From His Heart

Guest (Male): Today on From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Schreve, we're going to celebrate Thanksgiving with some doom and gloom. Now, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I wanted to preach a message today that directs us into Thanksgiving and gratitude. And I've entitled this message, "Doom, Gloom, and a Radiant Christian."

Hey, we live in a world filled with doom and gloom, filled with difficulties and filled with problems. But God has called us to shine for Christ. He's called us to glorify Him. He's called us to be filled with the joy of the Lord. The question is, how do you do that?

Guest (Male): How can you and I really shine for Christ amid trying times and difficult days? Is it even possible? You bet it is. Welcome to From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Shrieve, who today is going to point out three directives found in God's word that will enable each of us to let others truly see Christ in us. The message today is entitled, "Doom, Gloom, and a Radiant Christian."

I know it's a strange title for Thanksgiving, but hang in there, it will all become clear and be a blessing to you. If you miss any of this message, you'll want to listen again online at fromhisheart.org. Click the listen link. Now though, open your Bible to the book of 1 Thessalonians. Here's Pastor Jeff to begin the lesson about doom and gloom and a radiant Christian.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: His name was Stephen. He was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. He was a powerful witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a powerful preacher and he would preach the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

The religious leaders in first-century Jerusalem hated him. They tried to argue with him and refute him, but they couldn't refute him because God was giving him such wisdom. They had some men come and lie about him, and they dragged him in front of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court, with terrible charges that this man, Stephen, leads the people astray.

This man, Stephen, speaks against the law of Moses. The crowd was hostile. The Sanhedrin, the 70 plus one, were ready to execute him. And they did. Stoned him to death in Acts chapter 7.

But in Acts chapter 6, as he was facing all that hostility, and they said, "What do you say in defense of yourself?" It says this: "All those sitting in the council fixed their eyes on Stephen and saw that his face looked like the face of an angel." You say, "What does that mean, the face of an angel?" It means that he was radiating for Jesus Christ, a radiating Christian.

We talk in our church about shining for Christ, as Jesus said, "Let your light so shine among men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." This man, Stephen, was shining for Christ. And then he was going to get up and share the gospel with those stiff-necked religious leaders.

It ended in his death. But before he died, before he was stoned to death, he said, "I see Jesus standing at the right hand of God." The Lord was so pleased with Stephen's witness, with Stephen's testimony, with his faith, that he, Jesus, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, stood up to give Stephen a standing ovation, to welcome him into glory.

In the midst of terrible circumstances, Stephen was a radiant Christian. Now, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I wanted to preach a message today that directs us into Thanksgiving and gratitude. And I've entitled this message, "Doom, Gloom, and a Radiant Christian."

Hey, we live in a world filled with doom and gloom, filled with difficulties, and filled with problems. But God has called us to shine for Christ. He's called us to glorify Him. He's called us to be filled with the joy of the Lord. The question is, how do you do that?

How can you, how can I shine for Christ, as Stephen did, in trying times and difficult days? Is that even possible? The answer is yes. Stephen is proof that it is possible. And the Lord gives us the formula, so to speak, the commands that we are to fulfill that will enable us to really shine for Christ.

It's in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, very familiar verses, not a lot of words, three directives, authoritative commands from the word of God. They're very easy to understand, but they're not as easy to implement. This is what the scripture says.

Paul was writing to the Thessalonians. This is the year, probably AD 51. He's writing on a second missionary journey from Corinth. When he preached the gospel in Thessalonica, there was much persecution there. He didn't get to stay long because they kind of ran him out of town. He said, the scripture says he preached there for three Sabbaths. He was probably there about two or three months, maybe six months max, and then he had to leave.

Those Thessalonians received the word of God amidst much persecution and suffering and difficulty. But the word of God really took off in their hearts. And so in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, the Apostle Paul, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says this to them, "Rejoice always," verse 16. "Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Three directives that Paul gave to the Thessalonians, that God through Paul gave to the Thessalonians, that God through Paul is giving to you and giving to me. Hey, you want your life to count? You want to make a difference? You're facing difficult times, you're facing hardships, you're facing bad news in your marriage, or bad news in your finances, or bad news in your health? How can you be a radiant Christian amidst all of that?

Put the three directives into practice in your life. Don't be a hearer only of the word; be a hearer and a doer. Directive number one says, "Rejoice always." We can make the choice to rejoice. You can, I can, we can, any Christian can. You can make the choice to rejoice.

See, rejoicing in the Lord is a choice. Rejoice always, or as it says in the amplified, "Rejoice always and delight in your faith." Notice, 1 Thessalonians 5:16 does not say, "Be happy always." Big difference between rejoice always and be happy always.

