Dr A R Bernard : Trust and Peace

is so so good I cannot tell you that's you know just hearing that song which I love so much I was with Chris Tomlin in Madison Square Garden he had asked if I would pray he was doing a concert there and after I prayed he did that song and I just got goosebumps because it really speaks so well of our God and our trust in him that regardless of what we go through indeed out of the ashes we rise and God speaks light into the darkness he shines and it is so true especially for you I I just well look let's pray then we'll talk let's bow our heads Heavenly Father thank you thank you thank you for an incredible illustration of perseverance in the face of difficulty and storms thank you for city harvests being that model from which so many can learn of what it is to be strong in the face of adversity thank you for the anointing on this church the ministry that you've called it to the future that you have planned for it indeed Oh Lord thank you for establishing planting rooting and grounding this ministry to exemplify your kingdom and thank you that no matter what happens in life we know that you are always in control and you will use everything everything because you love us unconditionally you love us sacrificially you love us redemptive ly and you'll take everything and turn it for our good so we love you we appreciate you so much and tonight we open our hearts speak Lord speak a word into our hearts and bring us your peace that passes all understanding we ask and thank you in Jesus precious name Amen and amen you may be seated now I've got my iPhone 6 I did 6 plus not 6 plus s yet just trying to be convinced that I need the s and hopefully technology will work because you know when you update sometimes it backs up but we're good we're good I hid the word in my heart just in case my iphone failed all right I have chosen and I use the word chosen because that's what it really is to be a friend and brother I am a brother by the blood of Jesus Christ to Pastor Kong pastor son to the leadership in to City Harvest Church but I'm a friend by choice a friend is someone that you love you enjoy being with them there's a mutual sharing of affection values sense of purpose and as a camaraderie that comes out of it a friend is also someone that you can count on for support that even when they don't have words their presence speaks louder than any words that they can offer sometimes God gives us leadership stewardship and relationship and those are the responsibilities that we have in life and he gives us people in our lives for the different fees ins in our lives and some people are there Joan only for a season but some people are there throughout your entire life but I want to highlight a passage and this is not my message but it is my message all right the introduction maybe or maybe you get into messages but proverbs I'm thinking out loud but proverbs 17:17 in the New King James Version reminds us of what a friend and brother is and it says so beautifully a friend loves at all times not just when things are going great not just when there are no conflicts not just in sunny weather but in all kinds of weather in all kinds of circumstances you can count on a friend to be there I have a few friends because not too many people fit the category of friend and I take the word friend seriously because the friends in my life or people I know I can count on no matter what and even if I mess up even if I make wrong choices a friend doesn't abandon me a friend is there because a friend loves at all times second part of that passage it says so beautifully we can put it back and a brother and a brother moves from the level of friendship to a much deeper relationship because a brother is someone who is bonded to you it is a blood relationship where there's a shared DNA so it goes even deeper than friendship and interesting the passage says that a friend loves at all time but a brother is born for the day of adversity Wow in other words there are people that got places in your life at times that you're going to face some very difficult things and they are going to be attached to you in a very deep and profound way as though you share the same blood the same DNA so I want to publicly affirm my friendship with pastor Kong son your leadership and this ministry and I want to affirm my Brotherhood that for this season even though it's been 16 years that I've been coming here but especially for this season I'm your brother there are people who will abandon you at times like this because they want to protect their reputation but if your reputation is intact and filled with integrity you don't have to worry about that reputation being tarnished in fact you bring a level of credibility and integrity to everyone that you're in relationship with so city harvests you heard pastor Kong say that for you this is the close of a chapter in the life of this church close of a season for him he still has difficult days ahead and he needs your prayers your support and I will tell you that the greatest thing that you can do for him is to love what he loves and he loves this church loved this church and you'll demonstrate your greatest love come on let's give your leadership a round of applause and appreciation hallelujah now John chapter 16 John chapter 16 verse 33 the Gospel of John was written primarily to express the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ the Gospel of John sees Christ as God it opens with in the beginning was the word the Word was with God the Word was God all things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made in him was life and the life was the light of men and it goes down to verse 14 and it says and the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth John speaks of a very deep and profound intimacy between Jesus and His disciples in fact the night that Jesus was betrayed and he revealed that to his disciples gathered in the upper room at the Passover they all looked at John to question if he knew who Jesus was talking about and that's because