Living up under it

If you live godly in Christ Jesus you can expect suffering. For most of us, that’s probably the least of our sources of suffering.

The key is the rest of the verse: “but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

In other words, God has given you an internal fortification in Christ Jesus through His grace to enable you to endure in whatever the temptation, whatever the testing, whatever the trouble, whatever the trial, says Richard Jordan.

“But will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

People quit reading the verse right before that to their detriment, because it says the way to make escape, comma, “that ye may be able to bear it.”

He’s given you a capacity so that no matter what it is, you’re able to bear the difficulty; you’re able to live up under it.

No problem’s ever going to come along that you can’t bear; that you aren’t sufficient to live victoriously in and through.

One of the things you’re fighting for when you put off the old man and put on the new man . . you know, when you get over here and you put on Christ, and you get all this stuff functioning in you, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace.

Really what that struggle is the fight for the fruit of the Spirit; it’s, “I’m going to put off the old man that wars against the spirit of the new man and I’m going to walk in the Spirit so that I can have that joy of rejoicing in the Lord.”

Paul says in II Corinthians 1, [24] Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

When he tells Timothy “fight the good fight of faith and lay hold on eternal life,” he’s talking about fighting the fight for the joy that is yours in Christ Jesus, so that no matter what the circumstances, you can rejoice in Him.

Gratitude is the source; it’s the root element that comes behind every one of the character truths that you read about, because it’s the love of Christ that constrains us.

That’s what that verse is talking about: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man.”

It’s going to happen to everybody; there’s no special testing. Life happens, but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able.

Nothing’s going to come on you that you aren’t prepared—that God hasn’t prepared you and equipped you to handle.

II Corinthians 9:8: [8] And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

God is able to make ALL grace abound toward you. That word sufficient means to be able to stand alone, lacking nothing. You’re able to stand lacking nothing, having all sufficiency to abound unto all good works.

If you look at II Corinthians 4 there’s a passage that to me is kind of mind-blowing. Paul says in verse 7: [7] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

You’ve got this treasure of Christ in you, the hope of glory, in an earthen vessel so that the excellency of the power of that grace . . . it’s obvious that it’s not you. It’s the excellency of the power of His Word working in us.

[8] We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
[9] Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

So there’s my weakness and His strength.

Verse 15: 15] For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

All the troubles, difficulties, hardships are for your sakes that the abundant grace might . . .

So you’re going to go through the trouble and the excellency of the power of  God’s Word is going to work in you.

You’re going to access this all-sufficient grace that God has provided you in Christ, that no matter what the circumstances, you’re able to stand, lacking nothing, and it’s going to redound to the glory of God.

Others are going to watch and be grateful for it. The thanksgiving of God is going to be given for that.

You’re going to put on display what it’s like, and other people are going to see what it’s like in you when you cherish Him above everything else, and no matter what the circumstances, He’s more valuable than everything else.

[16] For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
[17] For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
[18] 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.

Think about that. The idea there is that here you are in a fallen creation. Troubles, difficulties, perplexities--they come. They demonstrate that you have this treasure in an earthen vessel. The excellency of the power is of God; His sufficiency, not you.

And this light affliction that you go through—it’s light compared to eternity; it’s light compared to the eternal weight of glory. It’s Romans 8:18: [18] For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.