WEBVTT 00:00:09.940 --> 00:00:12.679 Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church 00:00:12.679 --> 00:00:15.279 Henley and thanks so much for tuning into our 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:19.000 podcast. Our prayer is that through this podcast 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:20.839 you can have an encounter with Jesus that will 00:00:20.839 --> 00:00:24.379 change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring 00:00:24.379 --> 00:00:30.800 message from our preaching team. As a uni student, 00:00:30.989 --> 00:00:35.469 I was the unfortunate victim of much self -induced 00:00:35.469 --> 00:00:40.329 suffering at the hands of procrastination. Preach. 00:00:41.109 --> 00:00:43.689 Many times an assignment would be coming up and 00:00:43.689 --> 00:00:46.090 I would have not done the readings or been behind 00:00:46.090 --> 00:00:48.969 on lectures and I would feel that familiar stress 00:00:48.969 --> 00:00:52.149 and anxiety creeping up as the due date approached. 00:00:53.030 --> 00:00:57.240 Often I would come up with genius plan like tomorrow 00:00:57.240 --> 00:01:00.100 I'm gonna wake up at some hideously early hour 00:01:00.100 --> 00:01:03.939 like 9 a .m. have a coffee get straight into 00:01:03.939 --> 00:01:07.239 my assignment go to the gym for a brain break 00:01:07.239 --> 00:01:09.680 come back work on it again have lunch boom it'll 00:01:09.680 --> 00:01:15.079 be done easy only to sleep in wake up late and 00:01:15.079 --> 00:01:18.260 waste the day watching YouTube or playing video 00:01:18.260 --> 00:01:21.700 games it was the kind of vicious cycle where 00:01:21.700 --> 00:01:24.200 the due date got closer made me more anxious 00:01:24.489 --> 00:01:26.969 and I would deal with this anxiety by totally 00:01:26.969 --> 00:01:30.489 turning my brain off with a TV show. I would 00:01:30.489 --> 00:01:32.629 get to the point where there was no more time 00:01:32.629 --> 00:01:34.989 left and if I delayed any longer I would miss 00:01:34.989 --> 00:01:37.709 the due date. Then it would usually go like this. 00:01:38.209 --> 00:01:41.290 I would turn on my computer, open a blank document 00:01:41.290 --> 00:01:45.230 and pray. Lord I know that I probably don't deserve 00:01:45.230 --> 00:01:48.129 to pass this assignment at this stage and I accept 00:01:48.129 --> 00:01:49.930 that if I fail it's totally on me and totally 00:01:49.930 --> 00:01:53.049 my fault but I need your mercy and grace in this 00:01:53.049 --> 00:01:56.420 moment. Help me focus help me push through this 00:01:56.420 --> 00:02:00.000 anxiety and help me pass this assignment And 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:01.939 all glory to God I can stand before you today 00:02:01.939 --> 00:02:08.219 and say that I have a teaching degree And I really 00:02:08.219 --> 00:02:11.039 learned a lot going through this process It was 00:02:11.039 --> 00:02:13.280 the first time in my life that I really had to 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:16.500 practice Turning something over totally to God 00:02:16.500 --> 00:02:19.639 and to just trust him with the outcome Even when 00:02:19.639 --> 00:02:22.020 it felt like my entire future was on the line 00:02:22.990 --> 00:02:25.550 Now, as the teacher, my prayers sound a little 00:02:25.550 --> 00:02:27.810 different. Lord, I pray that you help my students 00:02:27.810 --> 00:02:31.810 get their assignments handed up on time. But 00:02:31.810 --> 00:02:35.370 really, I made life a lot harder for myself by 00:02:35.370 --> 00:02:37.949 relying on these unhealthy coping strategies 00:02:37.949 --> 00:02:40.509 whenever I was confronted with the unpleasant 00:02:40.509 --> 00:02:44.409 realities of student life. Reading and research 00:02:44.409 --> 00:02:48.300 is not always very fun. Citing sources sucks. 00:02:48.719 --> 00:02:51.539 Catching up on lectures and requesting extensions 00:02:51.539 --> 00:02:55.639 is stressful and embarrassing. But I could trick 00:02:55.639 --> 00:02:58.360 myself into thinking I was being productive by 00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:00.099 putting on an interesting podcast and getting 00:03:00.099 --> 00:03:02.159 chores done around the house. But in reality, 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:05.539 I was avoiding the uncomfortable task set before 00:03:05.539 --> 00:03:10.060 me. Life is full of unpleasant moments, trials 00:03:10.060 --> 00:03:13.259 and suffering. The world presents us with a multitude 00:03:13.259 --> 00:03:15.840 of ways of managing this, but they mainly fall 00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:19.800 on a spectrum with two ends. The first is to 00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:24.580 avoid, to flee, and to try and forget. We blast 00:03:24.580 --> 00:03:26.979 ourselves with stimuli to banish the unpleasant 00:03:26.979 --> 00:03:30.719 thoughts and feelings. Music, podcasts, TV, we 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:33.340 