Birthing Class

Well, the last time I was here, a couple weeks ago, we talked about an analogy that Christ uses throughout the Bible in describing the times before His return. If you remember, we talked about birth pangs and how the Bible talks about birth pangs that accompany the physical birth of our children. Back in Genesis 3, we looked at Genesis 3, and after Eve made the decision to reject God and choose Satan's way, and after Adam made the choice to follow Eve rather than God, he said that childbirth from then on would be accompanied by pain. In sorrow, she would bring forth children. And we see a pattern that to bring life is accompanied by pain. Happens in every childbirth. That's just kind of the way of life that it is. And as we look at the spiritual aspect of that, we know that our birth into the kingdom of God is going to be accompanied by pain as well. We talked about many scriptures where Jesus Christ and the Bible talked about the birth pangs that would be occurring during the day of the Lord and the time that we picture during the Feast of Trumpets. And the world would be in deep sorrow before the return of Jesus Christ, which will usher in a time of joy and peace that we can't even imagine, just like we can't imagine or we look forward so much to when that child is going to be born. We can look past the pain that accompanies that because we are so looking forward to that child and we have to learn to look past the pain and suffering that is going to mark that time of the return of Jesus Christ to the time when we are born into the kingdom of God. We talked about Jacob's trouble and how even in the time of Jacob's trouble, the Israelite nations before that would be bending over in pain. And God said, whoever saw a man bent over in pain as if he's in labor with a child, just as some would say is the most severe pain that you can experience.

We men don't understand that. The women in the audience certainly do understand that because there will be that time of pain. And we talked about Christ's words. We talked about Christ's sufferings. And we finished last time in Matthew 24. So let's begin where we left off last time in Matthew 24. You'll recall that when I was talking about this last time, I talked about the birthing classes that accompany childbirth. And it's been over 30 years since the last time we had a child. But I remember well those birthing classes that we had to go to. And I talked about the things that I remember from those. And we're going to talk a little bit about those today. But let's pick up where we left off in Matthew 24 because the last time we talked about some of those birth pangs that were going to accompany the return of Jesus Christ. If you recall in Matthew 24, the disciples at the beginning of the chapter there were asking Christ, what will be the signs of your coming and of the end of the age? The age, of course, they're talking about is this age that we live in before the return of Jesus Christ, which ushers in another age. And he went through many things with them. In verse 4 and 5, he said that many will come in my name, saying, I'm the Christ, and they will deceive many. And we talked about deceive, a word that runs so easily off of our mouths. It means that there will be many who will come that will cause people to stray, people to roam, people to look elsewhere from the truth and have their attention diverted from the truth, and they look elsewhere and leave behind the truth that God has called them to. We certainly live in an age where that can happen because with the advent of the internet, with the people who have people and everyone who has an idea on every single aspect of life, we can find ourselves, we're not watching, departing from the Bible and getting off on a little twig over here because it's the most important thing to us, or we simply don't want to believe what the Bible has to say. So Christ says, be aware. Stay on the path. Keep your eyes on the Bible. Keep your eyes in the Word of God. That's the truth. It's the truth that is going to bring us through the birth into the kingdom of God. We talked about wars and rumors of wars, and since the last couple weeks, we've seen that intensify. I mean, as I watch the news every night, Russia and Ukraine are there all the time. It's kind of like everyone's guess. When will Russia invade Ukraine? What if they don't invade Ukraine? What's the game that's going on? And of course, we have the other rumors of wars as well that are there, not to mention the real wars that are going on, and that will result from that.

We talked about famine. We talked about pestilence. We've been through a time of pestilence, and we know when you look back at history, wars often lead to famines. Famines lead to pestilences, and all these things that Jesus Christ talked about. We talked about how famines, you know, when you look in Revelation 6 and see what the famine that the Bible talks about then, it's associated with money and how much food costs.

And we live in a time where we keep hearing, if not every day, several times a week, the greatest inflationary period in 40 years in this country. With no end in sight, people saying that it'll be temporary, but the question is, will it be temporary? Or are we headed into that time where a bushel of wheat will cost a day's wages? And so we finished in verse 8 last time where Christ, as He's talking about these things, He says, all these are the beginning of sorrows.

And if you remember, when you look at the Greek word translated sorrows in verse 8, it's more accurately translated birth pangs. And the newer translations of the Bible translate it exactly that way. All these are the beginning of birth pangs. So when we are having a child, and when the woman is having a child, and she begins to feel those birth pangs, she knows the time is near. The first pangs might be relatively, I hate to use the word because someone's going to chide me on it, relatively mild, right?

Something that you think, okay, I know something's different. This isn't the pain I've had before. It's a mild pain. And it would get your attention. You might tell your husband, I think the time is here. I think the birth is getting close. I have a birth pang, and I felt something that I haven't felt before. And as time goes on, those pains intensify, as you well know, whether you're a woman or if you've ever been part or know anything about childbirth, to the point that they are very, very, very severe before the child is born.

