The Message Of Christmas

Text: Luke 2:1-14

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2:2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 2:3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 2:5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 2:6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 2:9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 2:12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”


These fourteen verses in Luke’s gospel give us the amazing and mysterious events that surrounded the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The life of Christ is an entire unit and cannot be chopped up into little pieces and bits and isolated from the rest of His life. Every event in His history as the God-man is unique and important. But there are several events in the tapestry of his life that stand out from the rest as the main essentials of His life on earth as the Messiah. Those events would include His:

1. Birth
2. Death
3. Resurrection
4. And Ascension into Heaven

These four events are a concise adumbration of the entire activity of Jesus Christ the God-man. In our text found in Luke’s gospel we have the story of the birth of Jesus. This is one of the most beloved passages that we have in the four gospels. It just would not seem like Christmas if we did not read this precious text and ponder its relevance for our lives today.

Let me give a brief overview of the passage and then come to our theme and outline. First, in verses 1-3 we read of the decree of Caesar Augustus that all of the known world (under the Roman Empire’s influence) should be taxed. The word decree is from the Greek word dogma. It meant something had to be done. The authority of the Roman Empire stood behind that decree or command from Caesar. Four hundred silent years have come and gone since Jehovah had last spoken to His people through His prophets. Malachi was the last prophetic voice heard by the Lord’s people. Earlier in Hebrew history Daniel had made a marvelous prophecy that pin-pointed the exact year and time that the Jewish nation could expect to see the arrival of their Messiah. This prophecy was known as Daniel’s 70 Weeks. Those devout believers, who understood their Scriptures, were expecting the arrival of Messiah in or around the very time that Jesus was actually born. Even though the godly scholars and believers among the Jews were expecting their Messiah they did not know the details of all that would surround this blessed event. Long before the decree of Caesar went forth that demanded all people to return to the city of their birth to be taxed a decree went out from the throne room of heaven mandating that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. The rise and domination of the Roman Empire was not a mere coincidence. The Roman Empire was ordained by God to be the instrument that would play a key role in the birth and the death of God’s own Son Jesus Christ.

Second, we see in verses 4-6 Joseph and Mary made their way to the city of David, Bethlehem, to be taxed. Galilee was in the North parts of Israel. Joseph was described as going up to Bethlehem because Bethlehem was at a higher elevation than Galilee. The journey to Bethlehem was about 60 or 70 miles by way the crow flies. Bethlehem is a prophetic city of importance. Micah 5:2 gave us this wonderful Messianic promise, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”



In verse 7 we are told of the birth of Jesus in more vivid detail. Mary gave birth to her son in a barn or stall where cattle were kept and fed. There was no room for them in the inn. Joseph being a poor carpenter and not being any one of prominence was not given any help or assistance. Joseph had to find the best spot in the barn and stall that he could and then assisted his wife Mary in delivering the Christ child. The baby was wrapped in swaddling clothes, i.e. Dirty rags. This itself was fulfilling the ancient prophecy that Messiah would be of humble and lowly birth. How ominous is the statement that there was no room for them in the inn. Is there any room for Jesus in your:

1. Life
2. Heart
3. Home
4. Family
5. Plans
6. Hopes and aspirations
7. Personal and private lives
8. Public life?

Never forget that the baby in this manger was not just another man-child. This baby was the Creator of the ends of the earth. This was the One who gave the lion his roar, the leopard his spots, the elephant his trunk, the zebra his stripes, the robin his song, the flower its beauty and who made the sun, moon and the stars and hung all of the planets in space. This child was encapsulated Deity.

Third, in verses 8-9 we see in the nearby fields there were shepherds who were keeping watch over their sheep by night. Suddenly, out of nowhere appeared the angel of the Lord in the skies above these lowly shepherds. The blazing glory of Yahweh shined all around the angels and this caused a deep reverential fear to overcome these humble men.


