Messiah Baptist Church of Baesa, Inc.

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Topical Study series: Problems

September 18, 2022

GOD'S SOLUTION TO MAN'S PROBLEM

Lesson no.1

Every problem must be solved. In every problem there is a solution. Good illustration of this is the mathematics problem solving given to us by the teacher. Some math problems are easy to solve without much difficulty, compared to other mathematic problems that are quite difficult to solve, and sometimes we do not know where to start our computation and how to find the answer to the given problem.

Man’s life on this earth is filled with problems, there are easy problems and there are difficult problems. Can you give an example of a problem, which you know is considered an easy problem to solve, then please give your opinion how do you solve that easy one? Then give also some examples of problems which are much difficult to solve.

In reality, some problems are difficult. We wish that we could live and experience in a world that is problem-free, a place where nothing goes wrong, and everything that we want to happen always come true, but it is just a dream world, it is only exist in our dream and not the real world.

Please open your bible and read John 16:33 then check the right words Jesus said that He wants us to expect in the real world.

( ) Jesus said, "In the world you shall have no problems. Everything will go smoothly with no disappointments and no difficulties."

( ) Jesus said, "In the world you shall have tribulation (trouble, pressures, problems, difficulties)."

The are no problems on the planet Neptune or any planet except earth. Do you believe this is true? How about in case we let 50 people to ride in a spaceship that would transport them to Neptune planet in order to dwell as a residence there. What can you say? Would there any problems arise on the planet Neptune? As expected, as it is given, there are always problems where there are people.

I – THE PROBLEMS THAT PEOPLE FACE ARE VERY REAL

Each person faces very real problems, that is what we need to realize. Do you realize that you are facing problems right now in your school like: problems with your teachers, with your classmates, and with your studies or lessons that you are encountering in school as of now?

There are very real problems that each person faces, that is the first thing we need to realize.

Are there any problems you are facing right now in your family like: problems with your parents, with your brothers and sisters, with your relatives?

Are there any problems you are facing right now with you co-employees in your works? with your neighbors?

Are there any problems you are facing right now with your friends? (Someone is no longer your friend, who was once your friend). People face everyday real problems. Besides of real problems there are other problems they encountered like: sickness, loneliness, disappointments, unhappiness, failure, unable to do certain things that others can do, such as playing sports, musical instruments, cooking, sewing, discouragement, wrong habitual practices, guilt, because you have done wrong things.

People face very real problems. Are problems, troubles and difficulties should be expected by the saved person to be part of his Christian life?

Read some passages then answer the blank space:

1. The Bible teaches in II Corinthians 4:8 "We are ________________ on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed; but not in despair;" Expect that the believer is squeezed by the pressures and problems of life on every side. Paul here refers to some of the trials to which he and his fellow laborers were subjected in making known the gospel. The word “troubled” in Greek is “thlibomenoi” means afflicted or pressured or being hard pressed. The verse says “yet not distressed” or “but not crushed”, the Greek is “stenochooroumenoi” it has an idea that is pressed into a strait place, so as to find no way of escape; It properly means “to crowd into a narrow place; to straitened as to room; to be so straitened as not to be able to turn oneself.” Though Paul was close pressed by persecutions and trials, yet Paul was not so hemmed in that he had no way to turn himself; his trials did not wholly prevent motion and action. The Syriac renders it: “In all things we are pressed, but are not suffocated.” The idea is, Paul was not wholly discouraged, and disheartened, and overcome, or not swallowed up in care and anxiety. Paul still had resources which enabled him to bear up under these trials, and still to engage in the work of preaching the gospel. Expect problems.

2. The Bible teaches in II Corinthians 4:8 “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are _____________, but not in despair;” The word “perplexed”, the Greek is "aporoumenoi". Expect the believer is in perplexity. Realize that we do not know how to solve our problems. A picture of a wrestler who being puzzled by his antagonist’s skill, do not know what to do; they that are not able to do or attempt anything. It means here, that they were often brought into circumstances of great embarrassment, where they hardly knew what to do, or what course to take. They were surrounded by foes; they were in want; they were in circumstances which they had not anticipated, and which greatly perplexed them. Then Paul says, “but not in despair”, means they are not overcome, being at last conquerors. The idea of Paul here is, that they were not left “entirely” without resource. Their needs were provided for; their embarrassments were removed; their grounds of perplexity were taken away; and unexpected strength and resources were imparted to them. When they did not know what to do; when all resources seemed to fail them, in some unexpected manner they would be relieved and saved from absolute despair. How often does this occur in the lives of all Christians! And how certain is it, that in all such cases God will interpose by his grace, and aid his people, and save them from absolute despair. Perplexed of what course to take, but never despairing of his power and love to carry us through. Expect problems.

