(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Alright, this morning I want to preach a sermon that I hope will be a blessing for everybody here. Obviously, I mean, it's probably something I could say with every sermon I preach, but particularly with this sermon, I preach on the subject of being pushed to your breaking point, and I think this is an area that many people, if not everyone, can relate to having been pushed at some point in your life for various reasons. There's a lot of different things that happen in life where you can feel, you get to the point where you feel like, I can't go on any longer. When you get to the point where things have just stacked up and piled up, and you just want to die, you just want to quit, you just want everything to end, and you're kind of thinking like, I don't know what to do and I don't know how to continue, and you've kind of made it to your wits end. You're just, you're just done. And the Bible talks about this and discusses this, and if you look down in your Bible here, in verse number eight, look what the Bible says there. For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia. So first thing I want to point out here is he's saying, we want you to know that we were in trouble. This isn't something that's just completely supposed to just be kept under wraps. Now look, we all, it's a, I think it is a good thing to be able to handle situations and be able to go through things and not be a burden to other people, right? And to go through some things and try to deal with it on yourself and not try to bother everyone else. But there's gonna come a point where you need other people. And there's also a point here where people can learn from what other people go through. An understanding that even if someone doesn't have the same exact thing happen that happens to you, everybody can get to a point where you feel like you can't go on anymore. And this instruction, what he's teaching, is he's saying, look, we don't want you to be ignorant of the trouble that came to us in Asia. Look what it says, that we were pressed out of measure above strength in so much that we despaired even of life. He's like, we were pressed so hard above measure that we just kind of felt like, let's deal, I just want to die. This is exactly what he's describing here. Now we know that, you know, these types of events can happen for many different reasons, right? People who are not even Christians can get pushed to breaking points with just stressors in their life, things that happen, bad things that happen, things you have to deal with. But we know for certain as a believer, as a Christian, that, you know, all that live godly, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. So we can expect that there's gonna be, for certain, if you're gonna live a godly life, persecution that's gonna come your way. So while some people, you know, different people deal with kind of different things in their life, some people might not have as much drama or many as many bad things happening, then others just in general on what happens to people on a normal basis, as a believer, as a Bible believer, as someone who wants to adhere to the word of God and live a righteous godly life, you kind of can expect to have maybe a little bit more of this going on. And on top of that, you know, I preached on Wednesday night about the trials about God trying the righteous. We see that that also happens where God may put you through some trials and some testing to see where your heart is and where your faith is. So we shouldn't think it's a strange thing for the the fiery trial that is to try you, and again I preach on this on Wednesday night, if you miss it go back and listen to it, but we need to be prepared on how to deal with such things, right? So we get some really good information just earlier even in this very chapter, if you jump up a little bit, the Bible says there, I'm gonna start reading again, verse number two, grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulation. So when you get to your breaking point, what do you need? Some comfort. You need someone else to strengthen you. That word comfort has implied in it a strengthening, right? So when people comfort you, they're gonna try to edify you and build you up and strengthen you to get through the times that you need to get through, and the Bible says right off the bat that God comforts us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God, and you see here the transfer like well God's comforted us so now we should be able to comfort other people who can also be going through the tribulations, and I'm gonna say this as well, oftentimes when people go through these really dark moments and these really dark times in their lives and they feel like I can't go on, everything's falling apart, nothing's working out for me, the number one thing I think human nature of people want to do is isolate themselves and just get away from everyone and get away from everything and I just kind of need to be away but I'll tell you what that's gonna be a dangerous place to be if what you include in getting away from everyone is getting out of church and getting away from the people of God and getting away from Lord you do not want to go there look God is gonna be the one that's gonna provide that comfort to you and the people of God are gonna be there to also provide the comfort to you that they've already received from the Lord there's people who have gone through similar situations that can help you that can help strengthen you they're not gonna make all of your problems dissolve and go away the problem still exists but you need the strength to be able to continue and to go through the hard times that's what you need the trial is look having done all things about this we need to stand that's what God's asking expecting us to do and requires to say whatever's going on just make sure you still just stand when when all the bad things come against you you don't have to be out there fighting away and so you know just make sure you're still standing though don't get knocked out of the fight don't quit don't faint don't give up trials will come and you will get pressed to your limits and again if you haven't already you can expect that and try to prepare for that but it's going to come it's going to come and it probably is going to happen well more than one time or two times or three times in your life where you end up feeling like you're getting pressed beyond measure look at verse number five there for as the sufferings of Christ abound in us so our consolation also abounded by Christ he's talking about I mean don't miss that a lot of times hey language sounds great and we could read our Bibles and and you just sort of pass over it what is he saying there the sufferings of Christ abound in us they're experiencing a lot of sufferings similar what