Finding Strength and Encouragement in God's Will

In Samuel chapter 30 it says that David was in a very difficult situation in his life because it's crazy it's crazy what the people were thinking of doing they people had raided the camp while he was gone with his with his army the soldiers not a big old Soldiers but they came back and found that his his wives and children have been taking including David's two wives and this verse 6 says that they were talking about stoning him message his own people he said some people first he got Saul and everybody else trying to kill him but now his own people his own band of army are thinking of killing him and they were embittered each one because of his sons and his daughters but here's what David did at that time of great discouragement or temptation to discouragement it says in the King James Bible he encouraged himself in the Lord he strengthened himself he became strong in the Lord by encouraging himself in Christ God. [00:57:24]

I look like look at the life of Jesus and how he got encouraged if you look at scripture whenever you see Jesus's Jesus had much better experiences than any of us probably will ever have God spoke to him verbally when he was baptized Out of Water God's voice from heaven we've never heard of anybody getting baptized in a voice coming out and saying this is my beloved Son and whom I'm well pleased the amount of transfiguration another wonderful moment we take one moment and probably live off that for decades if we would have one moment of the Mount of transfiguration we see Elijah and and uh um Moses and your voice again comes from Heaven this is my beloved Son listen to him and so we say Lord you're different than me I've never had these experiences you had these experiences to encourage you what are the experiences that I have that'll encourage me. [00:44:15]

And there are things that have helped me as I've thought about these things or how do I encourage myself when I want an event I want a meeting with God I want to something and experiences never sustained experiences never deliver and I see that even in the life of Jesus it wasn't experiences that sustained him it wasn't experiences that sustain him in fact it wasn't a voice from God that sustained him that was very helpful for me because I go to God and say God you know I want to listen to your voice morning by morning I want to listen to your voice and I get nothing I don't hear anything what do I do then and then I see that Jesus also heard nothing at times in his life when he was on the cross when he was getting whipped any voice from Heaven any recorded of a voice from Heaven saying my son I'm with you my beloved Son I hear emptiness I hear silence. [01:02:13]

One of the things that we know on the in The Temptations it was his confidence in the word of God he knew what God had said that was something that was a sword to him that after 38 days after 39 days after 40 days he knew what God Said as it related to that bread that stone that could become bread he knew no I don't live by bread alone I live by words that was a sword that I don't think was suddenly that happened after 40 days after three hours of not having bread that's when it'll start affecting me wait where's my bread or before this I'm sure he had to use that sword over and over again so even if we don't hear God verbally even if we don't have an experience we can be encouraged in the Lord we have to know God through his word. [01:19:39]

This verse In this passage in John chapter 12. this is the time Jesus did hear a voice from heaven but it didn't answer his question John chapter 12 if you want to turn them he did hear a voice from heaven now listen to this John chapter 12 verse 27 this is Jesus saying now my soul has become troubled what shall I say father save me from this hour but for this purpose I came to this hour father glorify my name now here's Jesus let's not too quickly jump to the answer father glorify my name this is a Jesus who's greatly troubled he's deeply troubled temptation of discouragement is knocking at the door we could say my soul is troubled which way can I go I could just give up I can say Lord just save me from this he says father glorify your name. [01:31:06]

And here's what the voice from Heaven came from heaven and that's what I was I was struck by I was struck by the father's encouraging response to Jesus when Jesus was troubled that sounds like me when I'm discouraged or I'm tempted to be discouraged or when I'm going through a hard time when the people are all against me my soul is troubled at this point the voice comes from Heavens doesn't say you're my beloved Son I know I'm well pleased it's a different statement that the father says here this is a very simple statement and the father says I am going to glorify my name my will is going to reign supreme I honestly don't care about your soul being troubled is what I got out of this and I mean that with respect God cares more deeply for sparrows that fall on the ground and for every hair that's on our head he cares more deeply. [01:34:18]

But Jesus God was not entertaining any of this coddling or let me relate with you in your soul is troubled I'm committed to glorifying my name that is the only straight line that ever exists is the will of God and glorifying his name God does all things according to the Council of his will is what the Bible says Ephesians chapter one he does you know who does God reach out to who does God pick up the phone when he needs advice it says that Ephesians chapter 1. God that does all things according to the Council of his will so you know who's God's counselor his will whenever God needs to know what should I do he says what's my will you know obviously I'm making a little bit of a stretchy just to understand God's non-negotiable is his will and glorifying his name is the one thing that God says I don't all the discouragement that's going on in your life my will is going to get accomplished. [01:37:16]