And so we talked about last time birthing classes. And birthing classes and the things that we learn in those birth classes that are so valuable as we look forward to the time that the child, the baby, is being born, but they also have a spiritual application we see as well.

When we look at ourselves, when we look at the time we live in, when we look what God is preparing us for, we can compare it to a birthing class that we're all in. Let me, before I go through the five points I listed last time of the things that I remember, I did go back since then to look and say, well, is there something I forgot in these birthing classes?

So I went to the American Pregnancy Association website, and I looked at what they talked about should be part of a birthing class, and they had a section in there on what are the benefits of childbirth education classes. I thought I would share those with you because, as I read through them, I thought you can make the comparison to what we're going through right now, and what we as God's people, and what He is teaching us, and what He is preparing us to, to that time that lies ahead of us when we will be born literally into the kingdom of God.

First advantage, or first benefit, they say, of childbirth education classes, childbirth classes help build your confidence in your body's ability to give birth. Now, not being a woman, I don't know. I don't know what it's like when you find out you're pregnant and you realize there's pain that's going to be associated with that, and when you're pregnant, it's going to happen, right?

I don't know that there's ever been a childbirth that it wasn't accompanied by pain, unless it was some of the modern-day surgical solutions and the ways they try to eliminate that, but you know it's going to happen, and I don't know what that feels like to know this is going to be part of my life. This baby is going to be born. I want this baby very, very badly, and I'm willing to go through the pain, but I don't know what that's like. Well, the childbirth education classes help you develop that confidence. You can get through this. Women do get through it.

It's been going on through the beginning of time. Likewise, when we read some of the prophecies in the Bible, it can be daunting when we look at the pain that Christ talks about. When He talks about persecution and tribulation and all those words that none of us want to hear, it can be a little frightening, if you will.

But being in God's church, listening to His Word as He works with us, as He prepares us during this time of our physical lives now for the time of that birth into His kingdom, we realize with Him, we will get through it. We'll survive. We will be born into His kingdom, but we're going to have to do it His way. And we have to cling to what He teaches us to do. We have to have belief in Him and faith in Him. Just like what we do when we go to those childbirth classes and those experts, those teachers, are up there telling us, this is what's going to happen. This is what you do. This is how you get through it. The da da da da da. Same benefit for us as we are here in trial birth classes during the time that God is preparing us. Second one they list is you can discuss your fears about labor and birth with the instructor and other couples with the same concerns. Well, it's good to have someone to ask questions to. And it's good. You know, when we did our childbirth classes, it was just never us and the instructor. There were all other couples as well. And you benefit from other people's questions. And you see that we're all in this together. They're teaching the same thing. And there is some confidence that comes knowing that there's all these people that are there going through the same thing. And the instructor has questions, but others who have had babies before can say, yeah, this and that and whatever. It's the first time through you realize and pick up some pointers from them. Being part of a class has its benefit, right? Just like being in church has its benefits. God didn't call us to be just him and us alone always. He put us in a body for a reason. We learned from him. We learned from each other. We developed that camaraderie and that working with one another that is very important. Just like when they do the childbirth classes, it provides that extra amount of confidence and understanding of what we're going through in that situation. The third one they list is your partner will learn about childbirth and how to support you on the big day. You may find that attending childbirth classes together will create a special bond. Well, we would hope that that's what would happen with us. We're all going through the same thing. God has called all of us to become his children, to be born into his kingdom. That's why we're here, to learn his way, to allow his Holy Spirit to mold us and develop us and strengthen us so that we become who he wants us to become so that we will be there on that day that Jesus Christ returns. And when we work together, when we're doing those things together, it should create a special bond. That's what Jesus Christ was talking about.

My will is that you become one with each other and become one with him and God the Father.

Same thing. Same thing as a couple works together to go through this process together.