In verses 10-12 the angels make a wonderful announcement to these lowly sheep herders. “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” This was a gracious announcement. It was not the sound of alarm of impending doom. It was the joyful news to announce the arrival of God’s Christmas gift. “For unto you…” What precious words these are. The announcement was that there was good tidings of great joy that shall be to all people (Not just Jews, but people of all races, nations, languages, and ethnic backgrounds). The angelic announcement was very specific. It announced the birth of the Savior who was the promised Jewish Messiah. There were three key words in this angelic announcement.

1. Savior- the child born was to be a Savior for His people to deliver them from their guilt and sins.
2. Christ- the child born was to be the promised Messiah that all the Scriptures and prophets foretold.
3. Lord- the child born was not just a Savior, and promised Messiah but was also deity who would be the ruler of the nations of the earth.

The message also told these men that they would find the Christ child in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Finally, in verses 13-14, the angels burst out in the first Christmas carol and sing praises to the new born king.

This is a brief but good summary of the message of Christmas. I trust all of you will have a wonderful Christmas this year. You are all in our prayers and Mary and I, and Eric and Lori pray for our church family during this season.

We love you all!!! Have a merry Christmas!!

Yours in Christ, Pastor Bob

Praying for you all to have a wonderful Thanksgiving this year!!!

Let me take a moment to wish all of you a wonderful thanksgiving this year. We have much to be thankful for. Yes, many Americans are uncertain about the future because of the financial crisis and because of the sad election results that put into office as the president of the United States the most liberal, inexperienced man ever elected. A man who has supported partial birth abortion and seems to take sides with every thing that we as Christians would oppose and find morally appalling.

I came across this article today that I thought I would pass on to all of you. I trust it will be a blessing and a challenge to each of you. This article was written by Mark Alexander the editor of the Patriot Post on the Internet.

“In the aftermath of a momentous election, an election sure to change the course of our nation, it is tempting to despair. On this Thanksgiving, though, let us resist that powerful temptation and instead take stock of the blessings of liberty.

President Ronald Reagan often cited the Pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving as our forebears who charted the path of American freedom. He made frequent reference to John Winthrop's "shining city upon a hill."

As Reagan explained, "The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined. What he imagined was important because he was an early Pilgrim, an early freedom man. He journeyed here on what today we'd call a little wooden boat; and like the other Pilgrims, he was looking for a home that would be free."

Who were these "freedom men," and how did they eventually blaze the path of true liberty? They were Calvinist Protestants who rejected the institutional Church of England, believing that worshipping God must originate freely in the individual soul, without coercion. Suffering persecution and imprisonment in England for their beliefs, a group of these separatists fled to Holland in 1608. There, they found spiritual liberty in the midst of a disjointed economy that failed to provide adequate compensation for their labors, and a dissolute, degraded, corrupt culture that tempted their children to stray from faith.

Determined to protect their families from such spiritual and cultural dangers, the Pilgrims left Plymouth, England, on 6 September 1620, sailing for a new world that offered the promise of both civil and religious liberty. After an arduous journey, they dropped anchor off the coast of what is now Massachusetts.

On 11 December 1620, prior to disembarking at Plymouth Rock, they signed the Mayflower Compact, America's original document of civil government. It was the first to introduce self-government, and the foundation on which the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were built. Governor William Bradford described the Compact as "a combination ... that when they came a shore they would use their owne libertie; for none had power to command them."
Upon landing, the Pilgrims conducted a prayer service and quickly turned to building shelters. Under harrowing conditions, the colonists persisted through prayer and hard work, reaping a bountiful summer harvest. But their material prosperity soon evaporated, for the Pilgrims had erred in acquiescing to their European investors' demands for a financial arrangement holding all crops and property in common, in order to return an agreed-to half to their overseas backers.
By 1623, however, Plymouth Colony was near failure as a result of famine, blight and drought, as well as excessive taxation and what amounted to forced collectivization.

In desperation, the Pilgrims set a day for prayers of repentance; God answered, delivering a gentle rainfall by evening. Bradford's diary recounts how the colonists repented in action: "At length, after much debate of things, the Governor (with the advice of the chiefest amongst them) gave way that they should set corn every man for his own particular, and in that regard trust to themselves; in all other things to go in the general way as before. And so assigned to every family a parcel of land, according to the proportion of their number."