3. The Bible teaches in Psalm 34:19 “M _____ are the _________ of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” In this verse, should the believer expect few or many problems? _______ .

This is not intended to affirm that the afflictions of the righteous are more numerous or more severe than the afflictions of other men, but that the righteous are subjected to much suffering, and to many trials. By their spiritual relationship to God does not exempt them from suffering, but it sustains them in sufferings. Being a believer does not deliver them from all trials in this life, but their faith in God supports them in their trials. Do not tell the children that the good are always happy, and that the good escape trial, because you will deceive them if you do. Again, the words “Many are the afflictions of the righteous” the happiness, the glory, the heaven of the righteous is not here, but hereafter. In this world, the righteous may have many tribulations, afflictions and troubles for they are not exempt from the trial of their faith and patience.

II – THE PERSON WHO NEED HELP

We need to learn to say the same thing that four verses in Psalms say:

Psalm 40:17 “But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.”

Psalm 70:5 “But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O Lord, make no tarrying.”

Psalm 86:1 “Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.”

Psalm 109:22 “For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.”

Read these four verses and fill up the blank space based on the cries of the Psalmist as he said, "I am ________ and _________ ". We need to realize like the Psalmist who we really are. We do not have the solutions to many real problems that we have. We need help. We are needy people.

Our real problems in life are much more than we can handle. We need help. We need to realize that we need help.

III – THE PLACE TO GET HELP

In case, your teacher gives you an assignment of a problem solving in mathematics, but you don’t know how to solve the problem. You must get help from math expert to teach you how. You can get help from your teacher or can get help from your parents, or you get help from your friend student who is good in math. In other words, you must go to someone who is able and willing to help you solve the problem.

Whom do we go for help? Who is able and willing to help you solve life’s greatest problems? Read Psalm 121:1-2 then complete the verse.

Psalm 121:1-2 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my _______. 2 My _______ cometh from the ____________, which made heaven and earth.” In this verse, there is someone where should you go for help. Who is the One who is able to be your helper? _____________. If God could powerfully and wonderfully create the heavens and the earth, can God by His power help you right now solve all the problem that you are facing?

The children of Israel were being invaded by the enemy as they were facing a great problem which they could not solve themselves. They said in II Corinthians 20:12 “O our God, ...we have no might against …that cometh against us; neither know we what to do:” Is the Israelites go and look in the right direction for help? ____________

Read Psalm 25:15 and learn that net here represents one of your problems. Answer some questions:

Psalm 25:15 “Mines eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.”

Are you able by yourself to get your feet out of the net or do you need help from someone? ________

In order for you to solve the problem, should you focus your eyes on the problem that is represented by the net or should you focus your eyes on the One who are able to solve your problem that you cannot solve? _____________________________.

Read Psalm 37:39; Psalm 56:3; and Hebrews 4:16 to know when should you go to God for help?

Answer the blank space from all the verses given.

1. In Psalm 37:39, I go to God for help, in the time of ____________.

2. In Psalm 56:3, I go to God for help, what time (when) I am ___________.

3. In Hebrews 4:16, I go to God for help, in time of _________.

III – THE POINT TO START TO FIND HELP

First, as a believer, I talk to God (call God in prayer) Psalm 50:15 “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” In talking to God (You are speaking to the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit)

Second, God hears my prayer – Psalm 116:1 “I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.”

Third, God talks to me (God speaks through His Word, the Bible) – Psalm 85:8 "I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly."

Fourth, as a believer, I hear God (Spirit convicts me through His Word) – Psalm 85:8 “I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.”

IV – THE PURPOSE OF GOING TO GOD AND HIS WORD FOR HELP

Does God really care? If God really care, does God have anything to say about your problems and how to solve those problems? Does God really know you and all the things that you face?

