Why is My Life Troubled as a
Christian?
Good Morning to everyone listening today to our series on the hard questions of life.
Grace and Peace in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
God Loves you, and I love you, but it God that counts.
Today's hard question is: "Why
is my life troubled as a Christian?"
As a pastor, I hear this question directed to me from time to time.
"Why is my life troubled as a Christian?" I thought things were
supposed to get better after I invited Jesus Christ into my life? The story
is the same many times. A person is experiencing a crises in their life
or they feel the leading of Lord to return to Church and come to know him,
and "wham!" the big one, crises that is hits. It is hard to understand.
The time that sticks in my mind the clearest was several years ago a young
business man was saved by the grace of God through accepting Jesus Christ
into his life and he was delivered from his addiction to prescription drugs
and alcohol. There was great joy in this young man's life...for a while,
that is. This man began to hear the call of God on his life to preach.
The next thing he knew, his wife filing for divorce. Wham! That killed
his plans to be a preacher, a husband, and a father! He asked the question,
"Why is my life so troubled as a Christian?"
I remember another preacher telling me a story about a fairly well to do
farmer and one of his farm hands. Now the farmer was not a Christian and
neither was his farm hand. One day the farm hand came in all excited about
what had happened to him at a little church revival at is sisters church.
He explained he went with his sister to the revival to please her, and
when the evangelist gave the invitation to come forward, confess your sin,
and be saved from eternal hell unto eternal life in Christ Jesus, he just
felt something tugging at his heart to go up there to the altar. He explained,
I got up went, and now I have a new life in Jesus. His boss, the farmer,
just did not quite understand.
Shortly after his conversion, our farm hand friend lost his sister to an
untimely death, he began to have other problems. His boss, the farmer asked,
"Why is your life so troubled as a Christian? I thought this new life,
as a Christian, you have been talking about was supposed to be better."
It is," the hand replied. "Then how is it that your God does
not keep you from all this trouble and grief?" his boss asked. "I,
I, just don't know how to explain it, I just keep my eyes on Jesus."
The farmer shook is head, perplexed and just smiled.
Later in the year hunting season came and it was time to hunt quail. The
farmer brought his hand to care for the dogs and carry the shot quail.
As they came to a thicket, the dogs began to point. As the quail were flushed
from the bushes, they took to the air in a flutter of noise, boom, his
shotgun thundered as two quail fell to the ground, one dead, and the other
with an injured wing. The injured quail streaked off on the ground to escape
and the farmer gave his hand the order to send the dogs after the injured
quail.
At that moment the farm hand received insight into his answer to the question
his boss had asked him earlier in the year. With a great smile on his face
he said to his boss, "now I can answer your question, Why is my life
so troubled as a Christian?" He said, you see, "I was like those
two quail!" He continued, "The dead one was like me, before I
knew Jesus as my savior, I was dead in sin. The injured one, trying to
fly away from death, is me today, trying to fly to heavenly glory here
on earth. That ole devil, don't need to send is dogs after the dead ones,
because he knows they are already his. He sends his dogs after the one's
struggling here on earth, trying to fly to heaven." "I see,"
said the farmer, "I think I understand now." He was still a bit
perplexed, but he did not smile this time.
Jesus Christ never said that being a Christian was going to be paradise
here on earth. In fact, in (Matthew 10:34-42 NIV) Jesus says, "Do
not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come
to bring peace, but a sword. {35} For I have come to turn "'a man
against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against
her mother-in-law-- {36} a man's enemies will be the members of his own
household."
Jesus also tell and explains a parable warning of this and the
sometime terrible consequences that troubles can have on the Christians
new and old. We read in the Bible, (Matthew 13:1-23 NIV) That same
day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. {2} Such large crowds
gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the
people stood on the shore. {3} Then he told them many things in parables,
saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. {4} As he was scattering
the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. {5}
Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up
quickly, because the soil was shallow. {6} But when the sun came up, the
plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. {7} Other
seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. {8} Still
other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop--a hundred, sixty
or thirty times what was sown. {9} He who has ears, let him hear."
