Stand Up To The Pressure
Bible Text: 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 | Speaker: Pastor Jerry Irwin | God’s plan is for you to get better through the turmoil and grow in grace in the midst of it all.
Stand Up To The Pressure
II Corinthians 1:8
8. For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
9. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead
10. Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;
11. Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.
These are pressure packed times! We live in a literal pressure cooker kind of world. Family, friends, co-workers, and relationships at church, all present their peculiar form of difficulty at times. Trying to stretch every resource to meet the quota is particularly stressful, and somehow, there just never seems to be enough effort, time, or money to satisfy every expectation.
These pressure points are sometimes self-imposed, while others are outside forces, some even beyond our control. We are made in such a way that the natural thing to do is drift into a state of lethargy, self-pity, and depression. The fleshly, or carnal advice is to just withdraw and become bitter. But God has a better way, in fact His plan is for you to actually get better thru the turmoil, and actually grow in grace in the midst of it all.
Today we’re going to discover how to counsel with yourself in times of adversity and troubles. All of us are preachers, you know, and most of the time, the congregation is ourselves.
Paul said that we want to inform you of the many perilous experiences that we as your leaders have encountered while going about the business of shepherding the flock, planting new churches, evangelizing the lost, and caring for the church in general. In other words, Paul tells them in this passage, what it like to be a preacher!
I. PRESSURE IS A DEFINING CHARACTERISTIC
In many areas of our culture, the ability to perform under pressure is an impressive category of evaluation when we are considering the worth of an individual.
a. Sports figures either relish pressure or hate it.
b. Presidents and Nations are memorialized by pressure.
c. Military Leaders are decorated for bravery in combat
d. Doctors, Lawyers, EMTs, and Parents struggle with it.
In our text, Paul is telling the Corinthian Christians, church members that he wanted them to know about the strain and the challenges they faced while attempting to cary out the Great Commission in Asia. At the heart of his conversation with them is the fact that doing ministry, and leading a church group in doing the things that God told them to do is not an easy task.
Here we observe the transparency of a great spiritual leader Paul, the architect of the early church, writer of half of the NT. A brilliant scholar, preacher extraordinaire, flaming evangelist, and devoted missionary, opens up and tells the church, “I have been so beaten and battered that I really thought I would die. I really thought we would be destroyed. The trouble was so great that all of us were filled with despair!”
Pressure and stress is a feeling, an emotion, anxiety. It is an unction, an urgency, a fear of failure. For adults it can range from making a living, getting a promotion, being a good parent, getting along with a difficult spouse, to dealing with some health issue. Of whatever nature, it can be devastating to individuals and relationships. It’s the reason for the “I’m just not happy line that we all hear just before the bad news. Well lets just go over some things we should tell ourselves in times of pressure.
II Three Things To tell Yourself
a. God has delivered us from peril, and He will deliver us again. Think of the many times God has delivered you.
What was Paul talking about: Demetrius who tried to run him out of town in 1 Cor. 15?, or the beasts that he wrestled with in Acts 19?, or the thorn in the flesh?, or was it the 39 stripes save one, or was it the bonds and afflictions in Acts 20, or the stoning at Lystra? He does not tell us! Maybe he wanted to say that what happened to him was not as important as what happened in him that enabled him to survive and overcome!
He was saying was that the affliction was far beyond the ability to endure. The greek word for despair is: apereo To be utterly at a loss, No availability to exit.
b. Change Your Focus
Preach to yourself. Stop looking at my resources and my ability to cope with the despair. v.9 “Trust God who raises the dead.” Paul is telling us to to disconnect from the present and connect to the future. Now/Then. There is an energy and source of comfort in knowing that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
c. Celebrate Your Position In Christ
Paul reminded them in verse 10 that they had been delivered from so great a death. Spiritual death is eternal separation from God. We have the support of all of heaven in the fact that we’re have been redeemed from all the power of darkness. SAVED BY GRACE! Washed in the Blood! Citizenship in Heaven! Names in The Book Of Life! With thanksgiving lift up a praise to God for the positive things in your life.