of the closeness of that relationship between them even Peter became a little jealous because Jesus expressed a certain love for John certain level of love for John that he would use John in a greater way to bring revelation of himself so it was John who recorded the bulk of the conversation between Jesus and His disciples on the night of intimacy in the upper room where they would celebrate celebrate Passover which they were used to as a Jewish tradition that pointed back to the exodus from Egypt but that night they would celebrate it in a very different way because no longer would there be this Passover lamb that they understood Jesus himself would be that Passover lamb so it was very deep it was very intimate and and when he said this is my body which is broken for you he was expressing what he was about to go through something that he didn't look forward to that would be a terrible beating hanging on that cross he said this is my blood the New Testament in my blood which was the requirement that blood would be shed so that the remission of sins could take place it was very intimate because he was already feeling the pain that was ahead of him he knew also that these very men that he was talking to would abandon him that very night but this was his last opportunity before his death and his resurrection to speak into the lives of these men who would take his message forward who would carry his mission out into the world and out into the future so in chapter 13 he does something to demonstrate the attitude that they should have towards each other he bows down and he washes the disciples feet Peters shocked and says no no I should be washing your feet and Jesus explains no I'm demonstrating something here that you need to see and understand and that is that their attitude towards each other should be an attitude of service and humility and just like he humbled himself to them they should humble themselves to each other he continued to reassure them that although he would physically leave them he would not abandon them he would not leave them totally on their own but he would introduce the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit would come and literally take his place amongst them so that the same comfort and love and direction and guidance and insight and understanding that he gave them the Holy Spirit would now take that role in their life they would not be left alone he talked to them about the relationship that they would have with him in ministry he said I'm the vine you're the branches so understand that apart from me you can do nothing so you must stay in me you must stay attached to me no matter how hard things get he said in fact that every branch in me that bears fruit I will purge it I will take it through a process of cutting away those things that are unproductive so that it can be more productive bear more fruit he talked to them about answered prayer and he said prior to this you haven't used my name my authority our relationship in prayer but from now on whatever you ask the Father in my name he will do it for you he said to them that the father loves you just as much as he loves me he said to them that when the Holy Spirit comes that he would bring all things to their remembrance he will speak to them historically and give historical accuracy so that we have today the Gospels that he would speak of things to come he would speak to them prophetically that he would lead them and guide them into all truth and that he would never leave them that he would never for Satan this was a very intimate time with these men and by the time he gets to chapter 16 he begins to speak to them about things that will be ahead of them because of their relationship with him and because they would represent him to the world he said you're going to come before governors and kings you will have the opportunity to bear witness of me there'll be those who misunderstand you and as a result think that persecuting you is actually doing the work of God he said you're going to deal with persecution trials tribulation he said but you're in good company because you're going through what I have gone through in John 17 he then prays and he says father I pray not that you take them out of the world but in the world keep them protect them from the evil one he said I pray not only for these but I pray for all of those who will believe on me because of their word that's us that's all of believers throughout history up to this point in time and to come so that conversation was intimate and he was pouring into them in preparation of his absence because he would now entrust this ministry into the care the stewardship responsibilities of these men and he trusted that they would take it out into the future and that they would be the foundation upon which the church would be built so this is a very very important time and in spite of the fact that he himself was dealing with the death that he would face on the cross those feelings those personal feelings were suppressed just so he could speak a word of encouragement and strength to those who would carry the message so when it gets down to verse 33 in chapter 16 because chapter 16 opens up with him telling them what they're going to go through verse 33 becomes a very powerful lesson for them but let me expand a bit can i I was going to do it anyway but it's nice to have your permission I'm going to speed up a little bit because we only have till midnight and you think I'm kidding good Jesus spoke of tribulation in two ways he spoke of tribulation in two ways he spoke of tribulation as a period of time that would be in the future of human history he attached the word great to it it is spoken in Matthew 24 Luke 21 and in the book of Revelation and we know it today as the Great Tribulation so he differentiated the words and how he used them so when he spoke of Great Tribulation he was speaking of a period of time in the future of human history that we would see unprecedented turmoil and conflict in the world not only that he said that during this