LISTEN: How God Takes Care of His People Through Trials, Tribulation, and Trouble, Part 2 (Pilgrim’s Progress According to the Bible #13 with Daniel Whyte III)

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TEXT: Psalm 62:5-8

5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

How God Takes Care of His People Through Trials, Tribulation, and Trouble, Part 2 (Pilgrim’s Progress According to the Bible #13)

We have found, not only from the experiences of others, but also from our own experiences that God will indeed allow us to experience trouble, but He will sustain us through the trouble that we face. As we continue our series on Pilgrim’s Progress According to the Bible, we are looking at three ways that God sustains His children through times of trouble.

On last week, we saw that God sustains us by providing for our every need. The psalmist says, “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” The psalmist tells us that in the midst of his time of trouble, he will not be complaining about his circumstances. He will not be trying to make things happen in his own strength. Rather, he will sit quietly and sit still and wait on God. The psalmist is confident that God will provide for his every need. We see this played out in the experience of Christian as he travels up the Hill of Difficulty. When he grows tired, God, who knows the needs of His children, provides a Pleasant Arbor for Christian so that he can sit down and rest awhile. Philippians 4:19 tells us, “God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Today, we want to look at how God sustains us by reminding us of the benefits of salvation. The psalmist goes on to say, “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.” As we face various troubles in our lives, we will often be tempted to give up on the Christian faith. We will be tempted to go down another path. The devil wants us to throw up our hands and give up on following Jesus Christ.

It is at these times when we need to be reminded of the benefits of the salvation that we have through Jesus Christ. The psalmist reminds himself that “in God” he finds salvation, and we ought to do the same. As Christian is sitting in the Pleasant Arbor resting from his troubles, he takes out a scroll that was given to him at the Cross. While he reads the scroll, he is reminded of his burden of sin and how Jesus Christ delivered him from it. He is reminded, also, of the place to where he is going — the Celestial City.

Sometimes, when we are in the midst of our troubles, we ought to take a moment to look back on what God has delivered us from, and look forward to our God-ordained destination. The devil will pull all kinds of tricks to get us to doubt our salvation and the faithfulness of God. He will tell us, ‘If God loved you, you wouldn’t be going through this trouble right now.’ Or he will say, ‘The Christian life isn’t supposed to have all of these problems.’ That is what the devil would do to us if we let him.

In such times, we too have a scroll that we can pull out and read. It is the word of God, and it is the means by which we are reassured of our salvation and reminded of God’s promises to never leave us or forsake us. Not only is the Word of God to be used as a means of encouragement, but it is also to be used as a weapon against the enemy. The Bible calls the Word of God the “sword of the spirit.” Just as Jesus Christ did when Satan tempted him, we are to use the Word of God against the enemy when the going gets tough and he comes alongside us to whisper words of doubt and discouragement in our ear.

In times of trouble, God sustains us by providing His Word for us to be reminded of the benefits of salvation. What are some of these benefits?

1. We are saved from eternal punishment in Hell. Romans 5:9 says, “Being now justified by his [Jesus’] blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

2. Our salvation is eternally secure and it can never be taken away. Jesus Christ said in John 10:28-29, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

3. The Holy Spirit lives inside of us and we get guidance from Him. Jesus Christ said in John 14:16, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever…”

4. We have the privilege of praying to God and He promises to hear and answer our prayers. First John 5:14-15 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

5. We have peace that passeth all understanding through Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

6. We have joy unspeakable through Jesus Christ. First Peter 1:8 says, “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

7. Like Christian, we know that we will go to the Celestial City — Heaven — when we reach the end of our journey. Jesus Christ said in John 14:2, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

As we close, I encourage you to stay in the Word during your time of trouble so that you will be reminded of the benefits of our salvation, as expressed in the words of this hymn, “So Great Salvation”:

“So great a salvation,” ye saints of the Lord,
To us is revealed in His marvelous Word!
Since all that He is and has done is for us,
We’ll give earnest heed to this word glorious.

He’s washed all our sins, purified them fore’er;
Tasted death on the cross, ended slavery there.
He took on our nature, the devil has slain,
And put you and I in His glorious train.

“So great a salvation” is given to us
That we may be made like our Lord glorious!
By all that He is and by all He has done
We’re brought into glory with God’s firstborn Son.

____________

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to share with you briefly how you can be saved from your sins and be guaranteed a home in Heaven with God today.

First, please understand that you are a sinner, just as I am, and that you have broken God’s laws. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Please understand that because of your sins, you deserve eternal punishment in hell. Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death…This is both physical death and spiritual death in hell. That is the bad news.

But here is the good news. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door.” Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

MUSICAL SELECTION: “Shout to the Lord” by Hillsong” and “Our God is an Awesome God” by Rich Mullins

Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in twenty-three foreign countries. He is the author of thirty-four books. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry which publishes a monthly magazine called The Torch Leader. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts, The Prayer Motivator Devotional and the Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report and the Second Coming Watch Update. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, and a Master’s degree in Religion from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica for twenty-five years. God has blessed their union with seven children. Find out more at www.danielwhyte3.com. Follow Daniel Whyte III on Twitter @prophetdaniel3 or on Facebook.