What's the difference? Well, we can't always be happy, but we can always rejoice. Big difference. Can't always be happy. Why? Because happiness is based on happenings. It's based on happenstance. It's based on circumstances. And when the happenings are good, you're happy. When the happenings are bad, you're unhappy. When the happenings are terrible, you're terribly unhappy.

It's different from rejoicing. You think about Job, what a great man of faith. You know, in Job chapter 1, Job on one day gets the news. Job, you lost all your wealth. Bam, just like that. Job, all your servants, they were killed by the sword. Bam, just like that.

And then he gets the worst news of all. Job, all your children, all 10 of your children, they had gathered together at your oldest son's house, and a wind blew and blew the house down upon those young people, and they're all dead. All 10 of your kids, gone. I lost all my wealth, and I lost my children, and I lost my servants, and it all hit me at once.

And what does Job do when he gets that message? He arose, he tore his robes in mourning, he shaved his head, and he fell down and worshipped God. And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Was he happy? No. Because he's human, and no human would take that news and be happy about it. But he rejoiced. He made the choice to rejoice. It's exactly what Habakkuk said in Habakkuk chapter 3, verses 17 and 18. He says to farmers, people living in an agrarian society, "Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls. Though everything is falling apart financially, and you got nothing in the bank, and nothing in the fields, and it's just horrible financially for you, yet I will exult in the Lord. I will rejoice in the God of my salvation."

It's an act of the will. I will exult, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation, in the God who rescues me. It's a choice that you make, that I make. We can't always be happy, but we can always choose to rejoice. It's exactly what it says in James chapter 1. "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance."

Consider it. Doesn't mean it's all joy; it means that you consider it all joy. Something bad comes into your life, and the word 'consider' in the Greek is an accounting term. It's this, this thing comes in, where do we put it? Do we put it on the asset column or on the debit column? Is this a plus or is this a minus? God says, "Consider it a plus. Put it on the asset column. Consider it a plus. This is a credit, it's not a debit."

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." Now, remember this about circumstances. Circumstances, happenstances, those are the same things. Circumstances change often, but the Lord never changes.

Circumstances change like the wind. Your life, my life can change just like that. You think everything is going smooth. You can get in your car and go home today after church, and you can get hit head-on by somebody. Something can happen that can just alter your life, and it does it without warning, it does it without your permission. Circumstances can change often and easily, but the Lord never changes. Malachi 3, verse 6, "I am the Lord, I change not."

Theologians talk about God being immutable. That means God doesn't change. From everlasting to everlasting, you are God. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, yes, and forever. And so we can count on God because He is our rock who doesn't change.

And you know, when it says in verse 16, "Rejoice always," which incidentally, in the Greek language, that is the shortest verse in the whole Bible, "Rejoice always." Even shorter in Greek than "Jesus wept." A fewer number of letters. Rejoice always.

We look at that verse and compare it to Philippians chapter 4, verse 4, which gives us a little more insight into that. "Rejoice always." But it says in Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always." Again, I will say, "Rejoice."

See, the rejoicing is always in the Lord. The rejoicing is not in the cancer diagnosis, in the bankruptcy situation, in the pink slip. We rejoice in the Lord, because we know that the Lord is over the cancer, the Lord is over the bankruptcy, the Lord is over the divorce papers, the Lord is over all of that. We can trust Him.

And we can say, "Lord, I don't like this." But we can worship. We say, "I'll make the choice to rejoice." Romans chapter 12 says, "Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer." What do we do in the tribulation? We persevere, we remain under. But what are we doing? We're rejoicing in the hope of the Lord. We're rejoicing in the fact that God is over it all.

I told you before, a testimony that I've never forgotten was when James Dobson spoke at Bill Bright's funeral. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ. Bill Bright, who was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a disease of the lungs that basically turns your lungs to concrete. Makes it very, very hard to breathe. You have a, typically, a chronic cough with that.

And it just gets harder and harder to breathe until you finally just, your lungs don't work at all anymore, and you suffocate and die. He talked to Bill Bright just a couple of days before Bill Bright died. And James Dobson asked him this question. He said, "Bill, how are you doing?"

And Bill said, "I am rejoicing." Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, "Rejoice." You can rejoice in the Lord because you know that God is good, and God loves me, and God works all things together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Hey, I don't know what's going on in your life, but God does. God is not asleep at the switch. God is not saying, "Oh man, I didn't know this was happening to you." God knows everything. Nothing comes into your life, into my life, that doesn't first filter through His fingers of love. He's allowed that to come in. "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith, and God has allowed that, produces endurance."

So we can make the choice, even in the midst of pain, in the midst of suffering, we can make the choice to rejoice. Second directive. We can pray about all our troubles. "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing."

