When it hurts, tell somebody.

Steve Brown:
When it hurts, tell somebody. Let’s talk about it, on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
Being adopted into the family of God is not about doing more or trying harder. It’s about being welcomed by God because of His radical grace, free from the penalties of sin and never alone in your suffering. That grace is what Key Life is all about.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. I hope you guys had a great week-end. And I hope your pastor’s sermon was as good as my pastor’s sermon. If you’re just joining us, we’re in the middle of a study of the Book of Philippians. A powerful New Testament book, and we’re spending a good deal of time in this book. I, by the way, am your tour director. And as we go through this particular book, we’ll stop at special places. And I’ll show you some of the sites that I’ve discovered in this particular book. It’s our practice before we study to pray on Mondays, so let’s do that. Father, we thank you that you wrote it down. We’re thankful for the word, the written word, because it points to the living Word, even Jesus. We praise you and we worship you because you cared enough and loved enough to send your Son to die on a cross in our place. Father, you know the people who are listening now to this broadcast, there are hard places and soft places, there are tears and there is laughter, and you’re sovereign and over every bit of that. Teach us to run to you when it hurts and to run to you when it doesn’t. Teach us to see you as our resource, totally sufficient for every need. And then Father, we as always pray for the one who teaches on this broadcast. Forgive him his sins, cause there are many. We would see Jesus and him only. And we pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen. If you were listening last week, we began a study of Philippians 1:12 through 18a as a part of this verse by verse, line by line, precept by precept study in the Book of Philippians. And we’re talking, and I’m continuing to do that this week about what happens or how do you deal with it when bad things happen to Christians. Too often, when we come to Christ, people tell us, now, you can walk through the tulips with Jesus. Now, things are going to get really good. Now, nothing bad will happen to you. I don’t know if anybody told you that, but they lied to you. In fact, everything that happens to a pagan happens to a believer, so that everybody can see the difference. But be that as it may, the Scripture is very clear about Christians facing everything that is hurtful and painful and negative about the world. Because we are not outsiders of the human race, but we have an advantage that others don’t have, we have the word of God to give us some direction when we’re going through a hard time. And so, let me take the time to read that particular text to you, and then we’ll dig in and study some more about what happens when bad things happen to Christians. This is what Paul writes.

Now, I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, as a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of the Lord more courageously and fearlessly. It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do it in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for a while I’m in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true motives, Christ is preached, and because of this, I will rejoice.

Now, if you were listening last week, we talked about the principle of commonality. Bad things happen to good people. Bad things happen to everybody, Philippians 1:7

Whether I am in chains.

Philippians 1:13

I am in chains for Christ.

Philippians 1:14

Because of my chains.

Philippians 1:17

While I am in chains.

So, don’t complain, and as Peter said.

Don’t be surprised when these things happen to you as a Christian.

And then secondly, not only did I want you to see the principle of commonality, I wanted you to see the fact of control, Philippians 1:12

Now, I want you to know that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.

In other words, some people meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. He took the spin and spinned it differently in a way, and span it differently in a way. I’m making up words here, but you get what I’m trying to say, that God made it right and for his glory, because God does that with everything. And then I mentioned, but we didn’t talk about it very much, that not only should you see the principle of commonality and the fact of control, I want you to note also the necessity of communication. Look at Philippians 1:13.

As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.

I said it earlier, and John DeBrine taught me this, he said.

That every time something bad happens to a Christian, something bad happens to a pagan so that the world will know the difference.

Now, I could reverse that. Every time something bad happens to a pagan, something bad happens to a Christian. When an unbeliever gets cancer, a believer gets cancer. When an unbeliever goes through a marriage problem, a believer goes through a marriage problem. When an unbeliever has financial difficulties, a believer has financial difficulties. And that’s because we’re here for them, and they can watch. And in the communication, there is great power. So, if it hurts, don’t keep it to yourself. If you’re going through a tough time, make that a part of your witness. If you can’t sleep at night, don’t just pretend that you got a good night’s sleep. Because a part of this whole thing that God does in our lives is that he lifts us up so the world can see the difference. John Powell has steps of communication or levels of communication. Let me, or maybe it was Dave Sims, I don’t know who said this, but it’s pretty profound, he said. The first step is cliché, that’s not sharing, that’s just using words. The second is fact, that is when you share what you know to be true, as in 2 plus 2 equals 4. There’s opinion, and that’s what you think about the facts that you know. Then there’s emotion, and that’s different, that’s what you feel about the things that you know. And then finally, there’s transparence, and that is what you are, and that is our gift, the gift that God gives to the world. The last place in the church is where we see that. You’re, you know it’s true. We put our best faces on in church. Let me tell you something, if you’re going to do something bad, do it in church, for heaven’s sake, don’t do it in front of the world. The church should understand, they won’t, they’re self-righteous. And if you hurt, don’t go out and broadcast it, but tell everybody in the church and then tell everybody so that they can see the difference. Do you ever think that God can use the bad things that happen to you to demonstrate to your friends that you belong to Jesus? I believe there is that correlation I taught you, try to remember it. When bad things happen to them, bad things happen to us. And that’s our opportunity, that’s our platform, that’s what God has given to us to give to them. And so, don’t forget the necessity of communication. I have a friend who has two sons who committed suicide and his wife is struggling with cancer and I talked to him yesterday and we prayed together and cried together. But you know what he’s determined to do? He and his wife are going to write a book to let the world know about the faithfulness of Christ when it hurts. Hmm. Well, he’s being obedient to Scripture. You should be too. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
Thanks Steve. That was Steve Brown, resuming our tour of the book of Philippians. And in our typical Key Life style, we are taking our time, making sure to explore all the different details and aspects. Tomorrow, we’ll dive in starting at Philippians 1:12 to examine the idea that we are each here for each other. Hope you’ll join us. Well, school is back in session and with that comes textbooks and novels and all sorts of various reading. And here at Key Life, we have our own required reading. Don’t worry, you’ll enjoy it. I’m talking about our annual digital issue of Key Life magazine. It features articles from Steve, Kendra Fletcher, Barry Smith, and your old buddy, Matthew. That’s, that’s, that’s me. You can access that digital magazine right now at keylife.org/magazines we also have a print magazine with totally different content. If you haven’t claimed your copy yet, we do still have some available. So, call us at 1-800-KEY-LIFE that’s 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail [email protected] to ask for that magazine. And to mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses. Just ask for your free copy of Key Life magazine. Last thing, if you value the work of Key Life, would you join us in that work through your financial support? Giving is easy. Just charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or simply text Key Life to 28950, then follow the instructions. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And we are a listener supported production of Key Life Network.