Christ went through he's saying hey that those things are abounding in us so our consolation also abounded by Christ we have it we have a Savior we have a God that knows how everything feels knows firsthand directly how being rejected feels how being pressed beyond measure feels how having those close to you betray you how have you know people reject you spit on you mock you beat you he knows how all that feels and whether we be afflicted look at this it is for your consolation and salvation which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer or whether we be comforted it is for your consolation and salvation and our hope of you is steadfast knowing that as ye are partakers of the suffering so shall you be also of the consolation whatever sufferings you will face and endure there is a consolation available for you there is a comfort there is strength to be found through the difficult times but what I find just the most intriguing or the most satisfying I guess is I preach this pretty regularly I feel like because it's such a primal concept delivered to us by scripture of putting others before yourself and notice that same thought is exists there in verse number six he says whether we be afflicted it is for your consolation and salvation they're turning their own sufferings to help other people it's magnificent and it's in its wisdom it's 100% true but we need to remember this and bury this into our minds and engrain this because it's not the easiest when you're going through the hard time to remember that to think about other people when everything is going wrong in your life you're focused on you but what is going to help you get through one is going to be definitely the comfort of other people for sure you're going to need that help but being able to still divert or transfer some of your thoughts off of yourself onto others will also strengthen you and see well you know you will be able to use your trying your trials you're being pressed out measure to help other people like I said that's that's probably that's not what you're going to be thinking at the time but the more knowledge that we gain and and thought I mean think about this meditate on this remember this gain this truth so that when the hard times come all of the truths that you hear all of the we're gonna look at various examples of great men of God prophets preachers that also went through times where they wish they were dead think on these people think on these things and and gain the comfort of knowing that one hey if they have gone through these things and still made it through you can too right knowing there's a light at the end of the tunnel is important no even if you can't see it just knowing it's there having the faith to just get through the difficult time is what you're going to need turn if you would to the book of job job is the first example that I want I mean this is I think kind of the obvious choice if we're talking about people who've been pressed beyond measure job was a pretty good example of this and I think it's also important to note that you're not a failure if you get to the point where you feel like you just can't do it anymore you fail when you actually quit but getting to that breaking point that's not a failure that's a testing that's the testing so don't like just the thought alone of going man I just I don't think I could do this anymore and I'll tell you this much too and for those of you just a little side note if you're planning on getting into ministry work like serious ministry work you will get pushed to that breaking point probably more than once okay I'll speak from experience you know I don't like going into too much detail and I don't want this to be a discouragement but like second Corinthians 1 said hey look you need to know that there's trials and I'd be lying if I said I haven't had the thought of going this is too hard I'm just gonna quit and go back to just a normal life of raising my family and doing my own thing and working my job and going to church and not taking on the the burden of everything else and everything that goes along with serving the Lord to the to the utmost and I'm still not saying that I serve the lower to the utmost right now I'm just having that goal and that objective of trying to do everything that you can in the service it's going to bring those trials it's going to bring the the the hard times you're gonna have to deal with and have to manage as you accept that more responsibility there's just more sufferings that gonna come along with that but the key is not quitting job job chapter one we see the example of job we all know this one I think we all know this one job is a man that at the time you know God is using as an example like is there anyone as righteous as job job is a really righteous man and this is what I was saying before you know you're not a failure if we get to this point where you feel like you've you've you can't handle things anymore and and and everything is going wrong around you because job was that very person we see after job lost everything in chapter 1 we see his attitude verse number 20 then job arose and rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshiped and said naked came I out of my mother's womb and naked shall I return thither the Lord gave in the Lord had taken away blessed be the name of the Lord and all this job sin not nor charged God foolishly now one of the things I think that has helped job get through all of this first of all was his mindset on the things that he possessed right he's able to make it through without job was extremely wealthy he was like one of the wealthiest man at God blessed him in all areas of his life he had great children he had all these different animals and and all this wealth and servants and everything else he was a righteous guy he lived a good a good life a righteous life everything was going great for him but his heart was not set on all of the things that he possessed because when he lost everything he was still able to bless God knowing and having that secure in his heart what is the most important thing and that faith in the Lord and just knowing God is righteous and God is good and hey he gave me all this stuff so if it's taken away then bless God anyways that alone having that mindset in your life day to day not getting focused on the things because you start focusing on the things they go away then it's gonna hurt you that much more when they're gone but if you don't care about these things then so what if they go away now obviously job didn't just lose things because he also lost his family but I think what we could gather from the story is most likely his children were saved so he didn't really lose them it was a parting a temporary parting but still that's we know that that's not easy to deal with that so he had a lot of grief but at the same time he's