YP Talk—Nate Brown
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Maybe before we start, we'll just ask Lord for his help.
The God and Father, we just thank each knight that we can sing these songs by love to us. We thank You that we can open that word for a few minutes and read more of Thy loves. We thank You that Thou hast sent Thy Son into this world to die for us and to bring us into a relationship with Thee. And we would just pray tonight that we would all be encouraged to enjoy that relationship.
Just a little bit more. And so we're just asking now as we look into Thy word for thy help, we pray that the speaker might be clear and understandable and that thy word might be what is remembered tonight and through just commit this time into thy care in Jesus name, Amen.
It's interesting to me tonight that.
Of all the songs that were given out, it seems to me that we started with a few songs that talked about our trials and our difficulties and how the Lord can help us in them when we take take our problems to the Lord.
And then the next few songs spoke of the Lord's love to us.
And there's another song in there about the endurance power of God's word. And then it seems to be near the end that we started singing again about the struggles and the fact that we can be happy in spite of them. And that's kind of what was on my heart to talk about tonight. So maybe we can start in, uh, first Peter chapter one.
Been mentioned a few times at this conference.
The circumstance of the death of a a little child and how it would be a trial to the parents, to the grandparents, to all the family. And for all those looking on, it's a it's a burden for each one.
But it was also mentioned that that the parents had a joyful spirit about it all, and it's something that I think we can all benefit from looking at them as an example of taking a difficult situation, taking it from the Lord and rejoicing in it. So I just read in first Peter chapter one.
And I was thinking about verse six, but maybe we'll start with verse 2.
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace unto you and peace you multiply. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled.
And that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time, wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be.
Ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations, that the trial of your face being much more precious than of gold that perishes though it be tried to fire, might be found, and to praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
So in these verses, from 2:00 to 5:00 or so, we have all these things that that God has given us, and it's in His sovereignty that we have these things. There's nothing in these verses that is dependent on you and I.
He left according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.
According to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God.
And then we have in verse 6 here what I was thinking of says wherein you greatly rejoiced, though now for a season if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.
And so these temptations are testing the trials things that.
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Test our faith and whether we will put into practice what we profess.
UMM says that we ought to greatly rejoice so now for a season. And that word, those words for a season, tells me that these trials and difficulties are temporary. They they don't last forever.
There's another time for a season is used, and that's in Hebrews Chapter 11 where it's talking about Moses and he says, umm, choosing rather to suffer. Umm, I might have to turn to it. Hebrews 11 and verse 26 or 25, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
And so there again we have.
That word for a season. And so the pleasures of sin don't last either.
But turning back to our verse in first Peter.
Our trials and difficulties, they don't last forever and it says if need be. And so these difficulties that come into our life from time to time.
They're necessary and they're ordained of God-given to us because he wants to form us to be more like Christ.
Says if need be here in heaviness through manifold temptations.
That word manifold is a word that comes up in our King James Bible a few times and I don't know why, but I, I kind of like that word just because it's, it's a little bit different. We don't always use it. Umm, but the word manifolds.
Some other words for it could be numerous or various or many.
Uh, it could also be, uh, translated sometimes as great or mighty. Umm, So these, these trials, they're, we, we have a lot of them in our lives. And I think it's safe to say that, that every person here has gone through difficult times, whether it's umm, you know, maybe feeling a sense of loneliness or maybe, umm.
You know, a lot of us are in a, a younger age group and, and we don't have all the life experiences that those that are older have. Umm, And so we, we have great hopes for our life maybe. And sometimes we can see that maybe things aren't going to turn out the way that we had planned or that we had hoped. And that could be a trial as well. That could be a discouragement.
It can get us down. Umm.
Section 2.
You know, there's, there are many that would like to grow up and get married, get a good job and it doesn't always happen the way that we hope it will.
But despite all of that, every difficulty says if need be. And so we all have difficulties and just thinking again of of Jeff and Heidi and the loss of their child.
It says if need be so it was necessary that that child would die.
We don't always understand why the Lord brings trials into our life, but we can trust Him and know that it's for our benefit. We can read in Romans chapter 8 is mentioned before that we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are called according to his purpose. And it goes on to talk about his love and how nothing could separate us from his love.
I was just thinking of this word manifold and I thought maybe we could just take a few minutes and look at some other verses that talk that use that word.
Umm, so we may as well start in first Peter here again. And if we turn over to Chapter 4.
