Transcript
As Jesus was leaving earth and he was given his final instructions to his disciples. He said these words, in the world, you'll have trouble, but do not be afraid, for I have overcome the world. All of us will face trouble, because God has decided between the already of our conversion and the not yet of our home going. We will live in this broken world that is not functioning the way God intended, and suffering will enter all of our doors. If you're not suffering now, well, you're near someone who is and you will suffer someday, trouble is unavoidable, and in that trouble, there are spiritual traps for us.
Denying Gravity and Denying Help
I want to talk to you in this moment about the trap of denial, one of the things that one of the ways that we cope with difficulty is by denying two things, a, denying its gravity, its seriousness, and B, by denying the dysfunctional ways that we're dealing with trouble, denial in moments of trouble is circumstantial denial and self-denial. Now here's what you need to understand. Biblical faith never, ever, ever requires that any one of us deny reality. I've said this before. I will continue to say this. The Bible is filled with tawdry, dark, rather horrible stories.
Why? Because God wants us to know that His power, His sovereignty, his grace, wraps their arms around every dark human experience. Denial is not Biblical faith. If you have to reach momentary personal peace by denying the gravity of your situation or denying your wrong and dysfunctional ways of dealing with it, you may reach temporary peace, but you're not exercising Biblical faith. Biblical faith never requires you to deny reality. You don't have to deny what is real. Now, there are patterns to denial, maybe, maybe numbing is a pattern of denial, where, where I numb myself with hours and hours of television, or I numb myself with alcohol, or I numb myself with busyness.
It's the busyness, it's the drink, it's the TV that's keeping my mind from thinking about things that I don't want to face. Now, why don't I have to deny things. Why did I have why can I avoid this trap? Well, they're in the words that I read in the world. You'll find trouble. Now listen carefully, but do not be afraid. I have overcome the world. You do not have to deny that which your savior has overcome in His power and His sovereignty. He knows exactly where he's placed you. He is not up in heaven scratching his head and wringing his hands, wondering what he's going to do next, because he had no idea you'd end up where you end up.
God Has No Surprises
God has no mystery. God has no surprise, and he has already given you everything you need to face what you're going to face Second Peter one three says that he has already given us everything we need for life and godliness. What is godliness? It's a God honoring life between the already of my conversion and the not yet of my home going. It's a God honoring life in this broken world where the unexpected the unwanted, the hard, the difficult, the unappreciated, the unplanned, will enter my door. That promise of Second Peter one three says, I've been given by the grace of God through the cross of Jesus Christ, through his shed.
Blood and his powerful presence, I've been given everything I need to face the hard things that I would be tempted to deny. Denial will never take you anywhere good. Denial has never solved a problem. Denial has never changed a heart. Denial can't create a heart that's finally at peace. It can't denial is a trap. It's a false god, it's a false savior. It's a lie. You can face what God has ordained for you to face, because you never face it on your own. You face it through the strength of the one who has overcome the thing that would defeat you.