recognizing well who gave him all these things anyways the Lord gave the Lord's taken away but you know what God is still good and in your breaking point when the hardest things come your way remember the goodness of the Lord God is still good is he when you start getting the bitter heart and a bitter attitude against God well that's that he's your source of comfort you don't want to start being bitter against your source your primary source of comfort in the Lord and start questioning God God's good job to flip over chapter 2 let's see even a little bit more because the Satan's not done plaguing job with just taking everything away from him he attacks his health as well verse number seven says so when Satan went so went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord and smote job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown and he took him a potcher to scrape himself with all and he sat down among the ashes then said his wife unto him dost thou still retain thine integrity curse God and die but he said unto her thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh what shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil and all this did not job sin with his lips difficult time for job even when he's not having the support of the one person his life he should have the support of his own wife to comfort him you know he retained his integrity to the Lord even through losing everything losing his health and even his own family his own wife saying you know just curse God and died he refused to do that he refused to give up now it's still an extremely hard difficult time to go through it is a breaking point we see now how job feels while he goes through these things look at verse number one of job chapter 3 after this open job his mouth and cursed his day he's just like you know cursing the day he's born like it would be better if I just didn't even live I kind of you know all this stuff has happened now he's in so much grief verse 2 says in job spake and said let the day perish wherein I was born and the night in which it was said there is a man child conceived let that day be darkness let not God regard it from above neither let the light shine upon it let darkness in the shadow of death stain it let a cloud dwell upon it let the blackness of the day terrify me this is cursing the days like that day like let all these bad things happen black clouds thunder lightning everything you know just like like no one regard this day this day should just be forgotten and just go down as a terrible day the day that I was born as for that night let darkness seize upon it let it not be joined under the days of the year let it not come into the number of the months low let that night be solitary let no joyful voice come therein let them curse that the day who are ready to raise up their morning let the stars of the Twilight there of be dark let it look for light but have none neither let it see the dawning of the day and look this goes the entire chapter is job cursing the day that he was born don't feel don't beat yourself up too bad if you get to the point where you kind of feel this way about things but I'll say this don't give up you have to start keeping solid being grounded in who the Lord is God is still good and through all of the book of Job he's upset because of everything that he's dealing with and has had to deal with but he never charges God foolishly and he never sins with his lips so what the Bible says he still maintains that integrity and we see by the end how God has blessed him and given him double everything that he had lost from the beginning I mean he gained everything back even his reputation like like everything that was lost because his friends were just berating him practically for like all the rest of these chapters they're telling him how wicked he is and what sins he must have and look God's a God of justice and he wouldn't let these things happen if you didn't have some sin your kids were in sin I mean they're just they're railing on him of all this stuff that was not true so he had his wife against him his own friends that were supposed to be comforting him supporting him everyone was against them but you know what you know who's not against him the Lord the Lord didn't leave him or forsake him the Lord allowed job to be tried but when he was tried he came through like gold even like he knew you can be experiencing extreme difficulties and be very sad and grieved and think what is my per what's the even the point why am I even here and and and kind of like man I'm suffering so bad I don't even want to be here anymore I wish I were dead but if you maintain the faith you will get through it always comes to an end and here the more the more times you you face those really difficult challenging parts in your life they will I want to get easier but the the the option of quitting should reduce the more you stay with it because you know whatever is happened whatever is happening whatever stealing your attention has just become your entire life at the moment there's another day and another day and another day and it may take some time for things to get better but they do and they will and we see examples job is a great example I mean it's it's hard to put yourself in job's position turn if you go to Jeremiah chapter 20 it's hard to put yourself in job's position I think it's for me it's hard I can't it's hard to fathom that it's hard to fathom the loss of all my children it's hard to consider I mean the amount of grief the amount of grief that you'd have would be devastating absolutely devastating and it was and there's nothing wrong with job grieving there's nothing wrong with being sad in mourning and grieving when you go through extremely difficult time there's nothing wrong with that that's fine and it may take some time and don't think that like oh wow you just just shrug it off and get over it and look man what do you know when you got serious situations like this yeah you're gonna need some time to get through it but it's not wise one to blame God for everything it's not wise to shun the people that can comfort you now job's friends weren't a comfort to him they should have been right and that's a lesson for the friends you're a friend of someone who's going through a difficult time you know comfort them it's not the time to bring up their their sins and their problems when someone's going through an extremely extremely difficult time well you know yeah they know you don't need to be that I told you so person either your friend is going through an extremely difficult time they're gonna know or if it's something that they did they're gonna know and if you don't know if it has anything to do with what they did then shut your mouth and comfort them and help them out be a good friend see job's friends they all thought they knew that there were some sin no