First Peter, chapter 4.
It says.
Verse 11.
Verse 10 sorry, as every man has received the gift, Even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. So not only do we receive manifold temptations and trials, but we're also recipients of the manifold grace of God. And that's that's an encouragement.
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In the midst of a trial that.
That word manifold, that's not the trials are not the only thing that we have manifold versions of. We we have the manifold grace of God that has been given to us.
And so now we can turn over to Nehemiah Chapter 9.
And in these verses, I think it's dealing more with Israel's history, but there's principles in Israel's history that we can apply to ourselves, the ways of God with his people.
So Nehemiah Chapter 9.
And he's talking about all their their waywardness and their forgetfulness of God and how they had gone after idols and false gods.
So maybe we'll just start in verse 18.
Nehemiah 918 Yeah, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and hath wrought and had wrought great provocations, yet thou and thy manifold mercies forsook them not in the wilderness.
The pillar of cloud departed not from them by day to lead them in the way, neither the pillar of fire by night to show them light, and the way wherein they should go. So not only are we recipients of the manifold grace of God, but here God gives out His manifold mercies, and we we have that word again in verse 27. Therefore thou delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them, and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee.
Thou heardest them from heaven, and according to thy manifold mercies, thou gavest them Saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.
So again.
This time Israel cried out for help, and it was the same manifold mercies that he granted in in, says he, he gave them saviors who saved them out of the hand of their enemies. So we have manifold temptations, but we can be thankful that God has given to us his manifold grace, and here he's given manifold mercies.
Maybe we can turn over again to Daniel Chapter 9.
Daniel, Chapter 9.
And umm, verse 18.
This is a prayer of Daniel as he's confessing all the sins of Israel to the Lord. He says, Oh my God, incline thine here and here, open thine eyes, and behold our desolations and the city which is called by thy name. For we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. That word great in the Darby translation is.
Manifold mercies.
So again we have this manifold mercies and and when we come to the Lord for help like like Daniel is doing here in Chapter 9.
He's saying, I know that we've sinned. I know we don't deserve any blessing at all. And so we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousness. Because he knew that they didn't really have any. They deserved every bit of judgment that they were getting.
But he appeals to the Lord on the basis of His great mercies, His manifold mercies.
So we can maybe turn over now to.
Uh, book of Psalms.
Psalm 10-4.
In this song he seems to be going over some of the the beauties of creation. He talks about, uh, the trees, the Cedars, the birds, the high hills, uh, the moon, the seasons, the sun, the Young Lions, the sun rising.
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But then in verse 24 he says.
O Lord, how manifold are Thy works in wisdom? Hast Thou made them all?
The earth is full of thy riches.
So the Lord in creation displays his manifolds.
Works. And in those manifold works we see his wisdom and his riches, and that's something that is on display for all to see. We all can see creation. We all have a part in it.
And there's many things in creation that we don't understand, but we can understand that his wisdom and his riches in creation are manifold their various. And I understand this word manifold in this chapter here in in verse 24. It has the thought of not only numerous and mighty and great and and various, but it's it's a thought of increasing.
So you might say that.
Every morning that those manifold works of God in creation are shown out just a little bit more.
Now maybe we could turn over to Ephesians chapter 3.
Ephesians chapter 3.
And.
Maybe we could start with verse 8, Ephesians 3:00 and 8:00.
And to me, who am less than the least of All Saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hidden? God, who created all things by Jesus Christ, to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the Church.
The manifold wisdom of God.
So not only in creation do we see wisdom and riches and the manifold works of God on display, but now today, through the church, through you and I, as the body of Christ and his ways with us, we see his manifold wisdom is on display again.
And he uses trials.
In his wisdom to display that those riches and that wisdom in verse eight we have the unsearchable riches of Christ.
And verse 10.
To the intent, that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church to manifold wisdom of God.
And so that's something that.
I think when when the words, the principalities and powers are used that that often has reference to the angels that are looking on. And so God's wisdom is on display through you and I as believers who are.
Recipients of His grace and His mercy, we've been brought into his riches and He's shown us His wisdom. His ways with us are on display, and the angels are looking on.
And when we are called to pass through a trial or a difficulty.
The angels are looking on and can see the spirit in which we take that and.
Our natural heart does not want to take it from the Lord. Our natural heart is going to be angry with God when we have trials, especially when we admit that they come from God, and we can get really discouraged and down on ourselves.
