On The Edge | Part 1 - Finding Purpose in The Pain of The Past | Pastor Adam Bishop

So, let me shift gears now and talk about this series. It's a five week series, and, we're gonna be talking about something that's not always the funnest topic to talk about, which is pain. But it's actually something that once we kinda get past that, we recognize we all deal with understand it. And the good news for us is that God's word has a lot to say about it. And so while we're talking about pain in this series, at the end of the day, this series really is a series about hope. [00:26:31] (27 seconds)  #PainToHopeSeries

So let me just encourage you up top to make it a commitment to be a part of all five weeks. This really is going to be one sermon preached over five weeks. We can't really address all of the different components of pain and what leads us to there and how we can experience healing, in just one message. And so they're gonna kinda tie together. And so I wanna I want you to be a part of this either here on our campus or joining us online if you can't be here for whatever reason. So let me tell you we're gonna start today. It's something that I think we all can identify with, and I hope that by the end of our time, you see some hope in this. We're gonna talk about how we can actually find purpose and the pain of the past. [00:26:57] (35 seconds)  #CommitToTheJourney

Jesus came after him. So when Paul says, I want to know Christ, he's not describing his conversion experience. He's actually expressing a longing for more. And if you're a Christ follower, this is a really good template for us. We experience conversion. Maybe you're not a Christ follower yet. [00:30:10] (18 seconds)  #LongingToKnowChrist

Thankfully for us, Jesus gives us an example to follow. Matthew chapter 26 tells the story of Jesus in the Garden Of Gethsemane. So this is the night before he gets arrested. He goes to this garden. He takes his closest friends with him, the disciples, and he asked them to pray for him as he goes to pray with God, his heavenly father. [00:32:49] (21 seconds)  #GethsemaneModelOfPrayer

Jesus knew he was about to go to the cross. And Jesus didn't fear death, and Jesus was not backing down from a beating. Jesus knew what this meant, that he would have to experience separation from his father. The bible says he was sweating blood. This is suffering. This is pain. [00:33:40] (21 seconds)  #JesusLeanedIntoSuffering

Jesus knew he was about to go to the cross. And Jesus didn't fear death, and Jesus was not backing down from a beating. Jesus knew what this meant, that he would have to experience separation from his father. The bible says he was sweating blood. This is suffering. This is pain. [00:33:40] (21 seconds)  #FacingTheCross

We've walked through pain or we're walking through pain or maybe we've experienced the loss of something or the death of something. It could be maybe the death of someone. It could be the death of a dream, the death of a relationship, the death of of of something that you really hoped was going to happen, and and you're stuck with that, and you're stuck with the pain, and you're stuck with the suffering, and you're not exactly sure what to do with it. And what we see from this example is that when Jesus suffered, he actually participated with that a little bit. He actually leaned into it a little bit. But we've never really been taught how to do that, so we just move through life. And for many of us, here's what life becomes, a series of ungrieved losses. Just one after the other. And we eventually get to a place where that pain is there, [00:34:54] (47 seconds)  #GrieveToHeal

And they've just compounded, and they've built upon one another. And now you're at a place where you've got this pain and you're not sure what to do with it. So whether it was a major wound that caused the pain or a series of minor wounds that caused the pain, you're at a place of pain. And here's what God wants you to see, the pain is a blessing. And if you wanna press on, you're gonna have to deal with this pain. The challenges in our world, there are a number of ways to deal with the pain. A number of substances, a number of experiences that many people step into and all it does is make that worse. And so if you've got pain from something that happened in your life, [00:41:53] (44 seconds)  #HealToMoveForward

And they've just compounded, and they've built upon one another. And now you're at a place where you've got this pain and you're not sure what to do with it. So whether it was a major wound that caused the pain or a series of minor wounds that caused the pain, you're at a place of pain. And here's what God wants you to see, the pain is a blessing. And if you wanna press on, you're gonna have to deal with this pain. The challenges in our world, there are a number of ways to deal with the pain. A number of substances, a number of experiences that many people step into and all it does is make that worse. And so if you've got pain from something that happened in your life, [00:41:53] (44 seconds)  #DealDontNumb