you didn't know because Satan was just attacking him see an example here with with Jeremiah look at verse number one in chapter 20 if I reads now pasture the son of immer the priest who is also chief governor in the house of the Lord heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things then pasture smote Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks there were in the high gate the Benjamin which is by the house of the Lord now being put in the stocks it's putting you to an open shame in front of everybody this is they don't like what he was saying so you know we're gonna do to you we're gonna mock you and ridicule you in front of everyone by putting your head in your arms through that wood and just make you stand out there for everyone to see ha ha ha look at him what a fool right and and and put you out there on display well that'll humble you if you weren't humble already going through that but this is what happens when you're trying to follow the word of Lord and like here Jeremiah is being a prophet of the Lord and he's got a message to deliver hey thus saith the Lord they didn't want to hear it so this is this is one of those struggles look at verse number three well notice this first number two then pasture smote Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin which was by the house of the Lord so I mean he's not only appointment stocks but he's like right by church I mean he's just right there by the house of God we're gonna put you right there in front of everyone just add a little insult to injury look at verse number three and it came to pass on the morrow that pasture brought fourth Jeremiah out of the stocks then said Jeremiah on him the Lord hath not called thy name pasture but Magor miss a bib for thus saith the Lord behold I will make thee a terror to thyself and to all thy friends and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies and thine eyes shall behold it and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon and you shall carry them captive in the Babylon and shall slay them with the sword moreover I will deliver all the strength of the city and all the labors thereof and all the precious things thereof and all the treasures of the kings of Judah and I will give into the hand of their enemies we shall spoil them and take them and carry them to Babylon in thou pasture and all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity and thou shalt come to Babylon and there thou shalt die and shalt be buried there thou and all thy friends to whom thou has prophesied lies now amen we see Jeremiah not backing down when he's being intimidated when he's being threatened we see here he's willing to still just stand his ground preach the word of God preach something that's not popular preach something that could very easily get him into more trouble than he's already in but he has the boldness to preach the word of the Lord so amen but we're not done yet he hasn't gotten to the point where he's gotten discouraged yet right he's still standing strong and mind you look these people that we see here that make these bold strong stands public stands these men of God that put themselves out there it's a lot to end up dealing with and it's not often that people are gonna express the burden that goes along with that but it is important to understand that burden because it's gonna be helpful not just to support the people who are making the stand for God but also to support one another and just know hey look you are not alone in this and even great men of God like Jeremiah we're going through difficult times even great men of God like job had extremely difficult times to go through look at verse number seven Oh Lord thou hast deceived me and I was deceived thou art stronger than I and has prevailed I am in derision daily everyone mocketh me for since I spake I cried out I cried violence and spoiled because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me in a derision daily so people are mocking him every day he's trying to preach what's right he's preaching Lord he's saying but every single day it's just he's being derided people making fun of them he's being mocked no one's receiving it look at verse 9 then I said I will not make mention of him nor speak any more in his name fine then I just won't say anything but his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones and I was weary with forbearing and I could not stay and he's saying you know what I tried to just stop and shut up and say fine you don't want to hear it then fine I'm not gonna say anything anymore you want to mock me but you say you know what I couldn't do that I couldn't do it it's the word of the Lord I have to do this job I have to do it verse 10 for I heard the defaming of many fear on every side he's going through struggles I mean there's a lot of people who have it out for Jeremiah reports say they and we will report it all my familiars watched for my halting saying paradventure he will be enticed and we shall prevail against him and we shall take our revenge on him look at the mercilessness of the enemy I mean they are out for Jeremiah's destruction does it look a little familiar to a climate that we have going on right now against the word of the Lord because it looks familiar to me the children of Satan the children of Belial the children of the devil that are out there the reprobates that hate God have the same exact mindset today that they always have had in trying to just destroy and they're watching Jeremiah and they're gonna try to shame him and they're gonna try to shut him down and they're gonna try to silence him and they're gonna do everything they can to hang on his words and say yeah report let's see what's he gonna say now we want to get a victory over him we want him to shut up and even shutting up is enough they want to destroy him Jeremiah knows this it takes a toll look at verse number 11 but the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one therefore my persecutors shall stumble and they shall not prevail they shall be greatly ashamed for they shall not prosper their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten the comfort that you can get in the Lord is you know how things will end so while you may be in the middle of some of the most difficult points in your life or whatever is going on the comfort you have is knowing the end of things we know the end don't forget there is an end there's an end one to this life there is a time where even if every day of your life was a struggle had burdens you're carrying a weight you have grief you have mourning every single day there's still an end there's still a time when Christ is gonna come back and resurrect your your broken body and give you a new body there's a time where we're gonna live with the kingdom of God here on earth there's gonna be a time when everything is running