The fourth one they list is your instructor will discuss pain relief options, including massage, relaxation, and breathing techniques. You know, pain, just pain is part of it. Pain is part of it, but there's ways you get through the pain so that the pain doesn't control you, but you learn to control the pain. God gives us those instructions as well, as we'll see here in a moment. And finally, they say, a tour of your birthing facility during class will give you the opportunity to see the staff in action. And it's a great time to talk about it. If we just know what we're going into when the time comes and we have to go to a birthing facility or the midwife comes to our house or whatever the situation is that we're in, if we're prepared and we've seen it ahead of time and it's not surprise added on to the sense of urgency that is there, it makes things all the better. Preparedness is key. Preparedness and being ready. So with that in mind, let's talk about the five things, if you've had a child before, that you probably, if you went through a birthing class, talked about with your classes. First one is that in order for us to... first thing we have to realize is that we have to have a vision and keep the vision in mind of what we're doing. The vision is have that baby. We want that baby. We want that child. We want that joy of having that child. Having that vision and recognizing and acknowledging the fact that there's going to be pain that precedes it. You know, I can't even imagine what it would be like if you would say, yes, I want the baby, but you just close your mind to the fact that there's any pain. I don't want to talk about it. I'm not going to hear about it. I'm going to put it out of my mind. I'm not going to deal with it. I'm not going to think about it. And then all of a sudden the day comes, the pains start, they intensify, and you haven't done any preparation at all that you've never acknowledged it. I can't even imagine what that would be like when you see the storm coming, if we can put it in that way, and you do no preparation at all. You find yourself in that. Part of being, part of living is to prepare. And when we see those things to prepare ourselves and not just close our minds to it and think, you know what? I feel good today in my fourth month, fifth month, seventh month, eighth month, and I just don't believe I'm going to have any pain. And then you do. That's what childbirth education classes are. That's what being in the church is for. This is what the time that we have now to be prepared, have that vision of being born in the kingdom, but also recognize and acknowledge there is going to be challenging times before that birth. It won't be all, you know, it won't be all of better roses. Now it's pretty good. Now we're beginning to see the birth pangs begin, and they're kind of mild, but they will intensify.

You know, the Bible talks about this. Let's go turn back to 1 Peter. 1 Peter 4.

When you read the writings that God has given us, the writings that the apostles and others have preserved for us, and you look at it through the eyes of childbirth, you can see what they're talking about and what God is telling us. In 1 Peter 4, Peter, you know, we know he suffered a lot and was martyred for the truth of God. In 1 Peter 4 and verse 7, he says something to us that we can say, when it's time for that child to be born, when those birth pangs start, and we know the time is at hand. He says in verse 7, the end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be serious and watchful in your prayers. Oh, it's time to get serious about it. The time is now. The time is now. It's upon us.

What are we going to do with all of these things that are going to be coming upon us? We should be ready by that time. You know, the newer translations do cast well what the original meanings of these verses are. God's word translation, for instance, in verse 7, you know, says, but the end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be calm, self-controlled men of prayer. Be calm.

Be self-controlled. Be people of prayer. To have developed those attributes in your life that when time comes, you don't be afraid, like Jesus Christ often says. You don't be dismayed, like Jesus Christ says. Maybe a little daunting when it starts, but you remember, I have faith in Him. He's made me ready for this. Be calm. Be self-controlled. Don't run around in a traumatic sense of the way. Be men of prayer. Stay in contact with Him. The closer and closer is the time of Jesus Christ's return, more and more, we need to be people who are in contact with God through prayer. All through the day, not just one time in the morning or one time in the evening or three times at designated times, always in contact with God. That's what Paul was talking about when he said, I pray without ceasing. And we know from Paul's example, his birth, I mean, he's he's asleep waiting for the return of Jesus Christ. His time, from the time that he was converted, was filled with pain, filled with trouble, filled with challenges. And he was always there, and he was calm and self-controlled, and he did it all. And at the end of his life, he could say, I'm ready.

I know there is a crown of life awaiting for me. The same thing for us, the same Holy Spirit that God gave Paul, he gives to you and me. It's a matter of what do we do with it? What do we, how do we respond to God? Are we growing closer and closer to Him, or are we becoming more and more lax as time and society tries its best to lull us into sleep? So Peter says this in verse 8, you know, he says, be serious, be watchful, be calm, be self-controlled in prayer. And notice what he says in verse 8, the very next thing he says, and above all things have fervent agape for one another.

There you go. We've talked about agape a lot. Above all things, have fervent agape for one another. Look how important agape is that we're developing it that now. It's going to be one of those things that we absolutely need to be born into the kingdom of God. Now is the time to be developing it. Above all things, have fervent agape for one another. For a very interesting comment that God makes here that deserves more exploration and thought, for agape will cover a multitude of sins.

Agape will cover a multitude of sins. If you go down to verse 12 then, as Paul talks about this being together with one another, in verse 12 he says something that we would say to a woman who's gone into pregnancy, right, or gone into labor. Beloved, don't think it's strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you. We would say that to an expectant mother who's gone in, well, this is nothing new. You should have known this. You were taught this. There was going to be pain associated with it. So don't think you're the only one. This is just how life comes. Life comes through pain. But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. Look past it. Endure it. Stick through it, because what's on the other side of that pain is joy inexpressible. It's the best thing that can happen that we can't even imagine. Just like when that child is born, as Christ said, all that pain is forgotten for joy and the human being has been born. If you're reproached, he says in verse 14, for the name of Christ, blessed are you. For the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part, he's blasphemed, but on your part, he's glorified. You are going through the pain that God knew would happen, the same kind of pain that Jesus Christ endured, that Paul endured, that his people endure. The world hates God's people. They hate his truth. Christ says, not going to hold anything back from you. They're going to hate you, too. But none of you, he says in verse 15, suffer as a murderer or thief, an evil doer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed. But let him glorify God in this matter. It's a part of the process. For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God. What does that judgment reveal about us that time? How will we endure the pain? How will we look past it? How will we deal with what will happen between now and the return of Jesus Christ? There's a lot going on in the world now. It'll intensify the pain, but there'll also be a lot of lawlessness and a lot of things that can take us away, and our minds can go elsewhere. Look at that in a little bit here, right? Verse 17, for the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God, and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who don't obey the gospel of God? Verse 19, therefore, let those who suffer, according to the will of God, it's His way, it's the way birth into the kingdom occurs, it's the way that physical birth occurs as well through pain, therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good as to a faithful creator. Do His will. Commit to Him. He will be the one who delivers us. And now is the time for us to be preparing for it, to having our eyes wide open, to acknowledging it, and to letting God and asking God help us get ready, and not just closing our eyes and thinking, not me, or it's decades off, or whatever. Let's go back to 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy 1.

