Every person who has walked this earth knows what it is to experience seasons of both joy and struggle.
There are days when your spirit feels alive.
When your prayers flow so freely that it seems like heaven is wide open.
You find yourself praying for 10 minutes, 20 minutes, even longer.
And it feels as though you are only just beginning.
Those are the days when your heart soar. "Heart soar" means to feel extremely happy or uplifted, often suddenly, as in experiencing joy or delight.
When you feel as though you could mount up with wings like an eagle, as Isaiah chapter 40 verse 31 declares, "But they who wait for the Lord shall
renew their strength.
They shall mount up with wings like
eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.
In those moments, you sense the Holy Spirit strengthening you, filling you with courage and faith.
You feel like David standing before Goliath.
But then there are the other days.
Days where you sit down to pray and it feels like your words rise no higher than the ceiling.
Days where your heart feels heavy.
Where guilt whispers that maybe this time God will not forgive you.
Days when the stains of past sins seem
too dark to wash away.
You know those days, the ones where temptation feels stronger than your willpower and shame creeps in to convince you that perhaps God is too holy to want someone like you.
And it is this reality, this ongoing battle with sin that I want to speak about today because all of us face it.
Sin is not something you once struggled with and then never see again.
It is persistent
Just when you feel you are finally on the right path,
here comes a distraction.
Here comes temptation.
Here comes sin trying to push you off track.
Yet the comfort of scripture is that even the Apostle Paul, one of the greatest servants of Christ, described this very same struggle.
In Romans 7:15, Paul confesses, "I do not understand what I do, for what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, that I do."
And in verses 18-9, he continues,
"For l know that good does not dwell in
me, that is in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good,
but I cannot carry it out."
Think about this for a moment.
This is Paul, the same man who cast out demons, who laid hands on the sick and saw them recover, who preached the gospel across nations, and yet he openly admitted that he wrestled with the power of sin.
That should remind us that no one is exempt from this struggle.
Not you, not me, not even the spiritual giants we look up to in scripture.
Paul had days of power, but he also had days of weakness.
He knew what it was to take one step forward and feel like he slid two steps back.
But here is the hope.
Even though sin is strong, our savior is stronger.
Even though temptation is persistent, God's grace is greater.
The Bible says in Proverbs 24:16, "For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes."
Notice what it says.
The righteous may fall not once, not twice, but seven times.
Falling is part of the journey.
But what separates the righteous from the wicked is not that the righteous never fall.
It is that by God's strength they rise again.
So yes, you may fall, but do not stay down.
In Christ, you can rise again.
Yes, you may stumble, but with the Lord's help, you can stand on steady ground.
Remember the words of Psalm 37: verses 23-24.
The steps of a man are established by the Lord. When he delights in his way, though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong. For the Lord upholds his hand.
God does not abandon his children when they stumble.
He holds their hand, lifts them up, and gives them grace to keep walking.
And what makes this truth even more powerful is what Paul concludes later in Romans chapter 7.
After pouring out his heart about this war within him, he cries out in verse 24,
"What a wretched man l am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"
But immediately he answers his own question in verse 25.
Thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord.
That is the gospel.
Deliverance is not found in your own strength or determination.
Deliverance is found in Jesus Christ.
The battle with sin is real, but victory is possible because Jesus Christ has already overcome.
At the cross, Jesus bore the weight of every sin.
Through his blood, you are washed, cleansed, and made new.
As 1 John 1:9 promises, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
That means no matter how heavy the guilt feels, no matter how many times you have fallen, his forgiveness is still available to you today.
So do not give up.
Do not believe the lie that says you are beyond redemption.
Do not stay trapped in shame.
Rise again, not in your own strength, but in the grace of Jesus Christ.
Keep praying even when it feels hard.
Keep reading his word even when your heart feels dry.
Keep showing up because God is not done with you yet.
He is faithful to complete the work he began in you.
As Philippians 1:6 ( here ) declares, "Yes, there will be battles. Yes, there will be days of weakness.
But in those moments, lean on Christ.
Put on the whole armor of God as described in Ephesians chapter 6 and stand firm.
Remember that his grace is sufficient for you and his power is made perfect in your weakness."
So, beloved, the message is simple.
You will stumble, but you will not be abandoned.
You will fall, but you can rise again.
And when you rise, you rise not by your own willpower, but by the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, let's take a moment to pray together.
Gracious Lord Jesus,
I thank you for being my constant companion.
You have been my friend on the good days and my comforter on the hard days.
Thank you for lifting me up every time l have fallen.
It is only by your grace that I have been able to rise again.