period of time the nation of Israel would experience unprecedented violence against it by surrounding nations and Confederacy's that want to take the land and the reason is because Israel has spoken by the prophet Daniel the Prophet Jeremiah Israel will experience a period of great prosperity number one they would be regathered as a nation we witnessed that in 1948 and Bible scholars had to rearrange their commentaries because they never expected that such a thing would literally take place but you see all of the prophecies that spoke of the first coming of Jesus were literally fulfilled so why won't his second coming be literally fulfilled but the nation would experience a time of unprecedented wealth and prosperity and as a result of that even more so certain surrounding nations would desire to claim the Land of Israel this would lead to a pending conflict that will be put on hold because a Middle Eastern leader that would be trusted by Israel and trusted by the Arab nations will emerge and broker a peace agreement that would put that on hold and take the nation of Israel into a short period of great wealth and prosperity and many Jews will return to the homeland to develop this prosperity last I'm sorry two weeks ago in an oil and gas company found in the Golan Heights the richest deposit of oil in the world most oil reserves are about 20 to 30 meters thick this oil reserve found in the Golan Heights was 350 meters thick ten times the average oil reserve finding in the world I guarantee you that there will be other discoveries and the nation of Israel will rise to great wealth in natural resources that will rival the other oil-producing nations and it's going to affect the balance of power politically and economically in the region it's also going to provoke others to jealousy as far north as Russia we will see some of these things happen now when the conflict reaches critical mass I don't plan to be here is something called the rapture but this is what the prophetic word says the Prophet Jeremiah called it the time of Jacob's trouble Jacob being Israel Daniel called it a time when we would see the Jews would see the abomination of desolation the desecration in the temple and worship enough said about that you can study that on your own but this is that period that Jesus referred to when he used the term Great Tribulation the second way in which he used it and relative to the context of John 16 is he used the word tribulation to express suffering and affliction that not only the disciples would experience but suffering an affliction that is common to all human beings and let me interject something here because it's very important that we are scripturally accurate and our theological understanding is refined because there are people that think that when they experience sickness and disease setbacks in life physical stress mental emotional stress especially when it comes to some physical ailment and I've heard Christians say this that I'm just bearing my cross that's wrong because if that's true then people who don't know Jesus are bearing the cross of Jesus because everybody gets sick everybody has physical mental emotional stress the only cross that we bear is that persecution we experience because of our public identification with Jesus but this tribulation of which he's speaking here was that suffering that affliction that conflict that affliction that we experienced as human beings you see through conversion Jesus made us a part of a new ideal in eternity but he left us here to live in the context of time space and human experience so even as believers we experience the same suffering the same afflictions that sinners experience and for someone to say well once you become a Christian all these things go away is absolutely wrong that's not true we deal with it differently because we're Christians we see the hand and favor of God intervene in those situations because we're Christians amen we have the guidance of the Holy Spirit because we're Christians so we don't face those challenges the way unbelievers do but we still face them that's your reality so Jesus wants to make sure that these men who are going to now carry his message and take the vision forward do not fall under the misconception that everything is going to be fine because they're doing God's work when in essence they're going to go through trials and tribulations they're going to go through emotional challenges physical stress mental stress and it will come from various directions it can come from family pressure it can come from neighbor pressure pressure on the job with colleagues it comes from peer pressure got it that's the reality of our experience how many have experienced pressure since you've been a Christian every hand should be up all right if you have that up I will pray for you for lying we all go through it we all experience it comes our way but we handle it differently and this is so important in job so beautifully fact let me give you the text it's such a powerful text that we can get it up on the screen in the book of Job and how many you've ever read the book of Job yeah that's you know you read that book and you leave happy because you weren't Joe but in the book of Job job experiences this tribulation that is a general reference of pressure and affliction physical mental social economic distress he loses his family he loses his wealth he loses his health and his so-called friends are trying to convince him that he did something wrong and that's why he's going through all the things that he was going through those are not kind of friends you need when you're in challenging circumstances amen but job said something in job chapter 14 if we could turn to a job chapter 14 first one killed 14 first one and it speaks of a truth reality that man and then the term man is generally speaking men and women female man that is what born of a born of woman anybody in here born of woman okay you know we have to ask that question because they're working on born of man but we'll leave that alone that's another cultural