Now, as we talked on the Bible studies, the second epistle to Timothy, you know, Paul knows that his death is impending. And things have gotten worse since the book, the end of the book of Acts, when he was pretty much living in peace in Rome and free to go about as he pleases. But here in 2 Timothy 1 and verse 8, as he's talking to Timothy, he talks about what has happened, has his time, the time of the end of his life, and delivery, because death, the end of our lives, we're either born into the kingdom of God or born into, or the other alternative. 2 Timothy 1.8. He writes to Timothy, he says, therefore, Timothy, don't be ashamed. Don't be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. You know, don't, it's the truth. The world's going to tell you, you're silly, you're goofy, you're antiquated, you don't know what you're doing, whatever. But he says, Timothy, don't be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, and don't be ashamed of me, his prisoner.

I'm in prison, but don't be ashamed of me. I'm here because I believe in God, because I do the things that God said to do. I'm incarcerated, not because I'm a murderer, a liar, a thief, or anything else. I'm here because I believe in God, and I preach his will. Don't be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God. Join with me. Participate in it. Don't run away from it. Don't say, I don't know him. Forget Paul. I have no idea who Paul is. I don't want anything to do with him. No, no, no. Don't do that, Timothy. Don't do that, people of God. Share in it. It's part of what God's plan for us is. He goes on in verse 9. He says, share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God who has saved us and called us with the holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. Now it has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

There is a bright future. There is a lot of light and joy and everything, everything good at the other end of this. Cling to that. Be ready for it. Be ready for it and acknowledge it. It really is a part of the counting of the cost that we did before we were baptized. Whoever counseled you, I'm sure, for baptism, made you aware, count the cost. It isn't going to be just simply easy.

It there is going to be pain. There is going to be suffering. When you look at the words of the Bible, there will be persecution. That was the cost that we said, yes, we accept Christ. Whatever you say, whatever the path for us is, we will do it. We will go where you say. We will follow you where you lead. We will simply commit ourselves to you in the good times and bad times. Every year at Passover, we recommit. We recommit, count that cost, and remember, committed to God, committed to God to do and to follow Him into His kingdom. Let's go back to Matthew 24 for a moment.

We talked about the beginning of birth pains, and certainly that's important, but we know that birth pains intensify as time goes on. And in Matthew 24, as Jesus Christ moves past verse 8, He talks about that intensification of those birth pains. When we look at verse 9 of Matthew 24, we see that the pain becomes a little more intense than to us personally. We've got wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, the things that the world is going through, but in verse 9, the pain becomes a little more personal and a little more intense than they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you. That's pretty personal. That's pretty painful. They will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. We don't see that yet, but we can see the beginning birth pains of that, right? We live in a society where today, something we wouldn't have even imagined two years ago, if someone disagrees with what we believe, they can create pain. They can create anything they want. The people in Canada are beginning to see that in the last few weeks. If you don't agree with me, I can attack your bank account. I can take away your insurance. I can suspend your license. I can make your life miserable simply because you don't agree with me on this seemingly silly little point. Just imagine what happens when it becomes a matter of religious point as Satan leads society and society further and further away from God and more and more to the heinous lifestyles and way that he would have mankind live.

So we see in verse 9, it's going to get a little more painful along the way. We can't bury our heads to it. God gives us the opportunity to prepare for that. Verse 10, many will be offended.

Many will betray one another and will hate one another. I don't know if you've ever been betrayed. It's a painful thing if someone betrays you. It's a painful thing to go through those processes. And there may be, well, obviously in the church, there will be some who, when the pain gets a little too intense, they'll be more than ready to point out this one, this one, this one, this one, just like Judas was ready to point out Christ. Yes, he's the one. That's going to be pretty painful when the people you trusted turn against because they weren't prepared for the pain. They didn't have their vision past that, and they weren't ready. They weren't ready for the intensity that was coming. Now is the time to become sober-minded, to become calm, to learn to become calm, self-controlled, and men of prayer, the contact with God helping us through these things. Many will be offended. Many will be betrayed another and will hate one another. Verse 11, then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

If the deceit is hard now, just imagine what it will be in times ahead of us.