Property ownership and families freely laboring on their own behalf replaced the "common store," but only after their ill-advised experiment with communism nearly wiped out the entire settlement.

In their simple representative government, born out of dedication to religious freedom, the Pilgrims replaced the rule of men -- with its arbitrary justice administered capriciously at the whim of rulers who favor some at the expense of others -- with the rule of law, treating individuals equally. Yet even these "freedom men" strayed under straits. So could we, if we revert to materialistic government reliance instead of grateful obedience to God. Sadly, we're a long way down that path already.

Closing his farewell address in 1989, Ronald Reagan asked, "And how stands the city on this winter night?" Contemplating our blessings of liberty this Thanksgiving, nearly 20 years after President Reagan left office and 20 generations past the Pilgrims' experience, how stands the city on our watch?”

God bless you all and have a great Thanksgiving!

Love, Pastor Dickie

Home from Portugal!

We had a wonderful trip to Lisbon, Portugal. The pastors conference went very well. There were around 70 pastors and people at the conference this year. Matt and Cheryl and Abraham went with Mary and me to the conference this year. We had the privilege of meeting friends and Christians in London, Paris, and in Lisbon. When we landed in Lisbon it was such a blessing to have 7 friends from Brasil meet us at the airport!

The purpose of the conference was to ignite faith and hope in the lives of these dear men of God as they labor for Christ in Portugal and around Europe. I trust that the Lord was with us and that He accomplished His sovereign will in our lives as we ministered to these dear brethren in the Lord. I have the strong belief that the Lord is going to fill the earth with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. This is a day when the church must be optimistic and hopeful of the coming of Christ in power upon His people and upon His church. Pessimism and defeatism will not enable the body of Christ to meet the challenges that face us in these perilous times. My prayer for all of you is that you will give yourselves to prayer and to active Christian living so that people may see Christ in you!

Please keep us in prayer as the next trip will be to preach in the African Pastor's conference in South Africa this January. God bless all of you. Yours in Christ, Pastor Dickie

Living For Jesus

My new book Living For Jesus will soon be available at the church book store. You can order your copy from Diane smith on Sunday morning. My prayer is that this book will be a great aid to all who read it in enabling them to live for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The following lines are from the chapter on loving the Word of God. This will give you a brief sample of what this book is like. God bless you all as you live for our great King!

In his book The Wonders of the Word of God, evangelist Robert L. Sumner tells about a man who was severely injured in a terrible explosion. The man’s face was badly disfigured and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands. He had recently become a new Christian, and one of his greatest disappointments was that he could no longer read the Bible. Then he heard about a lady in England who read Braille with her lips. Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in Braille. Much to his dis­may, however, he discovered that the explosion had also destroyed the nerve endings in his lips. But one day, as he brought one of the Braille pages to his lips, his tongue hap­pened to touch a few of the raised characters and he could feel them. In a flash he thought, I can read the Bible using my tongue. At the time Robert Sumner wrote his book, the man had read through the entire Bible four times.

My father-in-law, an old southern evangelist, Dr. Del Fehsenfeld, used to say:

“Read the Bible through.
Pray the Bible in.
Live the Bible out.
Pass the Bible on.
And you’ll not have any trouble standing on your feet.”

That the Bible will have a powerful impact on our Christian lives and transform us by its amazing message is a fact that none can deny. I suggest that there can be no Christian living without hav­ing the Bible as a fundamental part of one’s worldview. Dr. D. James Kennedy records the impact that the Bible had on a man who was a professed and arrogant atheist.

Henry Stanley said that in the 1880’s, when he entered the interior of Africa, he was the most swaggering atheist in the world. In the depths of the jungles of central Africa he came upon David Livingston — a man so mild, so meek, and yet so firm and so definite in his purpose and desire to proclaim the gospel. Stanley lived in that man’s tent for months and listened to Livingston read from his little Bible day by day. As a result, the most swaggering atheist in the world was transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ and was brought to the Savior.

There is a poem about the Bible that I have written on the inside cover of my personal Bible that I use when I preach. This poem encourages, inspires, and challenges me.