live in a time where it's never been easier to 00:03:33.340 --> 00:03:37.009 totally avoid reality. Doorstep delivery to meet 00:03:37.009 --> 00:03:40.370 every physical need. Virtual experiences streamed 00:03:40.370 --> 00:03:42.930 into our bedrooms to simulate the experience 00:03:42.930 --> 00:03:45.590 of friendship and community. Does this sound 00:03:45.590 --> 00:03:49.530 familiar? There are so many people enslaved to 00:03:49.530 --> 00:03:52.729 drugs and addiction in their quest to avoid experiencing 00:03:52.729 --> 00:03:56.150 pain, but we know it doesn't work. Whether you 00:03:56.150 --> 00:03:58.949 binge on alcohol or six seasons of The Office, 00:03:59.490 --> 00:04:01.810 there always comes the hangover and the brain 00:04:01.810 --> 00:04:06.129 fog. The other end of this spectrum is to fight 00:04:06.129 --> 00:04:10.509 suffering. I think of the stereotypical hyper 00:04:10.509 --> 00:04:13.050 -masculine influencer guy, right? Wake up at 00:04:13.050 --> 00:04:16.610 3am, 10k run before breakfast, ice bath, hustle 00:04:16.610 --> 00:04:20.370 culture, workaholics, right? Some people think 00:04:20.370 --> 00:04:22.490 that you'll never have to suffer health issues 00:04:22.490 --> 00:04:26.069 if you just train and diet hard enough. Or we 00:04:26.069 --> 00:04:28.449 can trick ourselves into thinking that we might 00:04:28.449 --> 00:04:31.209 never have to suffer financial stress if you 00:04:31.209 --> 00:04:34.360 work hard enough, earn enough money, invest in 00:04:34.360 --> 00:04:37.300 the right assets. Trite sayings get repeated 00:04:37.300 --> 00:04:39.920 like, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. 00:04:40.360 --> 00:04:42.259 Or when the going gets tough, the tough gets 00:04:42.259 --> 00:04:46.220 going. We can delude ourselves into thinking 00:04:46.220 --> 00:04:49.000 we enjoy the suffering, or that we have mastered 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:51.579 it. But we know that this strategy has limits. 00:04:52.120 --> 00:04:54.800 We are only human and no matter what you eat 00:04:54.800 --> 00:04:58.100 or how hard you run, you are still going to die 00:04:58.100 --> 00:05:01.740 someday. I'm not saying there's anything wrong 00:05:01.740 --> 00:05:04.540 with being health conscious or being a hard worker 00:05:04.540 --> 00:05:06.620 and you can all clearly see which end of the 00:05:06.620 --> 00:05:11.459 spectrum I lean towards but it is an endless 00:05:11.459 --> 00:05:14.579 worldly pursuit because the world cannot handle 00:05:14.579 --> 00:05:18.019 suffering. The common thing with both of these 00:05:18.019 --> 00:05:20.699 strategies is they are attempts to gain control 00:05:20.699 --> 00:05:24.360 over the experiences in our lives and both strategies 00:05:24.360 --> 00:05:27.480 ultimately fail. And I want you to pause for 00:05:27.480 --> 00:05:30.360 a moment and think about where you might sit 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:33.100 on that spectrum. Everyone does a little bit 00:05:33.100 --> 00:05:35.839 of both, but think about what it is that you 00:05:35.839 --> 00:05:39.399 turn to unconsciously when work gets stressful, 00:05:40.040 --> 00:05:42.600 when you're tired, when the relationships that 00:05:42.600 --> 00:05:48.199 we take for granted are tested. Do you pull away 00:05:48.199 --> 00:05:51.079 and avoid it? Do you react and try and fight 00:05:51.079 --> 00:05:58.029 it? We can experience a kind of suffering one 00:05:58.029 --> 00:06:00.850 too many times and then endeavor to never experience 00:06:00.850 --> 00:06:04.129 it again if we can help it. Take hunger for a 00:06:04.129 --> 00:06:07.110 simple example. One day you're a child in the 00:06:07.110 --> 00:06:09.310 back seat of the car asking mum for maccas and 00:06:09.310 --> 00:06:13.709 she says we have food at home. The next moment 00:06:13.709 --> 00:06:16.509 you're an adult and that ability to turn into 00:06:16.509 --> 00:06:18.889 the maccas drive -through line the moment you 00:06:18.889 --> 00:06:21.350 feel even the slightest hint of hunger can begin 00:06:21.350 --> 00:06:27.889 to control your life. Ask me how I know. Or on 00:06:27.889 --> 00:06:30.529 the other side, you can attempt to best the pain 00:06:30.529 --> 00:06:33.290 of hunger by going on crazy diets and extreme 00:06:33.290 --> 00:06:35.449 fasts so that you're so used to the feeling you 00:06:35.449 --> 00:06:39.129 think you've beaten it. Yet hunger is still real 00:06:39.129 --> 00:06:47.170 and you must eat to not die. This is without 00:06:47.170 --> 00:06:50.569 touching on the emotional and interpersonal trials 00:06:50.569 --> 00:06:55.689 we can sometimes face. What do we do when relationships 00:06:55.689 --> 00:06:59.810 totally break down? When loved ones pass on? 00:07:00.750 --> 00:07:03.529 Do you resort to avoiding people and places that 00:07:03.529 --> 00:07:06.209 you used to love because their presence brings 00:07:06.209 --> 00:07:11.290 back painful memories? Or just become totally 00:07:11.290 --> 00:07:15.029 numb to loss and harden your heart? Neither of 00:07:15.029 --> 00:07:17.629 these things are what Christ wants for our lives. 