Many will roam. Many will stray. Oh, I like that idea better. Oh, you know what? They're promising that I can be exempt from all this pain. If I just do this, this is the truth, and that really appeals to me. So I will believe that. Even though the Bible doesn't say it, I want to believe that that's the truth. And because lawlessness will abound, and we certainly live in a time of lawlessness, the agape of many will grow cold. It will fade. They'll drift away. The pain, the pain will have an effect. Or the good times, or what the world is espousing as truth, will lead people to just get further and further away from God. More and more lax. More and more.

More and more not doing what he says. At a time we should be growing closer and closer to God.

In a time of lawlessness, people will grow further and further away from God. And the agape for God and the agape for each other will just sort of disappear. Think about how it disappears.

What do we do that kills love? It's the same way that we can kill the agape if we don't watch what we're doing. And so as you go through here in verse 13, he says, but he who endures to the end, just like in childbirth, get through the pain, keep your eye on the vision, be aware of what's going on, be ready, he who endures to the end will be saved. In the end, that child will be born.

In the end, if we endure to the end, we'll be born in the kingdom of God, if we remain true to him.

If we're not ready, if we're not developing that strength now, it won't happen. It won't happen. Now is the time. Now is the time to become calm, self-controlled men of prayer. So that's point one. Point two that I remember from our birthing classes were the breathing techniques. Now breathing techniques, and they were unlike breathing techniques that I had seen before. We do the short type breathing that went in. And you know, you have, you know, the experts know what to do. They're the ones who say how you get through this, and it made sense when you think about the pain that was there and how you needed to control the pain. And through these breathing techniques, you could control the pain because if you let the pain get control of you, it could be a, it would be disastrous. It would be a time that is just unbelievable, I guess. So they teach you, control the pain. Don't let the pain control you. Reminisce it again. Christ said, don't be afraid. Don't be dismayed. I'm with you. I'll stand by you. The pain can be controlled. I can see you through this, and I will see you through this.

So we have breathing techniques. They teach you to you ever over and over. The woman, the wife, the mother-to-be learns the breathing techniques. Husband needs to learn the breathing techniques, because in a time when the pain intensifies, someone needs to say, no, no, remember the breathing techniques. Here's what we need to do, and I'm going to breathe with you, right? I'm going to help you through this. We're going to focus on the breathing and not let the pain overcome us. You are going to overcome the pain. And so, you know, so that's what happens. Let's look at a few verses on this. Back in Joshua. Joshua 1 and verse 9. Moses has died.

The children of Israel, of ancient Israel, they're about to cross over.

The Jordan River into the Promised Land. It's going to be a time that's a little daunting to them.

Moses has already cautioned them. Don't be afraid. They've already been through some things where they should have learned to rely on God and trust in Him. But as Joshua, the new leader of Israel for this period of their existence, God says this to him in verse 9.

Same things that he would say to us when that time comes and we're ready to cross over, and the time is there to the time of Jesus Christ's return, and all these events that are prophesied in the Bible are coming to pass. In verse 9 he says, Calm yourself. Take a deep breath. Practice those breathing exercises. Don't be afraid.

Calm down. Engage God. Look to Him. Men of prayer. Look to God. When times are stressful.

In the book of Nehemiah, always one of the more encouraging things in the book of Nehemiah of many, many, many things in the Bible that I remember well of Nehemiah is what he did at a time that he saw that his life could be totally, you know, that he could be snuffed out by the king who he served. In Nehemiah 2, verse 1, you remember that Nehemiah was a cup bearer, and cup bearers in those days they served the king, and their job was to be completely upbeat all the time. The king wasn't interested in having, you know, someone who was, you know, depressed or, you know, complaining. He wanted someone to, he wanted someone cheerful. Everything was supposed to be good. Nehemiah knew that that was just part of the job description for a cup bearer in that day. So Nehemiah 2, verse 1, we see that Nehemiah is troubled. He is a Jew. He knows that the Jerusalem is being built, but the gate is in ruins, and the job just isn't getting finished. And God compels him to go and get the job done. So Nehemiah 2, verse 1, Nehemiah is about to address this with the king. It came to pass in the month of Nisan in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him that I, Nehemiah, took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. I had my job description, and I knew I am upbeat. I am cheery king. There is everything right in the world. I had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore the king said to me, why is your face sad since you are not sick? Well, understanding that that king had the power of life and death, Nehemiah's life could be over instantaneously if the king didn't like what he did. When the king said that, it had to strike a chord in him. Why is your face sad since you aren't sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart. So I became dreadfully afraid. As well he should. His life was in the balance. And I said to the king, may the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my father's tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire? And the king said to me, well, what do you request? Before he answered, look what he did.