And we can come to rest we can get encouragement in our discouragement not from getting what we want not from the feelings of my soul being troubled going away but realizing that God's radical commitment is to his will and his will is best at all times that is the way we pull ourselves out of discouragement and into being encouraged I learned this lesson way too late especially in my young years I got so shaken like a boat on the Seas that I didn't realize that it didn't matter how much I cried or wept or fasted or read God's word or went to conferences or anything else what would not change was the will of God if he didn't want me to get into that job he's not going to give it to me there's no Penance I can do if he didn't want me to marry that girl I wasn't going to get married to that girl if he didn't want me to get into the college I wasn't getting into the college it wasn't because my knees weren't sore enough because I didn't remember enough scripture I wasn't even faithful enough it had nothing to do with that. [01:41:51]

He's my father he has a will that's best for me and God says the great challenge is for me to come into that will it's like trains just sliding on the train track and we can go so easily rather the engine driver trying to yank it in its own way the tracks have been laid dear brothers and sisters this is a wonderful way in which we can just say we can encourage ourselves in the Lord and we can humble ourselves under the almighty hand of God who works all things according to his will and that's what Jesus was saying Lord my soul is troubled I want a whole word from you give me a word and so dear brothers and sisters if you want to hear a word from God here it is in any trouble you're going through God's saying I'm gonna glorify my name that's it get in line with that get in line with that I'm going to do my will and that's the secret of Christ's life I came not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. [01:47:36]

But it's coming in align with and realizing that God's will is for my best that's what the Prodigal Son came back home and said my father's win is the best for 33 year plus years Jesus did that I want to show you this beautiful verse in Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 11. dear brothers and sisters this is what happens when we do the will of God this is the massive completely different Kingdom Life we can live if we do the will of God and we embrace the will of God Hebrews chapter 10 verse 11. every priest stands daily ministering and offering Time After Time the same sacrifices which can never take away sins but he having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time sat down at the right hand of God waiting from that time onward until his enemies be made a footstool for his feet. [01:52:12]

I want to just underline two words in Hebrews chapter 10 11-13 the one word which says in verse the third word that every priest stands and then Jesus sat in verse 12. this is the difference between the old Covenant Life and the New Covenant Life he Hebrews chapter 10 verse 11 is the new old Covenant Life that many Christians are living standing ministering Time After Time the same sacrifices which cannot take away God they take away sin and here's Jesus the only one only priest who got to sit down in God's presence and we it has been useful for me to meditate on this just imagine priests stands daily daily constantly offering sacrifices doing this making sure the incense is okay wonderful things God's way standing walking around doing this doing this and they're still doing it today can never take away sin and here's an alternative Jesus who sat down this is the glory of Jesus because he never did his own will because he's stuck with the will of God the Father for 33 plus years God said you get to sit down and we have two choices now in God's kingdom too. [01:56:18]

I'm not saying whether you're going to go to heaven or hell or not but what kind of life are you living you want to have the New Covenant Life God wants you to go in be seated in the Heavenly places God doesn't want us to stand ministering constantly trying to please God the first step that Christ tells us to do is come and sit be seated in the heaven he's that's Ephesians chapter 2 before he gets to Ephesians chapter 4 where he tells us to walk in humility and gentleness he says you first come and be seated on my lap the one who is Seated on the lap of Love is the one who explains the father that's John chapter 1 verse 17 or 18. it's the one who seated on the lap of love in God's most intimate place he's the only one who's got the ability to explain God as a father to know God as a father it comes from us being seated Jesus got the right to be seated not Daniel not Samuel not some great priests like Ezra others like that they didn't get to be seated they had to keep standing ministering for then Jesus comes along King and priest and he does it in a way that God says you get to sit down because he never did his own will and he said God your will you're being glorified is all that matters in my life and so this has come to me and I will give you rest I'll get you to sit down but it comes at a cost it's not just a freebie it's offered for free but it comes at the cost of us not doing our own will start choosing to say God your will reign supreme I'm going to encourage myself not in my circumstances not in my feelings but that your will is going to win. [02:00:02]