TWO Have you ever heard this saying or one like it Come to Jesus and your life will be problem free and then what happens when you hit a snag your faith can’t cope.
But isn’t this a flowery picture of the Christian Faith. Jesus didn’t really suffer at the cross did he?
Jesus went through the ordeal of suffering at the Cross, the pain , the humility and suffering
If you look at St Paul’s list of suffering in
2 Cor 11:24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,[1] in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?.
It seems that the problem free Christian life is a picture of what is to come when we get to heaven. Yes we get heaven breaking into the now but not in its entirety. I just wanted to set the record straight regarding the concept of a problem free life.
V2 of the Psalm that we read says that when you pass through the waters I will be with you, the rivers shall not overwhelm you.
Fear not because God is with you, your whole Christian life problem or plain sailing Why?
V 4 Because you are precious in my eyes and I love you - says the Lord
THREE What does God give you to over come? What does God give you to help you minister for him?
Through the Old Testament and New Testament he sends his Holy Spirit.
When you think about Samson in Judges or Moses or Joshua you see that God sent his Holy Spirit.
What happened at the start of Jesus’ ministry he was baptised by John the Baptist and the Holy Spirit descended on Him. For Jesus to fulfil a human life and go through all the same trials and sufferings that he did
Heb 4:14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Next