00:07:18.180 --> 00:07:20.600 These are things that our culture cannot handle 00:07:20.600 --> 00:07:23.800 because for so many people death is the end. 00:07:23.980 --> 00:07:27.220 So what's the point dwelling on it? We get up 00:07:27.220 --> 00:07:29.660 the next morning and put on an audiobook as we 00:07:29.660 --> 00:07:33.459 drive to work. The point here is that everyone 00:07:33.459 --> 00:07:35.199 does a little bit of both of these because we 00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:39.040 don't know what to do with suffering. It is unavoidable. 00:07:39.879 --> 00:07:42.879 But where does that leave us as followers of 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:46.879 Christ? If you don't know me, my name is Daniel 00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:49.459 and I serve here at Henley, sometimes on kids, 00:07:49.560 --> 00:07:51.939 men, often on the coffee van. And I'm a youth 00:07:51.939 --> 00:07:54.779 group leader over at our Enfield site every Friday 00:07:54.779 --> 00:07:57.160 night during the school term. Shout out youth 00:07:57.160 --> 00:08:05.560 team. Shout out my youth boys. And Lucy. Today 00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:08.920 I'm talking about multiplying resilient disciples. 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:13.600 Oh, sorry. Today we're beginning a new sermon 00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:15.819 series on the five core values of our church 00:08:15.819 --> 00:08:17.920 and we're starting with multiplying resilient 00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:20.699 disciples which is a value really close to my 00:08:20.699 --> 00:08:24.060 heart. It's our vision here at Henley that everyone 00:08:24.060 --> 00:08:25.899 from the city to the beach would have an encounter 00:08:25.899 --> 00:08:29.220 with Jesus and from that encounter come to know 00:08:29.220 --> 00:08:32.679 and follow him as disciples and that we may multiply 00:08:32.679 --> 00:08:35.539 as a church and grow in resilience together. 00:08:36.500 --> 00:08:39.259 Our text today comes from Romans 5. where the 00:08:39.259 --> 00:08:41.419 Apostle Paul is writing to the early church in 00:08:41.419 --> 00:08:44.220 Rome and giving them his thesis on salvation. 00:08:45.019 --> 00:08:47.000 Paul is a pretty logical thinker and in this 00:08:47.000 --> 00:08:49.120 passage he is giving us the play -by -play on 00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:52.019 how to handle suffering as a disciple of Christ. 00:08:53.019 --> 00:08:55.399 The amazing thing is that he doesn't tell us 00:08:55.399 --> 00:08:58.919 how Christ can help us avoid suffering or how 00:08:58.919 --> 00:09:02.259 in Christ we can become immune to suffering but 00:09:02.259 --> 00:09:05.519 he tells us that in Christ we can rejoice in 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:08.539 suffering. from the text we can rejoice to when 00:09:08.539 --> 00:09:11.200 we run into problems and trials for we know that 00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:14.059 they help us develop endurance and endurance 00:09:14.059 --> 00:09:16.679 develops strength of character and character 00:09:16.679 --> 00:09:20.480 strengthens our confident hope of salvation and 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:22.700 this hope will not lead to disappointment for 00:09:22.700 --> 00:09:26.080 we know how dearly God loves us because he has 00:09:26.080 --> 00:09:28.700 given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with 00:09:28.700 --> 00:09:33.009 his love. So what is Paul telling us here? He's 00:09:33.009 --> 00:09:35.250 saying something totally alien to how the world 00:09:35.250 --> 00:09:38.190 handles suffering. He says to rejoice in it. 00:09:38.509 --> 00:09:42.029 Why? Because it can produce good things in our 00:09:42.029 --> 00:09:45.529 lives. This is a radical departure from the common 00:09:45.529 --> 00:09:49.309 view of our culture. The way Paul says it, suffering 00:09:49.309 --> 00:09:52.870 can be an opportunity for spiritual growth. Why? 00:09:53.850 --> 00:09:57.250 Because suffering is our spiritual training ground. 00:09:59.789 --> 00:10:02.730 In this passage, Paul gives us a three -point 00:10:02.730 --> 00:10:07.269 program. Step one, suffering builds endurance. 00:10:07.970 --> 00:10:12.169 Step two, endurance develops character. Step 00:10:12.169 --> 00:10:17.190 three, character strengthens hope. Let's break 00:10:17.190 --> 00:10:20.049 it down verse by verse. Verse three, we can rejoice 00:10:20.049 --> 00:10:22.269 too when we run into problems and trials for 00:10:22.269 --> 00:10:24.610 we know that they will help us develop endurance. 