Encouragement in Difficult Times | Paul Washer

hello i'm i'm paul Washer and i'm here today to talk on behalf of the heart crime missionary society as you know we support missionaries around the world and also provide theological materials pastoral libraries and so many other things in order to increase the cause of the great commission throughout the world I wanted to talk to you today first of all to say thank you so many of you for so many years have supported this ministry and you've been such a blessing not just with your financial gifts but also with your pray a secondly I wanted to talk to you about our present circumstance what's going on in the world today not so much fixating on that that problem with the coronavirus but just I wanted to share with our donors something that was on my heart I know that many of you are troubled and maybe frightened and you're wondering you know what's going to happen well none of us know exactly what's going to happen today tomorrow or five minutes from now but we do know who God is and and that is very very important I want to share with you a passage of scripture here it's in the Book of Daniel and it's one of my favorite passages of Scripture especially in times of trouble and it's Daniel chapter 11 verse 32 it says talking about a very very vicious person in history and the okis epiphanies it says by smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the Covenant but the people who know their God will display strength and take action you see there's something very important a lot of times when Christians get into trials or difficult circumstances they immediately run to the Bible and begin spending a lot more time in the Bible than usual and that's a good thing but it's not the best thing you see in order to prepare for trials you and I must prepare long before the trial comes we must dedicate our lives to studying the scriptures and cultivating the mind of Christ and especially dedicating ourselves to knowing who God is because in that we find our strength in the character the attributes of God let me give you an example I meet so many people when they're passing through times of trials in which they're constantly asking themselves this question what is God doing what's happening what is God doing and it's almost as if they will not have peace unless they can figure out what God's doing and that's not really the the biblical way of approaching a problem you see I don't need to know what God is doing in the world if I know who God is if I know that God is good and faithful and holy and righteous I know that whatever he's doing even though it's hidden to me it will be okay it will be the best it will be the good for his people even in the midst of suffering you see we must grow in the knowledge of God I know there's so many people right now talking about the coronavirus and how you should do this and you should do that and spiritual principles for this and that but but it's really not that complicated this should be a wake-up call for all of us to spend more time in the scriptures coming to know who God is and what God has done for us in Jesus Christ and the more that we know that the more stable we will be in trials like this and then an even more difficult trials let me give you another example I have a dear friend in Peru that I served with for many many years and he was very faithful so many times he did when did extraordinary things as a friend for me let's say that that he walked in this room right now and said give me the the keys to your Jeep and and I just pulled the keys out of my pocket and I gave him the keys I threw him the keys and someone might ask me well you just gave him the keys you don't know what he's gonna do with your car and I said well I don't need to know what he's gonna do with my car because I know who he is I know his character it's proven over the years now if I can say that about a man how much more can I say that about about our Lord who in all my ears and it's the testimony of every saint and for 2,000 years in all my years has never failed once not not any of his good words have ever fallen to the ground undone so that's the first thing I've wanted to tell you is to trust in God the second thing that I wanted to say is in the midst of all this we must continue on doing the work of missions there are still nearly three billion people on this planet who have not heard a proper gospel and I know that there are terrible trials and so many things are going on but we must press on and we must use this opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people to share the message but also allow them to see how that message has impacted us that we're not fretting we're not worried as others are that we're not we're not scheming we're not seeking to gain everything we can to protect ourselves but we're seeking to serve others another thing that I wanted to share with you about missions and about heart cries so many of you have given so faithfully throughout the years and right now many of you may be somewhat afraid and maybe for good reason maybe you're struggling in your job you don't know if you have a job tomorrow well I wanted to share something with you I I don't want you to fall under false condemnation I just want to set out for you in the scriptures maybe the way you should look at your finances the first thing that I want you to see is this I wanna I want to read a passage from first Timothy chapter 5 but if anyone does not provide for his own and especially for those of his household he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever essa as a church Christ Church of Radford and as a missionary organization out of that church are crime missionary society we understand that many of you are going through trials and we want to encourage you that we should not be the first worry on your list the first subject of concern first of all think about your family take care of your family your family has real biblical needs and I'm not talking about luxury I'm talking about needs and so we don't want you to fall under some false condemnation if you have to pull back some from your support or entirely in order to take care of your family do that in good conscience because that's what the Lord wants from you secondly after your family you have a responsibility not to even a mission organization that's seeking to reach out to the world but you have a responsibility to your local church and not just to your local church but but to the pastor's that care for you in that church and here at heart cry in Christchurch Radford we believe that that the local church is is God's organization God's God's organism on this planet it's it's the principle thing and we also believe that the most important people on this planet or not mission directors but but elders and pastors who care for your soul and so secondly after taking care of your family I want you to just concern yourself with caring for your local church and caring for your pastors please do that and then if in good conscience you can yes please continue supporting missions but but I want you to know if you're hindered in this area then you haven't dropped the ball if in good conscience having done the the two other primary things you realize I just can't give that much this month or I can't give it all well we understand and and and and we trust God and and we also trust in what the Holy Spirit is going to do through you so just brother and sister be at peace take care of the primary things in this moment I want to read something to you that is part of our financial statement and maybe it'll it'll shed some light on why I'm saying these things every need of this ministry will be obtained through prayer we may share our missionary vision with others and even make known to them the specific tasks that the Lord has laid on our hearts to do but we may not raise support through prodding or manipulating our brothers and sisters in Christ if this ministry is of the Lord then he will be our patron if he is with us he will direct his people to give and we will prosper if he is not with us we will not and we should not succeed so just like you just like you and your family just like you and your local church just like you and everything we're in God's hands we're in God's hands now having said that there's one area where I'm just not going to let you off the hook and it's this one area and that's prayer you can pray and many of you are not able to go to work you're not able to get out much well you know a few years ago I had a massive heart attack and it really debilitated me and and some people lamented that I was pulled out of the public scene for so long and I would write my friends and I would say this I have been shut out from you but I have been shut up to God and and I would like for you to see it that way that if if a lot of your normal activities have been curtailed and you really can't do a lot of the things that you could do before maybe this is one of these great opportunities that you have to reacquaint yourself with Scripture and more importantly to Rhian quite in yourself and to grow in your knowledge of God and when I say knowledge I mean two different things your your intellectual academic factual biblical truth about God you need to know that what does the Scriptures actually say but then there's this other idea of a relational intimate knowledge and prayer and so if you've been given more time then please invest that time in knowing God know that you are in our prayers and we hope the best for you and we are confident or confident that the God who is sovereign over everything in this world he will take care of you and in the end you will be made more like Jesus Christ he who began a good work in you will finish it and as we entrust you to God we pray that in your prayers you will entrust us to God so god bless you and have a great day

Channel: HeartCry Missionary Society

Views: 181,051

Rating: 4.9702301 out of 5

Keywords: paul washer, heartcry, jesus christ, missions, bible, sermons, gospel, missionary, society, god, trials, encouragement, peace, giving, family

Id: OZKPz4qedoU

Length: 11min 52sec (712 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 01 2020