thing that's right before but notice it says man who is born of woman is a few days yes against the backdrop of time our life here on this planet is very short we're living longer now because of medical and technological advances but 78 even 90 years is still a short period of time when place against the backdrop of thousands of years of human history we are here for just a few days and unfortunately although we experienced great times and we live by free walk by faith and not by sight and we keep a positive attitude the reality is that our life is also filled with a lot of trouble so job was expressing a reality of life it wasn't a negative confession it was a reality of life that man that is born of woman is a few days and full of what trouble that's a reality and of course Jesus again speaking to his disciples to let them know that just because they were representing him they would still experience the pressures that are common to human life and human existence but let's go to verse 33 Jesus says these things and and this is everything that he's been speaking to them from chapter 13 14 15 and now chapter 16 where he's telling them and preparing them for the tough times ahead he says these things I have spoken to you that in me we're come on we're we're back again here I need more ten more than ten people to join me here tonight that where in Me If any man be in Christ right so in Christ is a position and an experience and a condition not it he said these things I've spoken to you I've told you all of this so that in me you may have one you may have one I can't hear you come on City Harvest you may have what peace right you got talked back to me this is dialogue not monologue you may have peace then he continues and he says in the world you will have what you will have why turn to your neighbor sir neighbor that was a promise you may not like it but that was a promise you know when we think of the promises of God we only want the positive stuff no he promised you some negative things this was one of them so Jesus is saying I promise you in the world in the social order you're going to experience tribulation you're going to experience physical mental economic sometimes political stress and pressure and it can come from so many different directions but this is the reality that you're going to have to deal with and the only place that you find peace is in me you will not another thing that this this passage is saying please leave it there another thing that is as fast as you're saying that the peace is the world rather cannot give you genuine peace it's not there in the world you will have what tribulation but in me you will have peace that's powerful because it says of Jesus that he is the Prince of Peace we're about to celebrate Christmas holiday and turn your neighbors say he's almost finished the introduction we're about to celebrate the Christmas holiday and one of the passages you know from Isaiah you know unto us a child is born unto us a son is given the government will be upon his shoulders you know and then titles of Prince of Peace mighty God wonderful counselor right but another passage that we hear of we see it on Christmas cards is what is stated when Jesus is seen in the manger says peace on earth and goodwill toward men the better translation of that in the more accurate transcripts because the King James of the Texas Receptus and King James is what I just quoted to you peace on earth goodwill toward men the actual more accurate translation of that passages peace on earth amongst men of goodwill because you can only have peace when men of goodwill are at the table if you are at a table and there is someone there who has ill-will no matter what agreement you come to it is not legitimate peace so when nations sit down and have these meetings it's like David said in Psalm 55 his words were as smooth as butter but war was in his heart so if there's ill-will and war in someone's heart whatever agreement has come-to is not a legitimate agreement towards peace it is simply putting conflict on hold it's not genuine peace and in this world since the time of Cain we have conflict around the world because of competing human interests competing human interests boy we could spend some time on that but not today so Jesus says in me you will have one piece he continues let's get the verse up there again in the world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer why because I have overcome the world I will tell you the first time I read that and I read and read tribulation be a good cheer ah because I've overcome the world and I'm saying you overcame it what's that got to do with me and I realized that because he overcame it my faith in him makes me an overcomer because I'm in him experiencing this peace and it's the only place that I can find peace so anything that the world offers you that claims to give you peace cannot give you peace turn your neighbor say neighbor only God can give you the peace that passes all understanding amen now let's let's understand this a little bit in Isaiah woo 26 verse 3 Isaiah 26 verse 3 Isaiah 26 verse 3 look at it you will keep him in perfect what peace and perfect means whole complete you will keep him in perfect what peace whose mind is kept where is stayed on you because he trusts in you and that you of course is God look at it again you will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you and I will tell you when you are in turmoil and this conflict and stress your mind can be filled with everything but God and you have to discipline yourself to get all of the fog created by all of these things that are coming at you because the battle of faith is really the battle that takes place in your mind that's the battlefield of faith and these other things come to flood your thinking and if you don't focus on God then you won't experience that peace because your mind has to be focused on him not the circumstance remember when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus that's when he began to sink as long as his eyes