00:10:25.259 --> 00:10:29.320 Paul says we know this, but we don't always act 00:10:29.320 --> 00:10:32.879 like it. As a teenager, I developed some endurance 00:10:32.879 --> 00:10:35.139 by helping my father shovel tons of gravel around 00:10:35.139 --> 00:10:38.799 the driveway. At the time, I wasn't aware of 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:40.980 the benefits. I just did it because I had to. 00:10:43.980 --> 00:10:47.519 But just as manual labour benefits your muscle 00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:51.460 development, trials benefit our spiritual development, 00:10:51.720 --> 00:10:54.059 because suffering is our spiritual training ground. 00:10:54.600 --> 00:10:57.000 But that endurance I developed was because I 00:10:57.000 --> 00:10:59.759 chose to stay in it. I could have tried avoiding 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:02.899 the task. I probably did a few times. I could 00:11:02.899 --> 00:11:05.759 have tried fighting it. But by choosing to face 00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:07.960 it and stay in it, like Paul says we should do, 00:11:08.220 --> 00:11:11.980 I was able to benefit from it. Sure, an unavoidable 00:11:11.980 --> 00:11:14.340 problem can force us to confront it, but by choosing 00:11:14.340 --> 00:11:16.840 to confront an issue, like a university assignment, 00:11:16.879 --> 00:11:19.740 for example, we strengthen the muscle of our 00:11:19.740 --> 00:11:22.639 capacity to face these issues and persist in 00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:25.710 them. It's just like the gym. Start with the 00:11:25.710 --> 00:11:27.710 small weights and soon enough you'll get stronger 00:11:27.710 --> 00:11:30.950 and the heavy weights won't feel as heavy anymore. 00:11:32.490 --> 00:11:34.889 Verse four, and endurance develops strength of 00:11:34.889 --> 00:11:37.830 character and character strengthens our confident 00:11:37.830 --> 00:11:41.429 hope of salvation. So then having this endurance, 00:11:41.649 --> 00:11:43.490 this strength to face up to our problems and 00:11:43.490 --> 00:11:46.009 persist through them, we also develop strength 00:11:46.009 --> 00:11:50.029 of character. But what does Paul mean by character? 00:11:51.950 --> 00:11:55.129 He means that we not only have the capacity to 00:11:55.129 --> 00:11:58.950 endure the trial, but to act and react well. 00:11:59.889 --> 00:12:02.690 Character is the measure of our ability to live 00:12:02.690 --> 00:12:06.970 the way Christ wants us to live. It's our integrity. 00:12:07.950 --> 00:12:10.750 It's our love for others. Our ability to not 00:12:10.750 --> 00:12:13.389 just endure our suffering, but to hold true to 00:12:13.389 --> 00:12:15.809 our values even when it would be easier to fall 00:12:15.809 --> 00:12:19.149 away, to go back to the bad habits, avoiding 00:12:19.149 --> 00:12:22.389 or fighting the suffering. Strength of character 00:12:22.389 --> 00:12:25.110 gives us the ability to not only weather our 00:12:25.110 --> 00:12:28.009 own storms but to help our brothers and sisters 00:12:28.009 --> 00:12:31.269 weather theirs. And in having this strength of 00:12:31.269 --> 00:12:33.570 character we can look back on the trials we have 00:12:33.570 --> 00:12:36.690 endured in our past and know in our hearts that 00:12:36.690 --> 00:12:40.029 God will carry us through it again. That is the 00:12:40.029 --> 00:12:43.129 foundation of our hope in the future and in our 00:12:43.129 --> 00:12:46.309 ultimate salvation. I can look back now and I'm 00:12:46.309 --> 00:12:49.519 sure you can too at the trials and problems we 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:51.620 would have went through as teenagers and think 00:12:51.620 --> 00:12:54.379 about how they might feel like nothing compared 00:12:54.379 --> 00:12:57.539 to what we have to face today. I know that shoveling 00:12:57.539 --> 00:12:59.799 gravel is no longer as difficult a task as it 00:12:59.799 --> 00:13:03.039 was for me 10 years ago. And we can look back 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:05.679 and see that we're still here today. And we can 00:13:05.679 --> 00:13:08.159 see what God was doing in our lives back then, 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:10.620 the lessons we learned and the strength of character 00:13:10.620 --> 00:13:13.820 God was building in us. So therefore by choosing 00:13:13.820 --> 00:13:16.259 to face our trials and choosing to persist in 00:13:16.259 --> 00:13:19.580 them, We know that God is developing this character 00:13:19.580 --> 00:13:24.039 in us today because suffering is our spiritual 00:13:24.039 --> 00:13:27.639 training ground. If you were to think about what 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:30.480 problems you are currently facing, what kind 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:32.740 of character might God be wanting to develop 00:13:32.740 --> 00:13:38.539 in you? What is it in your life right now that 00:13:38.539 --> 00:13:40.679 you will look back on in five years time and 00:13:40.679 --> 00:13:42.919 think, thank you God for carrying me through 