This is a time he stopped and he prayed to God. What do I say? Be with me. Get me through this time. I know what your will is. I want to do it, but I know I need to have you involved. So I prayed to the king, the God of heaven. And I said to the king, if it pleases you and if your servant is found fire in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my father's tombs, that I may rebuild it. The king let him do it. He stopped and prayed.

When we are at times, when we find ourselves at times of trouble, crossroads, pain, suffering, tribulations, stop and pray. Develop that habit now. Develop that aspect of our of our character now. In Luke 21, in Luke's writings on the time of the end, the Olivet Prophecy in Luke 21, it's recorded many of the more significant birth pains in the middle of the chapter here. In Luke 21, you see that down to verse 15, 16, about betrayal, hating you, etc. In verse 18, in Luke 21, Christ says, but you know, trust in me, not a hair of your head shall be lost. And in verse 19, he says, by your patience, by your patience, possess your souls.

Be calm. Don't try to take matters into your own hands. Don't think you have a better way out of this. Just simply do and let God get you through it. Trust Him. Pray to Him. Take a deep breath.

Do those breathing exercises. Do those breathing techniques. Engage God by your patience. Don't be afraid. Don't be dismayed. When that happens, patience goes out the window. Trust God. Practice and put in place the breathing techniques that you have learned through the time that you were baptized and the time you've lived as we approach that time.

Put into practice what you've been taught, or at least that you have had the opportunity to be taught if you are willing to be taught and if you open minds to be taught, if you look at the opportunities God gives for us to be taught and to learn these things. By your patience, by your patience, possess your souls. You can endure. You can endure. He will teach us what we need to do that. Third thing I remember them talking about. When the pain comes, focus on an object in the room. Find one object in that delivery room that you look at, whether it's a light bulb, whether it's the corner, whether it's the crack in the wall, whatever it is, find that one object in the room and look at it. Don't let your eyes gaze and be distracted someplace else. When the pain is there, look intently at that and don't look at anything else. Make yourself focus on that one object or that one third object. That one thing in the room. Even as I heard the instructor back decades ago saying that, I understood what she was saying. If we focus on something and we don't let our minds wander all over the place, it's another way of controlling the pain. Focus on it. For us, what do we focus on? We keep our eyes on God. We keep our eyes on Jesus Christ. That's where the focus has to be. If we're not people who are focused on God and that He can deliver us from whatever, and if we think that we can find our way out of this and we can, whatever trial comes, well, I can try this or I can try that or I can try that or the world would say this or this is what I've been used to doing. If we keep doing the same things that we've been doing as we've been coming out of the world, we will never come out of the world. We will never learn to focus on God. So when those times come, we will always go back and think, this is the way the world did it. This is the way I was taught. This is the way I raised. This is what I did when I had a financial problem or a relationship problem or where things didn't go right. You know, I always ran before. I always ran to this or before when I felt not well. This is what I always did before. We need to take the opportunity to start focusing on God. Doesn't happen overnight. It takes a lifetime to focus on God and to come out of the world. Focus on Him. I don't need to turn back to Matthew 14. You know well the story of Peter and walking on the water. They were there in that boat and they saw a figure coming across walking on water. They thought it was a ghost. Remember? Then they saw that it was Jesus Christ. And Peter said, Lord, if it's you, let me come out and walk on water.

And Peter did the impossible. I mean, literally the impossible. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus Christ, he was able to walk on water. But the moment he looked around and started thinking, am I doing this? Am I really focusing on Him? Here's a wave over here. And as soon as he took his eyes off Christ, what happened? He began to sink. He began to sink. The only way we can do the impossible, the only way that we can find our way into the kingdom of God is by keeping our focus on Him. That doesn't happen the minute we're baptized. It doesn't minute happen the minute that we have hands laid on us, the Holy Spirit comes. It takes practice. It takes time to develop that trust in God and to focus on Him. It takes time to do the things that God wants us to do. That's why He gives us a lifetime to develop it. Now's the time. In Hebrews 12, Hebrews 12 verse 1, it speaks to us. You know, there's many, when we read through the Bible, who have gone before us, who have traversed this life, who have died in the faith. Hebrews 11, names several of those from the Old Testament. We know that there's many who have gone before us who have endured to the end. In Hebrews 12 verse 1, it says, Therefore we, that's you and me, therefore we also, since we're surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, we've seen people of faith, we've read their stories, we know that God's Holy Spirit is available to us just like it was to them. Therefore we, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, all those things that drag us down and keep us tied to the world in our own ideas, in our own way of doing things. Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnared us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Let's keep moving. Let's keep going forward. Looking unto Jesus, the author, it was God who called us. We're not here of our own accord. He opened our minds. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. What He began, He will finish. The work He began in us, He will complete if, if we let Him, if we follow Him, if we trust in Him, if we complete to Him. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and now He has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Think about that.