The Bible

Though the cover is worn, and pages are torn,
And places bear traces of tears,
Yet more precious than gold, is this book worn and old,
That can shatter and scatter my fears.
When I prayerfully look, in this precious old book,
As my eyes scan the pages I see,
Many tokens of love from the Father above,
Who is nearest and dearest to me.
This old book is my guide, ’tis a friend by my side,
It will lighten and brighten my way.
And each promise I find soothes and gladdens my mind.
As I read it and heed it today.

Living For Jesus

My new book Living For Jesus is now in print. I will be making it available to the members at Berean in the next couple of weeks. It will also be available at the major next month. It is my prayer that this book will be a spiritual blessing to all who read it.

My intention in writing this was to leave for my family, children and grandchildren a spiritual legacy that would impact their lives. I thought to myself that if I was gone what would I want my loved ones to know about my faith? With that in mind I wrote this book so that the things that matter most to me on a spiritual level would not be forgotten or lost. I trust that this book, which is intended to help ones develop a Christian worldview so they can live for Jesus, will be a great blessing to all who read it. Here are the chapter headings so you can review what the contents will be.

Part I: The Purpose of Christian Living

1. Following the Instructions — “The Creation Mandate”
2. Being a People of Destiny
3. Living for the Glory of God
4. Fearing the Lord
5. Loving the Word of God
6. Walking with God

Part II: The Practical Aspects of Christian Living

7. Using Our Time Wisely
8. Developing a Biblical View of Wealth
9. Nurturing a Biblical Self-image
10. Being a True Friend
11. Understanding the Biblical Purpose of Sex and Marriage
12. Becoming a Servant
13. Striving for Success
14. Building Character in the Christian Life
15. Making a Good First Impression
16. Proclaiming the Gospel of Christ

Part III: The Peace of Christian Living

17. Discovering the Peace of Romans 8:28
18. Living in the Spirit of Praise
19. Preparing for Death

Endnotes
Scripture References
Bibliography

God bless you all...and may you all live for Jesus!

How To Spend A Day With God!

Dear Berean Family, I read this article recently and found it to be of great help and encouragement in my relationship with the Lord. One of the goals of Christian living should be the development of our relationship with God. This article will encourage you in that endeavor. My prayer for all of you is to obey what Peter exhorted us in II Peter 3:18, "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen." I trust this article will be a great blessing to all of you.

How to Spend the Day With God

adapted and updated from RICHARD BAXTER (1615-1691)

A holy life is inclined to be made easier when we know the usual sequence and method of our duties - with everything falling into its proper place. Therefore, I shall give some brief directions for spending the day in a holy manner.

Sleep

Measure the time of your sleep appropriately so that you do not waste your precious morning hours sluggishly in your bed. Let the time of your sleep be matched to your health and labour and not to slothful pleasure.

First Thoughts

Let God have your first awaking thoughts; lift up your hearts to Him reverently and thankfully for the rest enjoyed the night before and cast yourself upon Him for the day which follows.
Familiarise yourself so consistently to this that your conscience may check you when common thoughts shall first intrude. Think of the mercy of a night's rest and of how many that have spent that night in Hell; how many in prison; how many in cold, hard lodgings; how many suffering from agonising pains and sickness, weary of their beds and of their lives.
Think of how many souls were that night called from their bodies terrifyingly to appear before God and think how quickly days and nights are rolling on! How speedily your last night and day will come! Observe that which is lacking in the preparedness of your soul for such a time and seek it without delay.

Prayer

Let prayer by yourself alone (or with your partner) take place before the collective prayer of the family. If possible let it be first, before any work of the day.


Family Worship

Let family worship be performed consistently and at a time when it is most likely for the family to be free of interruptions.

Ultimate Purpose

Remember your ultimate purpose, and when you set yourself to your day's work or approach any activity in the world, let HOLINESS TO THE LORD be written upon your hearts in all that you do.
Do no activity which you cannot entitle God to, and truly say that he set you about it, and do nothing in the world for any other ultimate purpose than to please, glorify and enjoy Him. "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31.

