Announcements:
- Sign Up for Thursday Night Bible Study at 7pm, (Bible Study theme: Hungry to Grow In My Christian Journey)
- Men’s Meeting September 16, 2023 at 9:30am.
- King Jesus will be praised worship night (September 24, 2023 at 6pm)
- Women’s Meeting October 21, 2023.
- Spanish Translation for the sermon is now available at HCC. Feel free to invite Spanish speaking people to church.
- Youth meet every Saturday at 6:30pm.
- Pray for HCC and Open Hands Community Charitable Services as we prepare to expand our service to the community.
Sermon Notes:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 NIV
The Christian life is not absent of struggle, it is a promise that in your season of struggle God will give you the strength to be victorious.
It is not a matter of if there are troubles, it is a matter of when there are troubles in your life, how will you respond?
There are three types of troubles we will encounter in our lives:
- Trials – Respond with joy
- Conflict – Respond by rejoicing and being glad for great is your reward in heaven
- Troubles of our own making (if you love me obey my commandments)
God allows trials in our lives for our benefit. It perfects us by increasing our faith and producing endurance.
Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:2-4 NAS
But without faith it is impossible to please him:
Hebrews 11:6
Conflict will come our way in this life because we follow Jesus and because we obey his commandments.
Yes, truth is lacking; And he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey.
Isaiah 59:15 NASB
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:11-12 ESV
When they see your faith and come after you, God is going to bless you. Rejoice because God is going to bless you.
Know this, you do not get blessed because you are under attack, you get blessed because of why you are under attack. When you are attacked for righteousness’s sake.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10 KJV
Paul and Silas at Philippi were arrested, flogged and imprisoned. They responded by praying and praising God and saw a great victory.
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
Matthew 11:12
We are talking about a spiritual kingdom.
This spiritual kingdom suffers spiritual violence and the spiritually violent will take it by force.
Violence is when you disturb, disrupt, or destroy a present course of action.
You are a soldier in the army of God and you are either going to disrupt and destroy the plans of the enemy for your life, or he is going to steal the promise of God in you.
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Matthew 24:13
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 2:3
This morning He wants to know will you put faith in Him, so he can pour out what he knows about you.
He wants to know do you believe in me enough to let me show you what we can do together.