the way it's supposed to be and you know what that time will continue into eternity so there's gonna be a time when all of the bad all of the sin all of the wickedness all of the evil all of those a God are gonna be gone and will not even be a thought anymore it is coming remember that in your time of difficulty there is an end and it's hard right now it's hard in the moment it's hard as you go through it don't keep your get your eyes off of the end and whatever you need to do to stand you just stand allow the time to pass while you just trust in the Lord to have that comfort verse 12 but Oh Lord of hosts that try is the righteous and see is the reins in the heart let me see thy vengeance on them front of thee have I opened my cause so the Jeremiah is again just going to the Lord saying you know you try the righteous you're trying you know he knows he's being tried you see the reins and now you know my inward thoughts you know my inwards or you know my heart let me see the your vengeance on them because they're pressing Jeremiah out of measure he wants to see justice done sing unto the Lord praise thee the Lord for yet delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers verse 14 look at this cursed be the day wherein I was born let not the day wherein my mother bear me be blessed cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father saying a man child is born unto thee making him very glad and let that man be as the cities which the Lord overthrew and repented not and let him hear the cry of them in the morning and the shouting at noontide because he slew me not from the womb or that my mother might have been my grave and her womb to be always great with me wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labor and sorrow that my days should be consumed with shame there's a lot going on here and we still even the knowledge of those things he's still just like going to our time and cursing the day he was born just like job did but we know the story Jeremiah sticks through job sticks through and it's because of their faith it's because of their knowledge it's because they still know that God is good they know the end of those people but at the moment it is really hard so hard that they they they they feel like their strength is all dried up and I don't even know why I'm here I don't even know why I'm doing this because you also feel like you're not good enough which we're not but as you serve the Lord you you grow spiritually get some spiritual strength but when times like like this like job or like Jeremiah and like we're gonna see in a minute here turn view of the first Kings chapter 19 with Elijah in times like that you really get brought down and humbled to a point where you're just like why did you even pick me why am I even here what you know I'm no good I'm worthless I can't handle this you should have picked someone else who'd be able to deal with this because it's not me these are the types of thoughts in those hardest times that you're gonna have you have to dispel that and just know yeah you know what I'm not good enough I'm not that strong I'm not that great but God will see me through God will see me through and that's how these men made it through this is how Elijah makes it through this is how you will make it through your breaking point first Kings 19 verse number one the Bible says in a ab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and with all how he had slain all the prophets with the sword and and look I love this story the chapter 18 this is an awesome story where that's the one where Elijah's mocking all the bail worshippers and they're like okay here's what we're gonna do we're gonna we're gonna set this up and you're gonna make an offering and I'm gonna make an offering but you can't put any fire on the offering we're just gonna see you know whatever God answers by fire that's the true God this is gonna settle this once and for all you set up your you call on your the name of your God and you do whatever your chance and whatever your ritual is and anything that you want to do to get your God to take your offering right and hey if he answers then that then that'll settle it that's the true God he's like and I'm gonna do the same thing so he lets them go first and they're cutting themselves and they're crying and he's sitting back just like hey why don't you call a little bit louder you know maybe maybe your God's sleeping maybe you gotta wake him up maybe he's on a far journey you gotta come back and we just gotta wait for him right making fun of their God he's not almighty he's not all powerful right he's actually no God at all and then Jeremiah sets up his offerings like you know what that's not enough let's just douse this thing with water let's just just cover get all kind of barrels of water is poured always drench this thing let's just drench all of it drench the wood drench the operating and then and God of course answers by fire and this is a great victory because then he's like all right here you know basically who's on the Lord's side now everyone's like yeah okay well you know the Lord's a true God and they go after the Satan worshipers and the false prophets and they put them this is a great victory so what we're seeing though in chapter 19 I saw set the stage and set the context you can have these great high moments in your life where I mean hey everything's going great is it was a struggle as a fight we saw it through he had the faith God brings the victory now it looks awesome right what could go wrong but then like the very next day he's gonna go from the top to the bottom emotionally he's gonna he's on this roller coaster of these things that happen and we need to obviously always take heed lest we fall we need to be able to take everything and measure and know that even when some of the best of times are happening you know the worst times might be right around the corner but don't let that shake your faith the Lord gives the Lord takes away but blessed be the name of the Lord look at verse number so now we see Ahab was there he saw all this stuff happen now he's telling his wicked wife Jezebel what happened and how these you know how he killed the prophets and stuff and that makes Jezebel angry verse number two then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah saying so let the gods do to me and more also if I make not thy life as life of one of them by tomorrow about this same time so now she's just threatening Elijah's life saying you're gonna be like them I'm coming after you to kill you and when he saw that he arose and went for his life and came to Beersheba which belonged to Judah and left his servant there but he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree and he requested for himself that he might die and said it is enough now Oh Lord take away my life for I am NOT better than my father's it