Diligence in Your Calling

Follow the tasks of your calling carefully and diligently. Thus:
(a) You will show that you are not sluggish and servants to your flesh (as those that cannot deny it ease), and you will further the putting to death of all the fleshly lusts and desires that are fed by ease and idleness. (b) You will keep out idle thoughts from your mind, that swarm in the minds of idle persons. (c) You will not lose precious time, something that idle persons are daily guilty of. (d) You will be in a way of obedience to God when the slothful are in constant sins of omission. (e) You may have more time to spend in holy duties if you follow your occupation diligently. Idle persons have no time for praying and reading because they lose time by loitering at their work. (f) You may expect God's blessing and comfortable provision for both yourself and your families. (g) it may also encourage the health of your body which will increase its competence for the service of your soul.

Temptations and Things That Corrupt

Be thoroughly acquainted with your temptations and the things that may corrupt you - and watch against them all day long. You should watch especially the most dangerous of the things that corrupt, and those temptations that either your company or business will unavoidably lay before you.
Watch against the master sins of unbelief: hypocrisy, selfishness, pride, flesh pleasing and the excessive love of earthly things. Take care against being drawn into earthly mindedness and excessive cares, or covetous designs for rising in the world, under the pretence of diligence in your calling.
If you are to trade or deal with others, be vigilant against selfishness and all that smacks of injustice or uncharitableness. In all your dealings with others, watch against the temptation of empty and idle talking. Watch also against those persons who would tempt you to anger. Maintain that modesty and cleanness of speech that the laws of purity require. If you converse with flatterers, be on your guard against swelling pride.
If you converse with those that despise and injure you, strengthen yourself against impatient, revengeful pride.
At first these things will be very difficult, while sin has any strength in you, but once you have grasped a continual awareness of the poisonous danger of any one of these sins, your heart will readily and easily avoid them.

Meditation

When alone in your occupations, improve the time in practical and beneficial meditations. Meditate upon the infinite goodness and perfections of God; Christ and redemption; Heaven and how unworthy you are of going there and how you deserve eternal misery in Hell.

The Only Motive

Whatever you are doing, in company or alone, do it all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Otherwise, it is unacceptable to God.

Redeeming The Time

Place a high value upon your time, be more careful of not losing it than you would of losing your money. Do not let worthless recreations, television, idle talk, unprofitable company, or sleep rob you of your precious time.
Be more careful to escape that person, action or course of life that would rob you of your time than you would be to escape thieves and robbers.
Make sure that you are not merely never idle, but rather that you are using your time in the most profitable way that you can and do not prefer a less profitable way before one of greater profit.

Eating and Drinking

Eat and drink with moderation and thankfulness for health, not for unprofitable pleasure. Never please your appetite in food or drink when it is prone to be detrimental to your health.
Remember the sin of Sodom: "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food and abundance of idleness" - Ezekiel 16:49.
The Apostle Paul wept when he mentioned those "whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame -- who set their minds on earthly things, being enemies to the cross of Christ" - Philippians 3:18-19. O then do not live according to the flesh lest you die (Romans 8:13).

Prevailing Sins

If any temptation prevails against you and you fall into any sins in addition to habitual failures, immediately lament it and confess it to God; repent quickly whatever the cost. It will certainly cost you more if you continue in sin and remain unrepentant.
Do not make light of your habitual failures, but confess them and daily strive against them, taking care not to aggravate them by unrepentance and contempt.

Relationships

Remember every day the special duties of various relationships: whether as husbands, wives, children, masters, servants, pastors, people, magistrates, subjects.
Remember every relationship has its special duty and its advantage for the doing of some good. God requires your faithfulness in this matter as well as in any other duty.

Closing the Day

Before returning to sleep, it is wise and necessary to review the actions and mercies of the day past, so that you may be thankful for all the special mercies and humbled for all your sins.
This is necessary in order that you might renew your repentance as well as your resolve for obedience, and in order that you may examine yourself to see whether your soul grew better or worse, whether sin goes down and grace goes up and whether you are better prepared for suffering, death and eternity.
May these directions be engraven upon your mind and be made the daily practice of your life.
If sincerely adhered to, these will be conducive to the holiness, fruitfulness and quietness of your life and add to you a comfortable and peaceful death.