00:13:42.919 --> 00:13:47.259 that? And so we have a developed character. We 00:13:47.259 --> 00:13:49.399 become more mature in our faith as Christians 00:13:49.399 --> 00:13:51.679 by living faithfully and choosing to face our 00:13:51.679 --> 00:13:54.840 problems head on. What does Paul say next? That 00:13:54.840 --> 00:13:57.379 our character strengthens our confident hope 00:13:57.379 --> 00:14:00.419 of salvation. Verse five, and this hope will 00:14:00.419 --> 00:14:02.879 not lead to disappointment for we know how dearly 00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:05.679 God loves us because he has given us the Holy 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:10.039 Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Last 00:14:10.039 --> 00:14:12.559 week, Pastor Ash gave us a great sermon on the 00:14:12.559 --> 00:14:15.360 power of the Holy Spirit. I know that this week 00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:19.600 I've done my best to stop trying and start yielding, 00:14:19.740 --> 00:14:22.500 to let go of my death grip on life and to trust 00:14:22.500 --> 00:14:25.179 the Holy Spirit to work in me, which is hard 00:14:25.179 --> 00:14:26.620 to do when you're prepping a sermon but I've 00:14:26.620 --> 00:14:29.460 been seeing results. If you weren't here last 00:14:29.460 --> 00:14:31.320 week I recommend checking it out on the podcast. 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:34.919 But the relevance here is that Paul reminds us 00:14:34.919 --> 00:14:37.970 that we have been given the Holy Spirit. As Pastor 00:14:37.970 --> 00:14:40.450 Ash said, the Holy Spirit is there to help us. 00:14:40.690 --> 00:14:43.450 We can struggle and try to force our way through 00:14:43.450 --> 00:14:46.389 life on our own and in our own power, but we 00:14:46.389 --> 00:14:49.070 don't have to because the Holy Spirit is there 00:14:49.070 --> 00:14:53.250 to help. And this applies to facing suffering 00:14:53.250 --> 00:14:57.990 too. This is the key difference between how we 00:14:57.990 --> 00:15:00.690 handle suffering and how the world handles it. 00:15:01.309 --> 00:15:04.009 Yes, to endure suffering takes some effort, but 00:15:04.009 --> 00:15:06.690 the Holy Spirit is our Comforter and our Helper. 00:15:06.889 --> 00:15:10.129 He fills our heart with His love, a perfect love 00:15:10.129 --> 00:15:13.450 that drives out all fear. He helps us to endure 00:15:13.450 --> 00:15:17.029 and overcome. Suffering is our spiritual training 00:15:17.029 --> 00:15:21.129 ground and the Holy Spirit is our spotter. And 00:15:21.129 --> 00:15:24.129 that is not the only help God has given us. He 00:15:24.129 --> 00:15:28.500 has given us each other. This is why I absolutely 00:15:28.500 --> 00:15:32.139 cherish our RDG groups. If you're new here, our 00:15:32.139 --> 00:15:34.639 resilient disciple groups are our mid -week small 00:15:34.639 --> 00:15:37.679 groups. For me and for many, they've been a great 00:15:37.679 --> 00:15:39.539 way to connect with others in the church. They're 00:15:39.539 --> 00:15:42.299 spaces for us to pray together and read and discuss 00:15:42.299 --> 00:15:45.419 the Bible together. It's a place to do life together 00:15:45.419 --> 00:15:49.220 and to make church more than Sundays. Our RDG 00:15:49.220 --> 00:15:51.740 groups tie into this core value in a much deeper 00:15:51.740 --> 00:15:54.679 sense than just sharing some keywords. It's a 00:15:54.679 --> 00:15:56.639 place to share our burdens with each other and 00:15:56.639 --> 00:15:58.940 pray for each other. Where we can be strengthened 00:15:58.940 --> 00:16:01.259 by each other and grow in that endurance and 00:16:01.259 --> 00:16:05.240 resilience together. Christ founded the church 00:16:05.240 --> 00:16:09.039 because we cannot follow him alone. But in worshipping 00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:11.139 and celebrating together, we can help one another 00:16:11.139 --> 00:16:14.799 grow to become like Christ. This is what it means 00:16:14.799 --> 00:16:18.360 to be multiplying resilient disciples as a church. 00:16:19.580 --> 00:16:21.220 There's something that Josh said when he preached 00:16:21.220 --> 00:16:24.179 a few weeks ago that really hit me. He said that 00:16:24.179 --> 00:16:27.139 if you never tell anyone what you're going through, 00:16:27.539 --> 00:16:30.559 no one will ever know. And it hit me because 00:16:30.559 --> 00:16:33.639 it's so deeply true. We're all suffering and 00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:36.799 it's so easy to just hide it and pretend you're 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:39.779 fine. I know that I can often struggle to share 00:16:39.779 --> 00:16:42.360 what burns my heart and to ask people for prayer. 