Look to God. Think of the examples that are there. Ask Christ for the strength. Ask Him to teach us to have the strength. He will. He wants us to be there. He will teach us. We have to realize He will. His Holy Spirit leads us into truth, into the things that that He wants us to do.

Isaiah 26.

As those birth pangs intensify, stay calm. Stay collected. Stay controlled. Be people of prayer. Look to Him. Keep your eyes focused on Him. Isaiah 26, verse 3.

You will keep Him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you.

You want to be in perfect peace through that time? May hurt. May be uncomfortable. You will keep Him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed or focused on you. Because He trusts in you, God. Trust in Him forever. For in Him is everlasting strength. That's where the strength is. It's not in ourselves. It's not in the world around us. It's in God. It's in God.

Okay, fourth point. Be ready. Be ready when that time comes. I remember the instructor saying, you know, due date approaches, have your bag packed. So when your wife says, the pain is here, it's time to go, you don't find yourself running all over the house thinking, oh, I need this and I need that. Have the bag packed, ready to go, because it will be a time of excitement. It'll be a time where things will be, oh, things will be a time of excitement, and a lot of things will be going on. Have the bag picked up, the bag packed so you can pick it up, get to the car, get to the hospital, or have everything ready. So if the midwife is coming to your house, whatever your plan is, have the plan that when the time comes, you're ready. You're ready to go. You don't start thinking at that time, I need this, I need that, they don't have this ready, I don't know where my insurance cards are, I don't know any of this, right? You have it all ready in one place, so you're ready to go. So it is that God would tell us, as you see the delivery date approaching, when you see the time approaching, be ready. Have your bags packed. Know what you're going to do. Have it in your mind. This is what needs to happen. You've been practicing this for a long time. You know what you need to do. If we go back to Matthew, go forward, I guess, to Matthew 24, verse 17.

Matthew 24 verse 17. You know, look, you read verses 14, 15, 16, you see, oh wow, the time is, the time has come. Now we realize it's there, and what does it say? Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who was on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. The time for packing and preparing was up to this time. Be ready to go when the time comes.

Too late to start thinking about all those things, and oh, what I should have done with this. Kind of like those those five virgins in Matthew 25 who just weren't ready. They failed to see the time that the bridegroom was coming, and they got caught unawares, and it was not a good result for them. In verse 44 of Matthew 24, he says, he tells us, therefore you be ready. You be ready, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour you do not expect. You know, all the doctors in the world can tell you what the due date is. Here's your projected date. They can't tell you. They can't tell you, I promise you that that's the day that child will be delivered. Unless you do some of the modern-day things where they induce, um, induce labor and stuff like that. But in the normal course of things, you never know when the day's going to be. You never know when the hour is going to be. You can be in labor for 24 hours. You can be in labor for two hours. You can be in labor for two days, right? You never know the day. You never know the hour. Christ says you don't know the day and the hour when all these things will come to pass. So be ready. Don't wait until that moment to get ready. It's too late at that time. Be ready now. Get ready now. Use the time that God has given us to get ready. In Luke 21, in Luke's account of this, we were there earlier, he talks about some of the things that can keep us from focusing on what it is we're supposed to be doing with this time. In Luke 21 and verse 34, he gives us a warning. You see all these things coming about. You see these birth pangs increasing. You see them beginning, and they're going to increase. Once labor starts, it keeps going. It keeps going. The end is going to come.

Luke 21 verse 34, But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the cares of this life, that you get all distracted and you're not paying attention to what's going on. You forget what you're here for, and that day come upon you unexpectedly. What a terrible experience that that day comes on us unexpectedly.

Supposed to be people who are ready, people who are mindful, people who are self-controlled. Verse 35, for it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. They'll be taken surprised when those birth pangs happen. When we read in Jeremiah 30 about men bent over and whoever saw this, the labor pains that a man was having, they were caught unawares, and they had no idea what to do with it. You and I know what to do with it, right? Verse 36 says, watch therefore and pray. Let's go forward to 1 Thessalonians 5.

I've read something again that we read a couple weeks ago, 1 Thessalonians 5.

In verse 1, Paul writes to you and me, of course to the Thessalonians then, but to all who God has preserved this word for. Concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. You won't know the exact time. For when they say peace and safety, everything will look good. Ah, see? Things are back to normal. When they say peace and safety, sudden destruction comes. If you endure a labor pain, a contraction is like, oh, then you have this feeling of peace. But if you think, oh, it's all gone, no more pain, no more pain, it's all over. And the next one comes, wow, I have a feeling it probably, it probably takes you by quite surprise. So he says, when they say peace and safety, sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they shall not escape. I didn't read Luke 21, 36, but in it says, God says, watch there and pray always that you be accounted worthy to escape.