Now you look at that and you say, "I don't know how anyone can do that. Pray without ceasing? I mean, I would have to quit my job. I would have to not have conversations with anybody. I just have to pray constantly. I couldn't even go to sleep. I just have to pray without ceasing." That's not what that means.

That word 'without ceasing,' it's one word in the Greek. It was used outside of the Bible to refer to a persistent hacking cough. You ever had a persistent hacking cough? Yeah, it's not any fun to have that, right? I mean, we take cough medicine to try and suppress it so we can go to sleep.

But a persistent hacking cough, somebody that has that, that doesn't mean you're coughing every second of every day. But it means it's always there. So I cough and maybe I won't cough for two minutes, but then I cough again. I don't cough again for four minutes, but then I cough again. I just have this nagging cough. It's just there.

That's what it means to pray without ceasing. It means that you're all the time connected to the Lord, that at any moment that you can call upon His name. Adrian Rogers was asked one time about his prayer life. And he said, "I don't spend a long time in prayer, but I don't spend much time between prayer."

So he was praying without ceasing. He was, he was calling on the Lord. It wasn't necessarily for two hours at a whack. But when he would call upon the Lord, then maybe it was only five minutes before he called upon the Lord again, and called upon the Lord again, and called upon the Lord again. That's what it means to pray without ceasing.

Hey, you can pray about your troubles. The Bible says that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. He's abundantly available for help when we're in trouble. And James chapter 4, verse 2 says, "You have not because you ask not."

Here's the thing that we need to remind ourselves about, because prayer is one of those things that most Christians, that's a weak spot. We don't pray like we know we need to pray. We're just like the disciples. Jesus said, "Could you not keep watch with me for one hour?" But their eyes were heavy, and he told them to watch and pray. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, and they couldn't do it. They kept falling asleep.

I've been there. I know what that's like. You want to pray, but you just don't do very well. Well, here's something to motivate you and to motivate me. God has promised to hear us when we pray. The great God of the universe has promised to hear us when we pray.

I love what the Psalmist says in Psalm 116, verses 1 and 2. He says, "I love the Lord." Why? Well, let me tell you this reason. It's not the only reason, but it's one reason, "because He hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live."

God hears my voice. This is God, the creator of the universe, the God who spoke the worlds into existence. He hears your voice. You say, "Who am I that God should hear my voice?" He does. He does. He bends down. He inclines His ear to hear your voice.

And it's so sad when God inclines His ear to hear your voice, my voice, our voice, so much of the time it's silence, because we're not calling upon His name. I was taught early on in my Christian life, God's phone number. You know God's phone number? How can you call God up? Jeremiah 33:3 is God's phone number, where the Lord says, "Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know."

That's God's phone number. God says, "If you call, I will answer." Here's the problem that we have. God didn't say, "I'll answer on the first ring." You ever called God? It's like, "Pick up, Lord." He doesn't seem to be picking up. Ring, ring, ring. "Pick up, Lord, pick up, Lord."

I mean, the Psalms are filled with that, where the Psalmist says, "God, where are you? Lord, why do you hide Yourself in times of difficulty?" It can feel like that. Psalm 13 is one of my favorite Psalms, and a part of Psalm 13 says this, "Lord, give me light in the darkness lest I die. Answer me quickly, Lord, lest I sleep the sleep of death. I need to hear from you."

Now, God values persistence. We said, "Pray without ceasing" is like a persistent cough. And God values persistence. And Jesus told parables about the friend at midnight, and what does he do? He goes to his friend, and he knocks on the door at midnight and says, "Open up for me. A friend has come to visit me, and I don't have any provisions to give to him. So you need to give to me so I can give to my friend." And the guy says, "Go away, I'm already asleep. I've put up the kids for the night, and we can't come out of bed and get you."

And what does he, he just keeps knocking. He keeps knocking. And Jesus said, "I tell you the truth. The man will get up and give this, this person everything that he desires, not because he's his friend, but because of his persistence."

The woman, Luke chapter 18, that keeps coming before the unrighteous judge, saying, "Give me legal protection against my adversary." He doesn't want to help her, but he says, "She keeps coming to me. She's wearing me out." And the Lord says, "Hear what the unrighteous judge said."

Now, if an unrighteous judge will help a lady he doesn't even care about, how much more the righteous God of the universe when His dear children cry out to Him for deliverance will He answer them? And Jesus said, "He will answer them speedily." And we can have confidence that God will answer as we pray.

Guest (Male): That's confidence, with all caps and a few bells and whistles to go along with it. God hears our prayers, answers our prayers, and blesses us when we pray. Pastor Jeff's mentor in the faith, Dr. Adrian Rogers, often said that the three most powerful words.