00:16:44.079 --> 00:16:47.279 RDGs are a space for that sharing, to be heard 00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:49.879 and loved and supported. And it's a blessing 00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:52.159 to not just receive support, but to be able to 00:16:52.159 --> 00:16:55.980 offer it too. RDGs is a space where we grow in 00:16:55.980 --> 00:16:57.980 trust with each other, pray for each other. It's 00:16:57.980 --> 00:17:00.100 not just an add -on to church, but it's a crucial 00:17:00.100 --> 00:17:02.620 piece of being able to remain in the hardship, 00:17:03.139 --> 00:17:05.839 to go to for spiritual strength, where on our 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:09.900 own, our first option would be those habits we 00:17:09.900 --> 00:17:14.630 use to avoid or fight the pain. If suffering 00:17:14.630 --> 00:17:17.369 is our spiritual training ground, our resilient 00:17:17.369 --> 00:17:19.950 disciple groups are like the spiritual recovery 00:17:19.950 --> 00:17:26.670 spa. Currently, RDGs are on pause because we 00:17:26.670 --> 00:17:29.369 have been all in on running Alpha as a church. 00:17:29.390 --> 00:17:31.069 So if you're curious about Christianity, new 00:17:31.069 --> 00:17:34.470 to the faith, or have a friend that is, you should 00:17:34.470 --> 00:17:37.049 consider coming along or bringing them along. 00:17:37.890 --> 00:17:39.930 Our RDG groups are going to start up again next 00:17:39.930 --> 00:17:42.309 term, so if you're not in one, check it out and 00:17:42.309 --> 00:17:45.130 ask about how to join one. And I am really looking 00:17:45.130 --> 00:17:49.210 forward to RDG starting up again. Living in a 00:17:49.210 --> 00:17:52.089 share house full of blokes, hosting our RDGs 00:17:52.089 --> 00:17:54.849 at our house for me and Isaac, was a really good 00:17:54.849 --> 00:17:59.269 reason for us to keep the place clean. And bless 00:17:59.269 --> 00:18:02.210 others of course. And in the meantime, it seems 00:18:02.210 --> 00:18:04.490 like our dining table has turned into a full 00:18:04.490 --> 00:18:07.430 on 3D printer robot workshop for about a month 00:18:07.430 --> 00:18:09.789 there. Not naming any names or looking at anyone 00:18:09.789 --> 00:18:15.019 in particular. But to return to the three -point 00:18:15.019 --> 00:18:18.279 program, right, Paul says that if we stick it 00:18:18.279 --> 00:18:21.000 out in the suffering, we increase our endurance. 00:18:21.460 --> 00:18:24.240 If we keep on enduring, it produces character 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:27.779 in us, and that character increases our hope 00:18:27.779 --> 00:18:31.319 in God. So we can know that God is using the 00:18:31.319 --> 00:18:33.960 suffering to produce good things in us. Hooray! 00:18:35.019 --> 00:18:39.220 That's why we can have joy in trials, but do 00:18:39.220 --> 00:18:44.750 we always? Do we sometimes have joy? Do we ever 00:18:44.750 --> 00:18:48.750 have joy? The core problem we have with suffering 00:18:48.750 --> 00:18:51.789 and the reason why so often we mirror the methods 00:18:51.789 --> 00:18:54.049 of the world and not the three -point program 00:18:54.049 --> 00:18:57.170 of Paul is that we struggle to trust God with 00:18:57.170 --> 00:19:01.150 our lives. Trusting God means surrendering control 00:19:01.150 --> 00:19:03.950 and we don't like surrendering control because 00:19:03.950 --> 00:19:08.890 it can scare us. In Matthew 6, Christ gives a 00:19:08.890 --> 00:19:11.250 sermon where he reminds us to trust in the Lord. 00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:14.779 Verse 26, he says, look at the birds. They don't 00:19:14.779 --> 00:19:18.180 plant or harvest or store food in barns for your 00:19:18.180 --> 00:19:22.019 heavenly father feeds them. And aren't you far 00:19:22.019 --> 00:19:26.279 more valuable to him than they are? Can all your 00:19:26.279 --> 00:19:31.960 worries add a single moment to your life? We 00:19:31.960 --> 00:19:35.279 worry about so many things. We avoid and we fight 00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:39.079 to try and control how we feel and what we experience. 00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:42.559 We have perpetual anxiety about the future because 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:45.599 it's so hard to put this principle into practice. 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:49.980 We cannot control our way out of suffering. To 00:19:49.980 --> 00:19:52.460 face our trials we have to learn to trust God 00:19:52.460 --> 00:19:55.900 in the moment. But we struggle because surrendering 00:19:55.900 --> 00:20:00.039 control scares us. What if God lets me fail? 00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:03.440 What if our health does turn for the worse? What 00:20:03.440 --> 00:20:07.400 if we don't pass the assignment? Can all your 00:20:07.400 --> 00:20:11.220 worries add a single moment to your life? We 00:20:11.220 --> 00:20:14.119 have to learn to trust God with our lives and 00:20:14.119 --> 00:20:18.859 our futures. At my old school, we had a traditional 00:20:18.859 --> 00:20:21.400 Bible verse associated with the year 12s that 00:20:21.400 --> 00:20:26.980 graduated each year. It was Jeremiah 29, 11. 