were on Jesus he could walk on water but when he allowed himself to be distracted by the circumstances situations and conditions around him that's when he began to go down now let me pull the two together John 16:33 in this passage so for the believer peace is not the absence of trials and tribulation for the believer peace is not the absence of suffering persecution pressure peace is not the absence of tribulation it is the presence of trust in God peace for the believer is the presence of trust in God so if you're not experiencing peace it's because your trust is not in God that's a tough statement but it's so true I'm going to say it again so for the believer peace is not the absence of trials and tribulation the absence of pressure peaceful a believer is the presence of trust in God you can only be at peace when you have made the decision that in the face of everything you're going through you're going to trust God no matter what it feels like looks like smells like I'm going to trust in God hallelujah and when you truly make that decision there's a peace that comes over you that you cannot explain it's a peace that protects your heart your emotions and your mind your thoughts is a peace that brings a calmness and a stillness that no matter what the future looks like you know that God is in control of it and he always has your best interest in his heart that's the only way you can go through let's look at this level of trust that job brought let's go to job chapter 13 joke that chapter 13 verse 15 job 1315 job lost his family he lost his wealth he even lost his wife she didn't die but she was mentally unstable look your wife's got to be mentally unstable if she tells you why don't you curse God and die look what he says and job got it wrong see we have the advantage the privilege of reading the book and knowing the Saint Anne was behind all of this not God but Joe didn't have that advantage he was living it out so he had no idea but he assumed if God is in control of everything then God must be behind this but even if it is God who's behind it even for some reason God may come to the conclusion that that that that job had to go through this even if that's true guess what though he slay me I'm not going to leave the place of trust I'm not going to give up on him I may not understand it I may not process it right and may not come to the right conclusions I may not be able to reconcile it with my knowledge of God or Scripture but even if God is behind it I'm still going to trust him because trust for the believer is not the absence of trials and tribulation trust peace rather for the believer is trust in God your measure of peace is your measure of trust the greater the trust the greater the peace the greater the trust look later the peace I will tell you that there were times when we faced adversity my wife and I and even our ministry I've been at this for 37 years and I was wondering God are you behind all this I mean you get to that place were you trying to figure it all out and I will tell you there's only one thing that I heard and I know it was the Lord he said trust me trust me you know it's like the answer that Paul got when he went to the Lord three times asking to be delivered from affliction and what was God's answer he said Paul my grace is sufficient for you because my strength is made perfect in your weakness Paul didn't like being weak and that was more so his motivation in prayer it wasn't so much the affliction it was how the affliction made him look weak and he didn't like that as part of his image so God said my strength is made perfect in your weakness so Jesus is now sending them out he's praying for them he knows that they're still going to go through a lot of emotional changes in fact in chapter 16 he says he said you're all going to abandon me and yet I'm not alone the father is with me and even though he knows that one is going to betray him they're all going to abandon him Peter's going to deny him he still occupies this place of peace and he utters not a word he he occupies a place of trust in his heavenly father boy we could expand on this so much more but I think that you get the point tonight for us as believers it doesn't say that God is going to just wipe all of our situations away he requires one thing trust every relationship is based on trust and when there's trust in the relationship the relationship is strong the relationship is intact because when there is no trust in the relationship or the relationship Trust is broken there is suspicion there's anxiety there is fear and all the negative children of fear that undermine the relationship and if there's anything the devil would like you to do like he tried to do with Joel is to get you to stop trusting God tonight and message is simple the greater my trust the greater my faith in Him the greater the piece that I will walk in and peace is a central organizing factor of a Christians life peace is the umpire for doing the will of God because sometimes you cannot clearly identify God's will or explain it but you know that you're in it because there's this peace that you walk in and that's inside of you and I will tell you as I listen to Pastor comm address you as I watched the board and Aires address you on behalf of the board I was looking for one thing to let me know that the future of this church is going to be okay because I have an apostolic responsibility to this church I was looking for peace and I got chills when they started singing the song our God is greater because suddenly that peace settled inside and I can go back to New York fully knowing it's going to be Oh City Harvest I'm done early tonight I love you appreciate you praise for you and your latter days will be the most glorious days of the life of this ministry god bless you Lisa sent up a gift of the air but not a big clap

Channel: Lion of Judah

Views: 67,233

Rating: 4.6873889 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: -Ky5gB6dC0s

Length: 53min 54sec (3234 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 01 2015