was the straw that broke the camel's back right we see the great decisions he made in and the faith that he placed in God up to that point but there was a lot of stress involved along the way to get to that great victory and to get to that point and he's finally feeling like he could relax and breathe for a minute because of that great victory and now he's like now I've got to run for my life and I'm gonna go here and okay you stay here and I'm gonna go out even further and he's just like God just kill me he's like I can't I can't I can't do it anymore I can't take another step I can't do any more of this it's been too difficult it's been too hard I've had to deal with all these people that hate you Lord and you've proven yourself but you know what I am the problem here I am the weak one I'm not any better than my father's Lord I'm not anything special just let me die please just take my life because I I can't do it anymore this is Elijah's breaking point and look I think with all these people we could have some compassion and relate a little bit yeah they've done some really tough things and gone through some tough times and just know you're not alone when you go through those tough times look at what they've been through you say but they haven't gone through what I've been through yeah but you haven't gone through what they have gone through right I mean everyone has a different different events in different circumstances and different things that happen in your life and you know that's why job is such a good example I mean that's pretty hard to fathom I mean losing ten children at once in the same day that you lost everything else I mean just literally going from having everything to having nothing and then oh let's add on top of that lose your health that's that's tough that's tough verse 5 here first Kings 19 and as he lay and slept under juniper tree behold then an angel touched him and said unto him arise and eat and he looked and behold there was a cake bacon on the coals and a cruise of water at his head and he did eat and drink and laid him down again and the angel of the Lord came again the second time and touched him and said arise and eat because the journey is too great for thee and he arose and did eat and drink and went in the strength of that meat 40 days and 40 nights unto horrib the mount of God so did God forsake him no God shows up okay he's at his breaking point and God shows up to minister unto him he sends an angel to help him out and he provides him exactly what he needs now I'm gonna say this too his struggle didn't just end when God helped him but God gave him the strength that he need to go a little bit further so he got a rest he got some food and some water and then he got a little bit more food and he said okay he gave him the strength for another 40 days don't lose sight of that going now 40 days in the strength of what he was given then it's kind of a long time to go fasting and and still now now going to serve right but he had the strength he needed to not quit to not to just be completely done he reached the point but didn't go beyond that point he was tested and tried and you know what that wasn't a failure like I said wanting to just have it be over is not a failure actually quitting is the failure right quitting by you know taking your own life because these people at that point where they wanted to die I mean it's pretty depressed or just you know of course they're not gonna do that but they're just saying oh God just take my life but they didn't ever give up on God they just felt like I'm done okay and you want to get through these hard times don't give up on God God's good and God will see you through even when you look around you don't feel like God's there he's there he's there you're a child of God he's never gonna leave you or forsake you says he came to there into a cave and lodged there and behold the word of the Lord came to him and he said unto him what doest thou hear Elijah and he said I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts for the children of Israel forsaken thy covenant thrown down thine altars and slain thy prophets with the sword and I even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away and he's just you know God's like well what are you doing here what's going on talk to me here's what's happening they're killing all your profits and I'm the only guy left now and now they just want to kill me he's just kind of like I don't know what else I could do because I thought that there would be a lot more people standing for me and what you know they're that is bigger impact and he doesn't understand and God explains to him as Japanese like look you're not the only one okay I've got seven thousand people haven't bowed the knee to bail you're not alone you feel like you're alone but you're not alone and you know what shame on those other seven thousand that's what I got to say shame on them for making Elijah feel like he's alone not very good comforters right and within church you may not always know when people are going through the their dark hour but you know what get to know people and be good comforters and like Hebrews 10 says you know that we're supposed to be encouraging one another edifying another to broke unto love and a good works like that's that's a big deal because people go through their hard times that we need to be there to support to help just encourage to comfort right you're not a failure for feeling like you can't go on not a failure keep moving forward get the comfort trust in Lord and hey us comforters help out right don't don't let there be someone like in Elijah that feels like I'm just all by myself here trying to go to 1st Corinthians chapter 10 here's the other good thing oh man my timer ran out so who knows how long I've been preaching for him I know I'm gonna skip one example for sake of time the other example I was gonna show you was in 1st Kings 17 with the the widow woman that was commanded to basically to help Elijah again another story with Elijah and she was supposed to support him and feed him but she had nothing left and she's just like I'm just going out to get a couple sticks and the little bit of my meal and a little bit of oil that last of what I have left we're just gonna meet my son we're gonna eat this we're gonna die and then Elijah shows up and he's like well you know just make me some food first and and you know he has the confidence but this is a woman who's made it to her breaking point look look I don't have anything more but then you know she still was faithful to the word of the Lord because she was commanded to help Elijah to help the man of God and he shows up and even though it was all that she had she still provided for him she still made was faithful to what God is committing her and you know what when she was faithful to the word of the Lord then she was