00:20:28.290 --> 00:20:31.609 Jeremiah 29 11 for I know the plans I have for 00:20:31.609 --> 00:20:34.670 you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and 00:20:34.670 --> 00:20:37.750 not to harm you plans to give you a hope and 00:20:37.750 --> 00:20:41.150 a future of course the fun context is that the 00:20:41.150 --> 00:20:43.529 people of Israel are being shipped off to Babylon 00:20:43.529 --> 00:20:47.349 as God is declaring this they are suffering due 00:20:47.349 --> 00:20:50.410 to their own unrepentant and sinful ways for 00:20:50.410 --> 00:20:54.369 generations and yet the Lord is asking them to 00:20:54.369 --> 00:20:58.359 trust him Many year 12 students head to university 00:20:58.359 --> 00:21:01.299 after graduation, which is quite similar to Babylon 00:21:01.299 --> 00:21:05.119 in many ways. So it really is. It's a very fitting 00:21:05.119 --> 00:21:11.759 verse for the occasion. And each of us have had 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:14.700 that moment in our lives, right? Maybe not university, 00:21:14.779 --> 00:21:17.980 but we have a moment where childhood is over 00:21:17.980 --> 00:21:21.700 and we step out into the real world. It can feel 00:21:21.700 --> 00:21:25.619 like our own personal exile into Babylon. And 00:21:25.619 --> 00:21:28.599 as we go along, life throws trial after trial 00:21:28.599 --> 00:21:31.259 at us and we can develop these unhealthy coping 00:21:31.259 --> 00:21:34.019 strategies. Ways we avoid or fight the feelings 00:21:34.019 --> 00:21:36.380 as we struggle to hold onto control of our lives 00:21:36.380 --> 00:21:39.579 and figure out our futures for ourselves. Try 00:21:39.579 --> 00:21:42.940 as we might, suffering is unavoidable. Grab the 00:21:42.940 --> 00:21:48.420 band back up. And God is not blind to this. Jesus 00:21:48.420 --> 00:21:51.779 is not unaware. Jesus knows what it's like to 00:21:51.779 --> 00:21:56.700 suffer. Hebrews 12 says, and let us run with 00:21:56.700 --> 00:22:00.259 perseverance, the race marked out for us, fixing 00:22:00.259 --> 00:22:04.000 our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter 00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:08.339 of our faith. For the joy set before him, he 00:22:08.339 --> 00:22:11.779 endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat 00:22:11.779 --> 00:22:14.799 down at the right hand of the throne of God. 00:22:15.619 --> 00:22:18.380 When Christ was praying in the garden, the night 00:22:18.380 --> 00:22:20.400 before his crucifixion, he prayed for another 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:24.880 way. But he did what we struggle to do. He prayed 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:28.859 what we struggle to pray. He prayed, not my will, 00:22:29.160 --> 00:22:32.839 but yours be done, Lord. It was Christ who suffered 00:22:32.839 --> 00:22:35.900 and died on the cross for our salvation. His 00:22:35.900 --> 00:22:38.299 resurrection made possible our own resurrection. 00:22:38.920 --> 00:22:41.819 His death defeated death and sin so that we may 00:22:41.819 --> 00:22:44.799 have eternal life. We know how much God loves 00:22:44.799 --> 00:22:47.859 us because he has given us his Holy Spirit. It 00:22:47.859 --> 00:22:50.619 is that Holy Spirit that gives us joy in trials, 00:22:51.160 --> 00:22:53.339 endurance in the face of suffering, character 00:22:53.339 --> 00:22:57.180 and a hope that will not disappoint. For us to 00:22:57.180 --> 00:23:00.019 grow in faith together and to endure in the face 00:23:00.019 --> 00:23:03.319 of trials as Christ endured the cross, that is 00:23:03.319 --> 00:23:06.079 our vision for multiplying resilient disciples 00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:11.259 here at Henley. The first time I prayed my prayer 00:23:11.259 --> 00:23:13.460 for God to help me pass an assignment, it was 00:23:13.460 --> 00:23:16.589 an earnest shot in the dark. I knew that I had 00:23:16.589 --> 00:23:19.309 come to the end of myself and I was without hope 00:23:19.309 --> 00:23:22.450 in my own abilities. I felt like it would take 00:23:22.450 --> 00:23:24.930 a miracle to pass and I gave it over to God. 00:23:26.390 --> 00:23:28.509 By the fourth time I prayed that prayer it was 00:23:28.509 --> 00:23:31.289 with confidence that God had helped me before 00:23:31.289 --> 00:23:35.650 and I felt that He would help me again. The last 00:23:35.650 --> 00:23:37.650 time I prayed that prayer it wasn't about an 00:23:37.650 --> 00:23:39.950 assignment, but it was a prayer where I knew 00:23:39.950 --> 00:23:43.920 my future was out of my control. Late last year, 00:23:43.940 --> 00:23:46.019 I was finishing up my last teaching placement. 