Here, the same word escape is used. As labor pains upon a pregnant woman, they won't escape, but you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this day should covertake you as a thief. You are sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. Therefore, let's not sleep as others do, but let us watch and be sober. There's those words again. Let us be calm, let us be self-controlled, let us be aware of the times that we live in. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk or drunk at night, but let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God didn't call you and me, he didn't call you and me to wrath, but he called us to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what he called you and me for. That's what he will finish if. If we follow him. If we stay close to him. If we grow in the grace and knowledge that he wants us to do as he leads us.

He appointed us to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us.

That whether we wake or sleep, we should live together. We should live together with him. And notice, therefore, comfort each other and edify one another just as you were doing.

Always when you come back to God, it's always do it with each other. Help each other. Don't forsake the assembling of yourselves together. Make sure you understand that's part of the birthing classes. Develop those bonds with God, with each other. Do the things that he has called us to do. Be ready. Practice agape. Develop agape. Practice trust. Develop that trust. Practice faith by conscious by the choices that we make. Develop that faith. Become perfect. Or spiritually mature, as God says. The old saying is what? Practice makes perfect. And what does God say? In 1 John 4 18, perfect, perfect agape casts out fear. Perfect agape casts out fear. When the pain comes, we won't be sidelined. We won't be taken aback. We won't fall by the wayside. We will keep marching forward with our eyes focused on him because we're ready. Because he will make us ready. Last point. You need a coach, right? You need a coach when you're in labor. If the woman doesn't have a husband, they encourage sister, whatever, someone else to be there with them, it's important that husband and wife go through it together. Have a coach with you. And that coach is an important part of it. Certainly not going through the same pain that the woman is, but as you see, as you watch what's going on and understand what's going on, to have that coach there, it's important to have someone there to steady you and to reassure you and to remind you of what it is that you can do. Let's breathe. Let's do what that instructor told us to do. Let's keep our eyes on that thing in the corner over there. Let's be controlled and not let the pain get control of us. It's important to have a coach. We have a coach. We have the ultimate coach. But you know, we all together can be each other coaches. Over and over, we talk about edifying each other, encouraging one another, being there for one another. God called us so that we can be a benefit and help each other.

But He is our ultimate coach. He is the perfect coach. He can steady us, He can sure, He can lead us through. He can do everything that we need Him to do. Hebrews 13.5, you don't need to turn there, but Jesus Christ said, I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. I will be right there by your side. The Holy Spirit, paracletus, is coming by your side. I'll always be there with you.

It may seem that I'm not. You may have to remind yourself that I am, like we see some examples in the Bible, like Elisha back in 2 Kings 6 when he was daunted by an overwhelming army that came out to capture him and he had to let his servant know, God's here. There's an army. And we can remind ourselves of that. He says, I will never leave you or forsake you. He's right there by our side. He's thought away. We'll remember to pray to him. He will see us through. He's the ultimate coach.

Isaiah 41.

Isaiah 41 and verse 8. Many, many such verses, it turns out, in Isaiah, because Isaiah talks a lot about the times ahead of us. In Isaiah 41 and verse 8, he says this. He says, you, Israel. Well, he's talking about ancient Israel then, but he's really talking to you and me too because we're spiritual Israel. We are God's people. But you, Israel, you're my servant. You're Jacob, whom I have chosen.

We didn't choose God. He chose us. We chose God when we responded to his calling. You, Israel, are my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham, my friend. You, whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and called from its farthest regions. And I said to you, you are my servant. I have chosen you and I have not cast you away. Fear not, for I am with you.

Don't be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you.

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Behold, all those who are incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced. They shall be as nothing, and those who strive with you shall perish. You will seek them and not find them those who contended with you. Those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a non-existent thing. For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, fear not. I will help you.

Those are beautiful, encouraging words, aren't they? Words that as we go through things we can remember, God is there. He wants us to be delivered into His kingdom. He wants us to succeed. He wants us, and He will be there by our side to give us the strength, to give us the vision, to calm us down when we look to Him. But we have to train ourselves and take the opportunities today to look to Him and let Him develop that character in us that will see us through by the strength of His Holy Spirit, remembering He is there, remembering He will never take His eyes off of us, the ultimate coach who has us in the ultimate birthing class as He prepares us to be born into His kingdom.

Time to practice. Time to develop the things that we have talked about. Time to become who God wants us to be in leaving our old selves and our old ideas and our ties to whatever it is and start tying ourselves directly to Him. You know, as we look forward to Passover in just a couple months, the days of Unleavened Bread, it's a very good time to be examining ourselves in all the many ways I mentioned and beyond that in my letter yesterday. Time to be looking at ourselves. Are we ready? Are we getting ourselves ready? Are we doing what God said? Are we just playing a game and patting ourselves on the back and saying, yeah, yeah, I'm okay? The Bible tells us clearly what God wants us to do. And as we go toward Passover, let's examine ourselves with all the things that we've been talking about lately. And are we ready? Are we ready in letting Him get us ready for His return?