blessed and taken care of and God supplied her every need God before miracle and a lot and just she was supplied all of her needs she didn't have to die she was faithful to Lord 1st Corinthians chapter 10 I love this passage and keep this in mind also there is a breaking point for everybody everyone has a breaking point and some people's breaking points are different for everybody it's not where is your breaking point that matters it's it's knowing that you don't don't quit or don't fail when you get to that point and know this also that God won't allow it to go beyond what you could handle look at verse number 11 here first Corinthians 10 now all these things happened unto them for in samples and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall there has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithful God is faithful God is reliable God is dependable God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able you feel like you're inadequate you feel like I can't do this anymore but if you're at that point God knows that you are able to take it because he won't he's faithful to not allow you to suffer and be tempted above what you're able to handle and that's hard sometimes we often will have a self-perception thinking like I can't handle this but you really can and honestly growth comes when you get pushed to that point where you think you can't handle it but you really can we think about just the carnal examples physical examples you know people working out and stuff you push yourself you get to a point where feel like man I can't do anymore but if you push yourself just like a little bit more you'll find you could do it usually you can do it it's only at the point where you just break down in exhaustion like if you're training you're working out you're doing something and you just literally like like your body just stops and you collapse that's your breaking point usually we stop before that point right and I'm not saying for bad reason it's you know but but there's usually a little bit more that you can give and and likewise when we go through difficult times it may feel like you know the whole world's falling down around you I can't do this anymore but you could probably do a little bit more but here's the thing regardless of how much you actually can do God won't allow you to get past that point whatever you deal with and whatever you struggle with whatever you have to go through it is something that God's already determined you can handle this he knows that you can handle it because he knows you so have that faith that God is faithful that whatever you deal with you can get through it you can't because the Bible says so because God's not going to allow you to be tempted above that you're able it says this but with will with the temptation also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it so if you want to escape from that temptation look to the Lord for that look for his guidance that he's if he's made a way to escape but if you turn your back on the Word of God and turn your back on his direction and turn your back on those things well you may not take that escape route right so stay faithful to God to get through those temptations knowing that he is faithful knowing that that he won't put you through anything that you can't handle stay faithful to him he will definitely stay faithful to you turn if you had a second Corinthians chapter 7 we're almost done wrap it up here when you get to the breaking point what you need is comfort comfort from the Lord and comfort from God's people second Corinthians 7 verse number 4 the Bible reads great is my boldness of speech toward you great is my glorying of you I am filled with comfort I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation for when we were come into Macedonia our flesh had no rest but we were troubled on every side without were fightings within were fears another example the Apostle Paul is relating here saying look when we went in Macedonia we had a lot of problems we had a lot of troubles we had a lot of tribulations we had a lot of trying times we were troubled on every side I mean everywhere we turned there was there was something going on that was not good for us there were fightings and without were fighting so there's people fighting us all over the place resisting and and and causing problems for us within were fears right and again you know we ought not to be afraid of man but let's face it in reality we sometimes are weak and have fears right so he's just explaining without were fighting within were fears this is what we're dealing with nevertheless even in spite of all this in spite of the fears in spite of the fighting and all the problems we had to deal with we went to Macedonia nevertheless God that comforted those that are cast down comforted us look at us by the coming of Titus so God still comforts them but but he sent he sent someone to comfort them you can be a comfort to help people who feel like they're at their wits end and can be used of God to comfort those that need it comfort those that are cast down comforted us by the coming of Titus and not by his coming only but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you when he told us your earnest desire your mourning your fervent mind toward me so that I rejoiced the more Titus came to comfort the Apostle Paul when he needed it but not only that he brought word from the church in Corinth man they're all praying for you they care about you they love you they're they're there for you and and he brings just that message of a group of people that they probably don't even realize the impact by them serving God by their faithfulness by their prayers are actually helping the pot they don't even realize that but nevertheless God brings that comfort to the Apostle Paul why am I making a point is you may not even realize the impact that you have by coming to church by praying for people it kind of might just seem routine you don't know where your faithfulness can be a comfort in a strength for others it may be as and this is why coming to church and not forsaking the assembling is also so important you may share some commonalities with someone else and you could be a strength for one another without even consciously thinking oh that person's my strength you might not have that thought but then that person's not around anymore because they have gotten caught up with the cares of this world or whatever and just kind of got out of church and they're thinking well whatever no one's gonna miss me I'm just gonna go do my own thing well maybe that other person that didn't even realize they were counting on you for strength now all of a sudden you're leaving this hole there and now they're starting to feel alone and and and your own presence can do harm to other people by not be you know by not being there not even realizing it so