It is sad to know, that sometimes I do not realize how much God knows about me and about my problems I am facing. God is very familiar with us, with our life, and with our world. The truth is God knows much better about me than I know myself.

Before I was ever born God already knew all about myself. Think on what God said about Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I _____ thee in the belly I _____ thee; and before thou camest forth out of the ________ I sanctified thee." Even before Jeremiah was in the womb of his mother, God knew all about Jeremiah.

God knows exactly all about me even after I die. God already knows the place where I will spend eternal destination. God already knows perfectly the place where I will be one billion years from now. God even knows very well all about my death.

John 21:18-19 “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdesdst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. ¹⁹ This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, follow me.” Here, Jess told Peter that he would die and when he would die (notice the words in verse 18 “when thou shalt be old” then Jesus also mentioned how he would die). God said all these things many years before they ever happened. Jesus knows what is good and best for us. We must go to God and God’s Word for it greatly helps us solve the problems.

God already knows all about my death, the exact day that I will die, and how I will die and when I will die. God knows me more than I know myself. God knows my need more than I know my needs. Now, if God completely knew me before I was born and if God knows everything about my death, therefore, God certainly knows also everything that will happen and what is happening between my birth, life beginning and my death, life ending. God knows perfectly every problem that happened, is now happening and will soon happen. That is why there is always hope and helpful that we must go to God and His Word for He can solve all our problems.

Read Psalm 139:1-6 then answer some questions:

Psalm 139:1-6 “O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. ² Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising thou understandest my thought afar off. ³ Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. ⁴ For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. ⁵Thou hast beset me behind and before and laid thine hand upon me. ⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.”

Does God know me very well? __________.

Is God very familiar with my whole personal life? _________

Since God knows all about some of the things in me, what are those things? _____________ .

If you had a problem in your life, you cannot fix it, you need help. The best One who can fix is the maker of your life, because He is the One who is the most familiar with your life.

Who is your Maker? __________ .

Who is the most familiar about everything on you? _________ .

Who is the Only One who can best fix the problems in your life? _______________________ .

That is the purpose of going to God for help because God cares, God know everything about us, and God can fix all problems in your life.

V – THE POWER THAT SOLVED THE GREATEST PROBLEM OF ALL

Do you know of man’s greatest problem? Man are sinners, how can a sinful person go to a holy heaven? How can a sinner appear before the presence and approach a holy God? How can a holy God save an unholy sinner? All are sinners (Romans 3:10, 23), and the penalty of our sins is eternal separation from the presence of God and that is being condemned to hell (Romans 6:23; John 3:18), and no sinner can save themselves from sins (Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16). Man as a sinner cannot solve the greatest problem of man.

God has solved the greatest problem of all.

To solve the greatest problem of man which is everlasting punishment for payment of our sins, God sent His beloved Son on the earth to be our substitute and to die in our place (II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 3:18; Romans 5:8).

II Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

I Peter 3:18 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”

Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Jesus Christ died so that the believer might live. Christ solved man’s biggest problem by dying on the cross. Jesus Christ is able and willing to save all those who believe in Him (Hebrews 7:25; I Timothy 2:3-4).

Hebrews 7:25 “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

I Timothy 2:3-4 “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.”

Now, put the missing words in Romans 8:32 “He that spared not His own ________, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us ____________."

Certainly, God is able to solve all of the other lesser problems that I have as I go through life because God has solved my greatest problem and that is salvation of my soul. If God can save my soul from eternal punishment in hell, God is very much able to save me from any problems that I am battling every day.

Have you let God solve your biggest problem which is eternal condemnation of your sins? Have you let God save you and forgive all your sins that you are no longer under condemnation? Have you received Christ as your personal Saviour and now assured of your salvation and eternally secured? (John 1:12; John 3:16-18; Romans 6:23; Romans 10:9-13).

The clockmaker cannot fix a clock that is separated from him by a much farther distance. The Bible says that sin separates man from his God the creator. But when sinner was forgiven by Christ’s blood and got saved by repenting of sins and believing on Christ works of redemption, that saved person is brought into close fellowship with God, and then God can help him solve his own problems and God help him in times of need.

God must be your Saviour before He can be your problem solver.

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