Because he only has one move. The only move he can make is to make sure at 03:30 that day, he's there to pick up that little boy. And then he better pick him up the next day and the next week and the next month. And it might take a year of being there every single day on time to pick up that little boy so that one day, eventually, when he looks at that little boy and he says, I will pick you up at 03:30 today, the response from the little boy is one of joy. Why? Because now what is true matches for that little boy what is real. Y'all see where I'm going with this? And [00:49:04] (41 seconds)  #ConsistencyCreatesTrust

He doesn't say, well, listen, I need you to move on. I'm a sent my son for you. Isn't that enough? I mean, look, go. I got all kind of verses for this. That is not our God, our heavenly father. God, our heavenly father, is the good gracious dad that will show up on time every time to pick you up every day in car line. That's the kind of father he is. See, God is more faithful to you than you could ever imagine being faithful to him. God will demonstrate his trustworthiness to you when you are trustless to him. This is God our heavenly father. And if it takes God [00:50:46] (31 seconds)  #GodShowsUpOnTime

He doesn't say, well, listen, I need you to move on. I'm a sent my son for you. Isn't that enough? I mean, look, go. I got all kind of verses for this. That is not our God, our heavenly father. God, our heavenly father, is the good gracious dad that will show up on time every time to pick you up every day in car line. That's the kind of father he is. See, God is more faithful to you than you could ever imagine being faithful to him. God will demonstrate his trustworthiness to you when you are trustless to him. This is God our heavenly father. And if it takes God [00:50:46] (31 seconds)  #GodPursuesNotPlacates

And all these years later, like, I can tell you that story. Like, I'm there with him again that day. Let me tell my dad recognized the power of a story from a scar. And he chose to tell a story from a scar that helped his son. See, the amazing thing about a scar that gives you a story is God says, now what do wanna do with this story? What do you wanna do with this story? [00:56:49] (27 seconds)  #StoryFromTheScar

And all these years later, like, I can tell you that story. Like, I'm there with him again that day. Let me tell my dad recognized the power of a story from a scar. And he chose to tell a story from a scar that helped his son. See, the amazing thing about a scar that gives you a story is God says, now what do wanna do with this story? What do you wanna do with this story? [00:56:49] (27 seconds)  #TellTheScarStory

Listen. I know this is difficult to hear, and I may not even say it the right way. So y'all give me a little bit of grace here. Whatever has caused a great wound in your life is the greatest opportunity for God to tell a story with your life. But you've gotta get healing. [00:57:43] (19 seconds)  #WoundBecomesPurpose

Listen. I know this is difficult to hear, and I may not even say it the right way. So y'all give me a little bit of grace here. Whatever has caused a great wound in your life is the greatest opportunity for God to tell a story with your life. But you've gotta get healing. [00:57:43] (19 seconds)  #HealSoGodCanUseYou

You're you're in a chapter in your story. Y'all know every good story has multiple chapters. Right? You're living in this chapter, and you're in the middle of the wound. And here's what God says, I will meet you in that wound. And if you'll let me, I'll bring about some healing. Now, to the degree that you've been wounded is to the degree that we're gonna have to enter into a process. Alright? See, time doesn't heal all wounds, but Jesus does. But sometimes he needs a little more time with some wounds than others. [00:58:34] (36 seconds)  #GodMeetsYouInTheWound

You're you're in a chapter in your story. Y'all know every good story has multiple chapters. Right? You're living in this chapter, and you're in the middle of the wound. And here's what God says, I will meet you in that wound. And if you'll let me, I'll bring about some healing. Now, to the degree that you've been wounded is to the degree that we're gonna have to enter into a process. Alright? See, time doesn't heal all wounds, but Jesus does. But sometimes he needs a little more time with some wounds than others. [00:58:34] (36 seconds)  #JesusHealsNotTime