I'm bringing it up so you do think about these things and then you being here and you you providing this strength and encouragement can be a help to others and you know and and what's being said here you know I love this I could relate to this perfectly especially as a pastor you know I go to these different conferences and events and stuff I get a chance to talk to different people who are able to share some really great stories with me and and and in ways in which our ministry here was a blessing to them like great I love hearing that that's an encouragement to know that that the faithfulness of just showing up preaching the Word of God trying to do everything right and and and you know the the people are gathered here have an impact on other people that you don't even realize and then you hear about it it's like wow what a great comfort what a great strength how edifying is that and to now keep pushing forward because you know that your walk with God is a benefit to more people than just you well we should serve God because it is a benefit to us right it is but serving God and having that walk with him is gonna and ought to serve and benefit other people flip back to chapter 4 last place that we're gonna look at we all the breaking point but but hey you know what whatever if you've gone through thank God you're here today you haven't quit you haven't failed you're still here maybe you have at times where you quit in the past but you know you're here right now you're here now think about maybe past breaking points you've gone to in your life maybe in your marriage right there's a big one we kind of feel like I can't do this anymore in your walk with God certain a church at your job wherever it is whatever that place may be where you feel like man I think I've gotten to that point but you're here you're here when the next one comes get the comfort from the Word of the Lord have these truths in your heart know them even in your most difficult times because it'd be hard to think on these things remember them and when you see other people in their times of despair you know give them comfort not a brow beating right be there to help your brother or sister in Christ look at verse number eight of chapter four the Bible reads there in 2nd Corinthians 4 verse 8 we are troubled on every side yet not distressed we are perplexed but not in despair persecuted but not forsaken cast down but not destroyed hey if you're not destroyed you know that's that saying whatever doesn't what it doesn't kill me you only make me stronger right I mean you're still here keep standing keep going forward your life isn't over no matter what has happened to you in the past if you're still here your life isn't over you can move forward you can continue even if you failed tremendously and that's also why you're in a in a in the worst time of your life hey if you're still here turn to the Lord right don't let that define the rest of your life any failures here don't let that define the rest of your life move forward there's still a future if God didn't want you on this earth and he take you will take you verse number 10 always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body again always bearing about in the body the dying of Lord Jesus that's talking about the persecution that they're dealing with on a regular basis but why that the life might be made manifest right showing people their faithfulness to Christ to have that powerful testimony to bring to others right verse 11 for we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh mortal flesh so then death worketh in us but life in you going back to the mindset of it being about other people I'm willing to suffer all things for your betterment I'm willing to take on the the dying of the Lord Jesus in my body to bring forth the life of the Lord Jesus to you we having the same spirit of faith verse 13 according as it is written I believed and therefore by spoken we also believe and therefore speak knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus and shall present us with you for all things are for your sakes that the abundant grace might through the Thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God for which cause we faint not but though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day look at verse 17 for our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding an eternal weight of glory while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal circling all the way back to beginning a sermon this is a light affliction we're here for a short period of time don't get caught up and focused on the things that are temporal all the goods all the money all those riches all the things that could just there's gonna be burned up anyways right and you might lose them before they're all burned up so what so what don't let that get you down that's a light affliction hey there's an eternity to come there's rewards to come there's eternal value to come don't lose sight of the end don't lose sight of the eternal don't faint even when your outward man is perishing is dying is being afflicted you've got an inward man you've got the new man the new spirit that that's eternal that's gonna continue forever walk in that spirit God is good God is good don't ever charge God foolishly and blame God for the problems in your life God is good people don't always see things clearly and know all of the facts and sometimes people will blame God foolishly but no God is a good God God is a loving God and God cares about you you know don't misinterpret the things that happen in your life and try to blame God for them whatever is going on whenever you go through your your struggle your difficulty seek the comfort from God no know that he's there know the ending God doesn't change go day to day through your difficulty just don't quit just just get through it gets better don't quit see it through to the end let's pray your Lord would love you we thank you so much for your faithfulness we thank you for strengthening us through the times where we would never be able to operate under our own strength dear Lord we thank you for loving us we thank you for for your angels that minister unto us dear Lord oftentimes we don't even realize it and we thank you for for our salvation and for giving us a free gift of eternal life God help us to serve you better help us to be more thoughtful and better comforters to those that are in need while we may not see everything that's going on in people's lives dear Lord I pray that you would please guide us and lead us and help us to be that strength and that comfort that people will need to continue to move forward to serve you dear Lord with with all their heart with all their soul with all their strength with all their mind and that through all things the name of your son Jesus Christ would be glorified it's in Jesus name we pray amen