But that new nature that we have wants to please God, and it recognizes those mercies and those that grace that comes from God. And that spirit, that joyful spirit that we can have even in the middle of a trial is on display. It's on display to the angels and it's on display to one another. And it can be an encouragement when we see.
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A fellow believer in a very difficult situation, but they have a smile on their face.
I know of many who are going through trials even today.
Some even confined to their home. Confined to a wheelchair maybe.
And.
Their prayer, and I've heard this for myself, they've told me their prayer is that the Lord would use that difficult circumstance, that he would use it for the salvation.
There's someone looking around.
And that's something that.
Lots of exercise each one of us that when we have problems in our life, maybe we.
Failure class, maybe we.
Don't have the friends that we want to have.
Maybe we're feeling lonely and and by ourselves.
It's nice to know that.
That the Lord understands He can show sympathy to us. We had in John 11 how the Lord could weep at the grave.
He didn't have to weep. He could have just said, well, I can fix the problem and here we go, I'm going to do it. But he entered into those those sorrows that that were at the tomb there and said, maybe we could turn to it in Hebrews chapter 4.
MMM Because the points of all our, our trials that that the Lord sends our way is to draw us closer to him. And it says, umm, we ready first, Peter, wherein you greatly rejoice. And so he wants us to rejoice in our trials, to take our trials to him. And we can count on him for support, for guidance, for direction, for health.
And so I was just reading Hebrews chapter 4.
Uh, we can start in verse 14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest that has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. Let us hold fast, fast our profession, for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly enter the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy.
And find grace to help in time of need.
That time of need is when we are in trial.
And we've read from God's Word that he gives us manifold mercies and his manifold grace.
And he wants us to come to him in communion with him and to ask him for help. He wants us to take our trials and our problems to him. He wants to share in us with our with everything about us in our life. And if it has to be a trial that draws us closer to him.
Then praise God for the trial. He wants to show us mercy. He wants to show us grace. But He wants, He desires that response from our heart that would cause us to turn to Him in prayer to be found in His presence.
And that's where we find true joy.
We can read and Psalm 16.
Maybe I'll I'll end with this verse.
Psalm 16.
And just the last verse, verse 11.
Thou show me the path of life.
In thy presence is fullness of joy.
At thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
So if it takes a trial to get us into his presence.
Then praise God for it again. In thy presence is fullness of joy. He wants you and I to be happy.
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And again, if it takes a trial to produce that happiness and that joy that we've turned to him.
And receive those manifold mercies, manifold grace of God, and we see His manifold wisdom in all of it.
We can honestly say.
Even if we don't enter into the fullness of it, we don't maybe can't explain it as well as we should or could.
We can understand in our hearts. In Thy presence is fullness of joy.
And I was just thinking of a a a hymn in the little flock. I don't know if if many have it with them, but I was wondering if we could sing it together.
Number, uh.
42 in the appendix.
I'll just read the last verse. In thy presence we are happy. In thy presence we are secure. In thy presence all afflictions we can easily endure. In thy presence we can conquer, we can suffer, we can die wandering from the We are feeble. Let thy love Lord, keep us nigh that nearness to Christ that produces that joy in our hearts.
And so maybe if someone could start with him? 42 in the appendix please.
In thy presence we are high.
And my sisters, take care.
And my friends and all that.
Turn.
We can hear, we can answer the love of the life.
Maybe we can just pray.
Our God and Father, we just thank Thee for thy word which we can open. We thank Thee for all Thy mercy, Thy grace, Thy goodness to us. We thank Thee for Thy manifold wisdom in our lives. And we would just confess that we hardly enter into all that Thou just have for us. But one thing we know is that when we are close to Thee that we're happy. And so we were just praying out.
Draws nearer to thee and and so we were just asking out for the rest of the evening and we just pray for each one that will help us to be an encouragement 1 to another that we might be able to .1 another to Christ. And we just pray that our fellowship might be happy and our enjoyment of thee might might be something that that really has an effect on each one of us. And so we just.
Think two of our time together and eating the snacks that had been prepared to and we just thank you for them and we would just even thank you for everything in our life without us. Allow we know that we're told to rejoice evermore and to pray without ceasing in everything. Give thanks and this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
And so we would just pray that we might have that thankful spirit.
And that joyful spirit and a spirit that wants to go on happy with these who are just, ask thee for thy continued care for each one of us, in thy name, Lord Jesus, Amen.