews chapter four. Hebrews four verses fifteen and sixteen. Kind of sums it up in a way. For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. But was in all points tempted, tested, and tried, like as we are, yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly into the throne of grace. That we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need. We have a savior who understands. We have a savior who cares. We have a savior who suffered for us and he chose it.

We have a savior who overcame. We have a savior who is at the right hand of the father in heaven. Who is there to intercede on our behalf? Who is there to hear our prayers, convey them to his father. That we may find grace to help in time of need.

What is our time of need? Well, first of all, we need a savior. But as Christians, we do find other times in our life that we have needs. He's there. He's there to hear us.

He's there to help us, to find grace and mercy and strength. If we will pray and go to him. We can deal with adversity in prayer, going to the Lord as Jesus did. We can deal with adversity when we're hurting. By not choosing to hold it inside and become bitter, angry, frustrated people.

The Bible says, confess your what? False one to another and pray for one another. The fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. When we have needs, you have the opportunity to share with others. Your faults, your trials, so that we can pray for each other.

The Bible says in in Hebrews 11, Hebrews 10, not to forsake the assembling of ourselves as the manner of some is, but what? Exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. As the day approaches, the Bible indicates that so will the trials and troubles escalate. We need one another. So, don't hide yourself in a corner.

Don't run from your troubles and become a hermit. God has put others in your life to pray for you. God has put others in your life to help you. Be willing to let them in. Be willing to share.

Not gossip. But share, not complain but share. When you're struggling. Trust in the Lord. Trust in the Lord as Jesus did.

Jesus said, unto the devil, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that preceded out of the mouth of God. God tells us in Romans eight thirty two, all things work together for good to them that love the Lord. Do you trust him? Sometimes, it seems from our perspective that certain things just cannot work together for our good, for our benefit, even for our growth. That's when we need to what?

To learn to trust in the Lord. As Job had to learn to trust in the Lord. James one verses two to four, James wrote, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations knowing this, that the trying of of your faith worketh patience, but patience have a perfect work that you may be perfect and entire, wanting or lacking nothing. God knows what he's doing with your life. God knows what he's doing with mine.

There are times when I wish God would do it differently. I really do and there's sometimes when I feel for other people and I don't understand why God is putting them through what he's putting them through but I am reminded God knows what he's doing. In my life, and in yours. There there are things and it seemed too hard to handle God knows what he's doing and he will not put on us more than we are able to handle. Trust in him.

Keep your cool. Don't lash out at others. Don't take it out on others. Don't embrace revenge or hostility or anger. We're told in Romans chapter 12, We're told in Romans 12 starting in verse 14.

It says, bless them which persecute you, bless and curse not. In other words, when somebody persecutes you, don't get in your face and say, you're going to get what's coming to you. No, don't do that. That is the what? That is the wrong response.

Instead, bless them. Rejoice with them that do rejoice. Weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another, mind not high things but condescend to men of low estate, be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil, provide honest for things honest in the sight of all men.

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves but rather give place on the wrath for this written vengeance is mine. I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger and feed him, if he thirst, give him drink. For in so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good. Sometimes, those circumstances, that adversity in our life is brought into our life by others. Paul tells us here how to deal with that. That's not the way our human nature tells us to deal with that. But by God's grace, we can be that person.

Even when others are hurting us, persecuting us, saying slanderous things about us. We do not have to retaliate. We do not have to return in kind. Paul said, I can what? Do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.

At times, he was hungry. At times, he was practically naked. At times, he was shipwrecked. At times, he was beaten. At times, he was thrown out of the city and stoned and left for dead.

But he said, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me we haven't faced that kind of adversity Sometimes, It is necessary to talk to others and seek help from them to also rejoice particularly when we're being persecuted. Turn if you would to Matthew five. Matthew five. Matthew five verse 10. Jesus said to his disciples, blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great. Is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they, the prophets, which were before you. Jesus said to his disciples, when you're persecuted for my sake, rejoice. Rejoice.

Rejoice that you were found worthy to partake of the sufferings of Jesus. Rejoice that you were found worthy to represent him. Rejoice that you are among a great cloud of witnesses of others who have suffered. For the Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Rejoice and be exceeding glad for what?

Great is your reward. In heaven. It is hard even for us as Christians sometimes. To see beyond this life. But there is a place called heaven and there is great reward to be found there and Jesus said, lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth but treasures where?

In heaven. So, rejoice. You know what the disciples did? They did exactly that. Acts chapter five verse 41, they were arrested.

They were warned. They were mistreated by the authorities and it says in verse 41, after they had been beaten, that they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. You know, when you go out on visitation and somebody slams the door in your face, what response should you have? Rejoicing because you did what? You did the right thing.

You took of your time to just hand them a tract or to come by their door and tell them about Jesus. Rejoice. Don't feel humiliated. Don't be ashamed. Rejoice.

And if you keep it up, you'll find somebody who won't close the door in your face. Think about others and not just about yourself. There's somebody that's suffering more than you are. So, join your savior and think about others. Philippians chapter two and yes, I am almost done.

Philippians chapter two. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things but every man also on the things of others. Put others first. And finally, this, it all comes back to this, back to prayer.

Don't worry. Go to the Lord. He does know why you're suffering. He does know what you're feeling. He can help you.

Go to him in prayer. Philippians four six, be careful for nothing and don't worry about things but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. You're not in this alone. The things you face, you do not face alone.

The things you face, there's a reason for. Trust in the Lord. Go to him. He will give you peace. When nothing else will.

He can. Let's pray. Dear God, we thank you Lord. For the promises of your word, you'll never leave us nor forsake us that you're always there to hear our prayers. Lord, if the adversity we're facing is of our own doing, Lord, I pray that we would confess our faults not just to one another but more importantly to you.

Lord, that you would Give us overcoming power and cleanse us of that sin. The Lord, there are many things come into our life that aren't necessarily the chastening hand of God. Lord, and regardless of the reason we find adversity in our life, even when it is our own fault, you still care about us and you're still there to help us. We thank you, Lord. For your invitation to come boldly before the throne of grace.

Lord, I pray that we would remember you in our times of adversity that we would look to you for help and strength and peace. Now, we will learn to trust you more. Oh Lord, that we would lean on one another, those around us that care. We would not run and hide. We would not become bitter or angry.

And we would look on the needs of others. Not just the needs of ourself. We would be more like Jesus and do what Jesus would do. When we deal with the troubles of life. Which most certainly will come.

In Jesus' precious name we pray, Amen.