As we read down a little further in our Bible, Jesus explains the
parable, He says:
{18} "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: {19}
When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand
it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This
is the seed sown along the path. {20} The one who received the seed that
fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives
it with joy. {21} But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time.
When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls
away. {22} The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is
the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness
of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. {23} But the one who received
the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands
it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what
was sown."
The answer to the question, "Why is my life troubled as a
Christian?" can be understood in the following:
1) The news is that troubles come, and they are used by the devil, Satan,
himself to make sure the word of God will not take root in our soul and
bring us to eternal life. He will work within our troubles to defeat our
fruitfulness which is reaching and sustaining others in this world for
Christ. Matthew Henry, the great biblical commentator, writes, "Careless,
trifling hearers, are an easy prey to Satan; who, as he is the great murderer
of souls, so he is the great thief of sermons, and will be sure to rob
us of the word, if we take not care to keep it."
2) The bad news is that if we are not grounded in our faith in Jesus Christ
our troubles can become so great that we may become separated from the
sustaining presence of God. If they become too great and our confession
of Jesus Christ is only in word and not in faith, we like the seeds in
the parable may perish! The "evil one" will snatch it away from
our hearts. The Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ will have no root,
and last only a short time. The troubles of this world will quickly cause
us to fall away. And the worries will choke us to spiritual death, so God
can do nothing for or through us. Brothers and sisters, that is a bad place
to be! I can only think of one place worse. To go back to our quail hunting
story, that is being one of the dead quail!
3) Now to the Good News! Jesus may not always deliver us from our troubles
in this world. In fact, he never promised that he would. But, he did promise
that deliver us "through" them and give us the grace and peace
to rise above them. Jesus warns us about Satan using the troubles and worries
of this world to choke the life of Christ out of us, but he says that if
we keep our eyes fixed upon him as our savior, if we cry out to Him in
our little faith, He will deliver us through the storm.
I am reminded of Peter the disciple trying to walk on the water in a storm
to go to Jesus.
(Matthew 14:25-34 NIV) During the fourth watch of the night Jesus
went out to them, walking on the lake. {26} When the disciples saw him
walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they
said, and cried out in fear. {27} But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take
courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." {28} "Lord, if it's you,"
Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." {29} "Come,"
he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came
toward Jesus. {30} But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning
to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" {31} Immediately Jesus reached
out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said,
"why did you doubt?" {32} And when they climbed into the boat,
the wind died down. {33} Then those who were in the boat worshiped him,
saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
You see brothers and sisters, the answer to the question, "Why
is my life troubled as a Christian?" is:
1) Jesus never promised peace on this earth when we became Christians by faith.
2) Ole Satan is the enemy of the word of God and will use our troubles to "snatch" his word from our hearts before we become a servant of the Living God. He will use our worries and troubles to choke out the power of Jesus to invite others to His loving fellowship and eternal life.
3) Jesus promises us that he will give
us a special grace and peace to walk through our troubles if we keep our
eyes fixed upon Jesus and cry out to him in our little faith.
Jesus tells us in (John 14:27 NIV) "Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let
your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
As the children of God, by faith in Jesus Christ for our salvation,
the final answer to our question, "Why is my life troubled as a Christian?"
It is because we have victory over our troubles in the name Jesus and like
the seed that fell on good soil, in Jesus parable, we are like the man
who hears the word and understands it. We shall produces a crop, yielding
a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
Are you troubled as a Christian? Fix your eyes again upon your savior and
cry out to him in your little faith and he will deliver you through your
troubles unto victory.
Do you know Jesus Christ as your savior? Turn to him, confess your sin,
and invite him into your life. Just pray, "Come in Jesus."
The Bible tells us (Philippians 4:4-8 NIV) Rejoice in the Lord always.
I will say it again: Rejoice! {5} Let your gentleness be evident to all.
The Lord is near. {6} Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
{7} And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Remember, God loves you and I love, but it's God that counts!
Glory to God. Amen.
Would you like to know Jesus Christ as your savior and receive eternal life?
I want to know Jesus Christ as my Savior!
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