9 Reasons For Suffering

Last Sunday I brought a message on The Great Questions Of The Bible. The question that we considered dealt with the reasons that God allows His children to suffer. Since this is so relevant I thought it might be helpful to share some of this material with you. The 9 reasons that God allows His people to pass through times of sorrow and suffering can be found in my message at http://www.allgrace.com/.

1. Sorrows and sufferings make us like Christ.

a. Jesus was the man of sorrows.

b. When we suffer and are filled with sorrows, we are most like our Lord.

2. Sorrows and sufferings drive us to our knees in prayer.
a. It has been said, “When the barn is full, we don’t often
seek the Lord.”
b. Psalm 130:1, “Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O
Lord.”

3. Sorrows and sufferings jolt us out of our indifference.
a. C. S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our joys, but
screams to us in our sorrows.”
b. The Psalmist said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I have kept thy word.” Psalm 119:67

4. Sorrows and sufferings teach us to die to self.
a. Dying to self is one of the great secrets of the Christian
life.
b. Jesus explained the importance of dying to self when He
said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat
fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die,
it bringeth forth much fruit.” John 12:24.

5. Sorrows and sufferings teach us to be broken before God.
a. Brokenness is similar to dying to self. When we are
broken like the alabaster box the fragrance of the
indwelling Christ flows out to touch the lives of those
around us.
b. Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a
broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
c. In her book Brokenness The Heart God Revives, Nancy
Demoss gives us the traits or marks of true brokenness.

1. Broken people are more conscious of their own
spiritual need than of anyone else’s.
2. Broken people are compassionate people.
3. Broken people have the kind of love that overlooks a
multitude of sins; they can forgive much because they
know how much they have been forgiven.
4. Broken people encourage, and lift up those that God
has placed in positions of authority, and they talk to
God in intercession, rather than gossiping about the
faults they see in others.
5. Broken people yield their rights and have a meek spirit.
6. Broken people are motivated to serve others and to be
sure other’s needs are met before their own.
7. Broken people are motivated to be faithful and to make
others successful.
8. Broken people desire to promote others.
9. Broken people are eager for others to get the credit, and
they rejoice when others are lifted up.
10. Broken people are humbled by how much they have to
learn.
11. Broken people are not preoccupied with what others
think of them.
12. Broken people accept personal responsibility and can
acknowledge where they were wrong in a situation.
13. Broken people take the initiative to be reconciled, no
matter how wrong the other party may have been.
14. Broken people receive correction with a humble, open
spirit.
15. Broken people give thanks in all things; they are quick
to forgive those who wrong them.

6. Sorrows and sufferings test our faith.
a. Jeremiah 12:5, “If thou hast run with the footmen, and they
have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with
horses? And if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst,
they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of
Jordan?”
b. We must learn to walk by faith and not by sight.

7. Sorrows and sufferings reveal our character.
a. How we respond to sorrows and sufferings reveals the
spiritual depths of our souls.
b. Do we respond to trials and tragedies with Christ-like
grace and love, or do we react in the flesh with anger, self-
pity and resentment?

8. Sorrows and sufferings bring Christ near to our hearts.
a. This was seen in Daniel when the three Hebrew boys were
thrown into the fiery furnace and Jesus was seen to be in
the furnace with them.
b. Sorrows and sufferings bring the heart of God close to us.
Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a
broken heart, and saveth such as are of a contrite spirit.”

9. Sorrows and sufferings make God’s promises a blessing to us.
a. Isa. 41:10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not
dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I
will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand
of my righteousness.”
b. John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto
you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your
heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
c. Deut. 33:27, “The eternal God is thy refuge, and
underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust
out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy
them.”
d. Nehemiah 8:10, “Then he said unto them, Go your way,
eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto
them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy
unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord
is your strength.”
e. Romans 15:13, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy
and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hop,
through the power of the Holy Ghost.”