00:23:46.500 --> 00:23:48.519 My toe was infected and needed surgery and I 00:23:48.519 --> 00:23:50.900 was booked in for a wisdom tooth removal. I was 00:23:50.900 --> 00:23:53.160 flat broke. I had a job lined up that would fall 00:23:53.160 --> 00:23:54.980 through if I couldn't get some very important 00:23:54.980 --> 00:23:57.940 paperwork sorted in time. It was a tough time 00:23:57.940 --> 00:24:00.660 for me. I prayed that prayer for God to get me 00:24:00.660 --> 00:24:03.680 through it and he did. I finished my placement, 00:24:03.859 --> 00:24:05.940 got the job and healed up well. I can look back 00:24:05.940 --> 00:24:08.339 now and appreciate all that he has done for me. 00:24:09.029 --> 00:24:11.390 I've felt so blessed to have finished my degree 00:24:11.390 --> 00:24:13.670 and to be teaching where I am at a good Christian 00:24:13.670 --> 00:24:15.750 school with supportive colleagues and helpful 00:24:15.750 --> 00:24:18.349 mentors and a great relationship with so many 00:24:18.349 --> 00:24:21.849 students. But having gained so much, I feel like 00:24:21.849 --> 00:24:25.490 I have so much to lose. I have no guarantees 00:24:25.490 --> 00:24:27.309 that there's a contract for me there next year. 00:24:27.930 --> 00:24:30.650 It's totally out of my control. It's just how 00:24:30.650 --> 00:24:34.170 it is. Never before in my life have I cared this 00:24:34.170 --> 00:24:36.410 much about something. To feel so invested in 00:24:36.410 --> 00:24:38.450 a community and the lives of the young people 00:24:38.450 --> 00:24:41.549 I teach, the thought of losing it all weighs 00:24:41.549 --> 00:24:46.009 on me heavily. Some days I avoid it. Put on the 00:24:46.009 --> 00:24:48.309 podcast for the drive home, grab some KFC to 00:24:48.309 --> 00:24:50.349 lift my mood. I don't have to worry about it 00:24:50.349 --> 00:24:53.869 till next year, right? It's so far away. Some 00:24:53.869 --> 00:24:56.410 days I fight it. I think that maybe if I go to 00:24:56.410 --> 00:24:58.289 every after school event and become the most 00:24:58.289 --> 00:25:01.400 beloved teacher and write a great staff devotion 00:25:01.400 --> 00:25:03.339 and plan the best lessons, there's no way they 00:25:03.339 --> 00:25:07.420 could let me go, right? But how could I possibly 00:25:07.420 --> 00:25:11.539 rejoice in it? This suffering might be so totally 00:25:11.539 --> 00:25:13.859 different to what it is that you're going through. 00:25:14.539 --> 00:25:17.640 But the truth remains, suffering is our spiritual 00:25:17.640 --> 00:25:20.700 training ground. And I can have joy and choose 00:25:20.700 --> 00:25:23.480 to face this feeling. Remain in this moment because 00:25:23.480 --> 00:25:26.500 I know that God is inviting me to grow in trust. 00:25:26.990 --> 00:25:29.289 So I continue to pray that prayer, but not the 00:25:29.289 --> 00:25:33.089 same way. I know what I want, but I know that 00:25:33.089 --> 00:25:35.210 what God has planned for me is greater than what 00:25:35.210 --> 00:25:37.730 I have planned for myself. That whatever the 00:25:37.730 --> 00:25:41.289 outcome, He is the one who is in control. I pray 00:25:41.289 --> 00:25:43.670 that His vision for my life can become my vision 00:25:43.670 --> 00:25:46.829 for my life. Not my will, but His will. That 00:25:46.829 --> 00:25:48.950 whatever place He puts me in is the place He 00:25:48.950 --> 00:25:52.809 chose for me to work His glory. So we know that 00:25:52.809 --> 00:25:55.269 we can follow Christ's example in the garden. 00:25:55.519 --> 00:25:58.259 we can rejoice in our present trials and suffering 00:25:58.259 --> 00:26:01.720 because we know that He has plans for us, plans 00:26:01.720 --> 00:26:04.720 to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give 00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:09.240 us hope and a future. If you have a trial that 00:26:09.240 --> 00:26:11.319 you feel like you've been struggling trying to 00:26:11.319 --> 00:26:13.319 control, whether it's avoiding it or fighting 00:26:13.319 --> 00:26:16.299 it, consider that you can hand that over to God 00:26:16.299 --> 00:26:19.380 tonight. You can choose to place your trust in 00:26:19.380 --> 00:26:23.019 Him and to surrender that control. Everyone, 00:26:23.059 --> 00:26:33.420 let's stand together and pray. Lord, you are 00:26:33.420 --> 00:26:38.000 good. You see the trials in our life and you 00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:40.980 know the fruit coming from it. I pray that in 00:26:40.980 --> 00:26:43.900 this moment I can surrender that control and 00:26:43.900 --> 00:26:47.220 surrender it to you. Trust ourselves into the 00:26:47.220 --> 00:26:49.279 plan you have for our life that is better than 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:54.980 ours. Thanks so much for tuning into this week's 00:26:54.980 --> 00:26:58.240 message. If you felt challenged or need prayer, 00:26:58.779 --> 00:27:01.480 we'd love to hear from you on Instagram at encounterhemley. 00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:04.460 or if you're interested in how you can support 00:27:04.460 --> 00:27:08.380 this ministry, please go to our website encounteradelaide 00:27:08.380 --> 00:27:12.579 .com .au Thanks again for listening. God bless 00:27:12.579 --> 00:27:12.940 you.