It is only by your love and mercy that I have found the strength to stand after my weakness.
Truly, there is no one like you.
Your word declares in Micah 7:18, "Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage?
You do not retain your anger forever because you delight in mercy.
Father, who is like you?
You have been so kind to forgive my sins, patient when l deserve judgment, merciful when l deserved wrath*¹.
Thank you for delighting in mercy and not anger.
For giving me chance after chance to be made new.
Lord, I know there are days when I feel strong in my faith, strong in prayer, strong in my walk with you.
But I also know there are days when my faith feels weak, when my prayers feel empty, when my heart feels heavy.
On those days, Holy Spirit, I ask you to strengthen me.
Be my comfort and my guide.
Help me fight through my struggles.
Remind me of your word.
Teach me to cling to your promises when my emotions want to run away.
Fill me with hope when despair whispers to me.
Be my strength, Lord, when my strength fails.
My sincere desire, Father, is to live a life of consistency before you.
I pray to be steady in my prayer life, steady in my faith, steady in my daily pursuit of you.
I want to be so fixed on you, Jesus Christ, that nothing in this world can distract me.
I don't want my heart to be enticed by the lust of the flesh or the fleeting pleasures of this world.
Help me, Lord, to set my desires only on what is pure, on what is good, on what honors you.
As Colossians 3:2 teaches, "May my mind
be set on things above and not on earthly things.
I pray that the way I live my life would be pleasing to you.
Yes, Lord, you have given me a free will, but I ask that your will would be placed above mine.
You have given me a conscience, but Ipray that the Holy Spirit will guide me, speak to me, convict me, and challenge me.
Lead me into all truth as your word promises in John 16:3. (They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.)
Keep my feet on the narrow road that leads to life.
Let me not wander into the broad road that leads to destruction.
Give me a heart that trembles at your word and delights to obey you.
Lord, you have given me the freedom to choose and I choose you.
I choose to live under the authority of your word.
I choose to walk by faith and not by sight.
I choose to live a life led by the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom.
As Proverbs chapter 9:10 declares.
"I choose to live a life led by love for you, Lord, because you said in John 14: 15, if you love me, keep my commandments.
Teach me to obey you, not out of duty, but out of love.
Let my life be a living testimony of someone who has been transformed by the saving power of Jesus Christ.
Father, I give you praise.
You are worthy of all glory.
You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
All power in heaven and on earth is in your hands.
As Psalm 145:3 proclaims, "Great is the Lord and
greatly to be praised, and his greatness
is unsearchable.
Be praised for the rest of my days, Lord.
Receive my worship. Let everything I say and everything I do bring honor to your name."
So now, Lord, I surrender. I lay down my life before you.
I place my plans, my desires, my fears, and my future into your hands.
Govern, direct my steps.
As Proverbs 3: verses 5-6 instructs, "Help me to trust in you with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding. In all my ways may I acknowledge you, and you will make my path straight.
I want you to be glorified in me now and always.
I want my life to tell the world about your goodness.
I want my words to carry the fragrance of your love.
I want my thoughts to be shaped by your truth.
Holy Spirit, give me the grace to persevere, the courage to obey, and the joy to worship you even in hard times.
May my heart never grow cold.
May my love for Jesus Christ never fade.
Thank you Lord Jesus for loving me when I am weak, thank you forgiving me when I fail and strengthening me when I stand again.
I give you all my thanks and all my praise.
In the mighty and precious name of Jesus Christ, I pray.
Amen.
*¹. Wrath means extreme anger, fierce rage, or strong indignation, often with a desire to punish someone for an unfair or unacceptable action. It is a formal and old-fashioned term for this powerful emotion.
*² John 16:3 states that people will act against Jesus' followers because they do not know God or Jesus. This verse highlights the spiritual blindness that leads to misunderstanding and persecution.
Overview of John 16:3
Key Verse
John 16:3 states: "They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me." This verse highlights the reason behind the persecution faced by Jesus' followers.
Context
Persecution: Jesus predicts that His disciples will face hostility and persecution. This is due to a lack of understanding and relationship with God and Jesus.
Spiritual Blindness: The verse emphasizes that the actions of those who oppose Jesus stem from spiritual ignorance. They do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah or understand His teachings.
Related Themes
Knowing God: The concept of "knowing" in this context is not just intellectual but involves a deep, personal relationship with God.
Fulfillment of Prophecy: The rejection of Jesus by many was foretold in the Old Testament, illustrating a recurring theme of misunderstanding God's truth.
Importance
Understanding John 16:3 is crucial for grasping the challenges early Christians faced and the significance of knowing both Jesus and the Father in the Christian faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment