All Your Hell Ain't From Hell -Pastor Hope Carpenter

Oh, thank you, Jesus.

Thank you, Jesus for this time. We thank you, Jesus, that we can come boldly into the throne room of grace in our time of need. God, I thank you that you are a friend that sings closer than a brother. And I thank you, Lord, that you are a very present help in a time of trouble. We give you praise tonight, God, because. Because you're always there. We give you praise tonight because you hear us when we cry. We thank you, Jesus, and we give you all the glory. And everybody said amen. Amen.

Amen.

Amen. Amen. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

We are so grateful that you are here with us tonight. Wherever you are, tuning in on Facebook or YouTube or if somebody shared this with you, you and you say, I don't even know what's happening. Sit tight. God is going to meet you right where you are. This could be the answer to your prayer. This could be the thing that you've been longing for and didn't even know it. I believe God does that for us. He's a very present help in the time of trouble. He meets us where we are and sometimes he just shows up and surprises us with things that we don't even know we need. So I believe tonight he is an answer to whatever you've been praying and believing for tonight.

Come on, give God one more praise.

Get your Bibles out. Get your Bibles out. You may not even know what a Bible is, but if you want to Google it, you can google 2nd Corinthians 12 and I'll get there in just a minute. But my question is, have you ever had situations and circumstances, circumstances where you had to pray and you were begging and you were evoking the name of God over a situation. You might have been praying and fasting, binding and loosing and doing all you know to do, all you know to do, and nothing changes. Nothing changes. It seems to go from bad to worse. And you feel like when you've done all you know to do and you just stand there, you're like, God, where are you? Where are you? Well, I had this situation in my life over the past few weeks actually, and I was praying and I saw no change. And I began to fast and I saw no change. And I was getting very frustrated with God because I know the spiritual principles and things that we're supposed to do. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man the Bible says availeth much and God answers our prayers. We know all these things. But I was sitting there believing God for something and it just Seemed like God wasn't listening to me. And God spoke to me very clearly in one of my prayer times. And he asked me this question. He said to me, he said, have you ever thought that all your hell is not from hell? I was like, huh.

Is this the devil?

Is this my flesh? God, could you be saying to me that the things that I'm going through could be from you? So get your Bible out. 2nd Corinthians 12, verse 1. I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago was called up into the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body, I don't know. God knows. And I know that this man, whether in the body or apart from the body, I do not know. But God knows, was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible things that no one is permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself except for my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain. So no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me, but he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weaknesses. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. So we're going to break this scripture down. Look at verse seven. There was a thorn there, sent a messenger of Satan. To do what to me? To torment me. Another. Another version of the Bible says, to buffet me. And that word literally translates to hit me, to beat me, to blow me and to force me, to hit me, to beat me, to blow me and to force me. See, he had this thing, and it didn't say what it was, but because of an issue in his life, conceited, great revelation, powerful God allowed this thorn, this thing, to beat him, to hit him, to blow him, to torment him. And see, we all have a thing in our life, and I don't know what your thing is today. It could be a horrible boss. It could be a nosy neighbor. It could be a pain in your body. It could be a rebellious temper, teenager, a demanding husband.

I don't know. But you know, I've lived long enough.

To know that we all have something going on in our life that we.

Wish was not there.

And you may have pleaded with the Lord, please do something with this boss. Please do something with this neighbor. Please do something with this man you gave me. Please do something with this kid.

God, come rest over me. Tabernacle over me.

And God says, when you are weak, then. Then say then, then you are strong. God is saying, when you are weak. It's only when you're weak that my strength can manifest itself. And I know you got conditions. I know you got issues. I know you got rebellious kids. Kids. And you're sick in your body. And sometimes our bank accounts are depressing.

But all hope is not lost. See, you should have been dead a long time ago. You should have been locked up in jail right now, today. But all your hell ain't from hell. Sometime God is the master puppeteer, and he's working on the scenes. When you don't know it's God, you think it's your husband. You think. Think it's your children. But God is allowing things to work in your life so that he can get glory.

We don't wake up every day in a good mood. Our kids are not perfect every single day. Well, mine are. I know that. Yours probably aren't. Just kidding. They don't wake up and sit around in a corner and sing Kumbaya. Right? They don't do that every day. But all I know is his grace is sufficient for you. Wherever you are, whatever you're experiencing, whatever you're going through, whatever hell has hit your home, his grace is sufficient for you. What does that mean? That word sufficient means this. It's not more than enough. It is just enough. That's what the word sufficient means. The word sufficient is. It is just enough. See, when we say that scripture, we think that we're getting this huge download of grace. No, it is just enough to make it through what you're going through right now. Somebody say right now. Sometimes you feel like you're digging around at the bottom of the well and you don't have anything but a teaspoon of water.

And sometimes you know what you just gotta go through with just a teaspoon of water. Sometimes you know what? The check don't come in the mail. Sometimes you know what the prayer Partner, don't show up. But I promise you, God is faithful to his word. It doesn't matter what you're going through.

His grace is sufficient for you. Jesus, I don't know who I'm talking to today. If it's you, let us know it's you. Let us know it's you. Sometimes all you got is today's allowance of grace. And you just have to stand there and say, his grace is sufficient for me today. Verse 7 says, at least I should be exalted above measure because of the abundance of revelation. There's a thorn. Sounds like to me he's talking to a preacher because of the abundance of the revelation. How I can break down Scripture so perfectly, how I know it so much in all the visions that I have and all the revelation that God has given me. Listen, God is not happy with superstars. See, sometimes we can get so puffed up with all we know and get prideful because of what we see and how God is using us.

And we forget that it's not us, that we are just a vessel, that it's God. He is determined to get all the glory.

God's going to get all the glory. See, some of our trials are okayed by God. And see, we don't want to talk about that. We don't want to think about that in this prosperity movement, in this speak it and blab it and grab it, and everything's supposed to be perfect when you're a Christian.

No, some of your trials are okayed by God.

The scripture says that it came from a messenger of Satan. But who allowed it?

God allowed it.

See, he wanted the apostle Paul to know how to call on the grace of God. He wanted to make sure that he could keep using him and that he was a vessel that he could flow through.

Can you say, no matter what it cost? Use me, Lord.

Let me ask you this. What can you lose and not lose your faith in God? He said there was a thorn that was sent to buffet me. How many of you ever. I grew up in the country. I was always barefooted. I still love to be barefooted. So have you ever had a splinter in your foot or in your finger or somewhere on your body? Do you know how little a splinter splinter is? And do you remember how bad it hurt?

That little bitty thing, it felt like.

A board in your foot, Right?

But this is the whole thorn.

Do you understand what he's talking about here? He's not talking about a splinter. He said, a thorn in my side. And the language here in the scripture indicates that it's a physical pain that that was allowed by God and it was sent to Buffett. And that word means. The word buffet means a constant repeated pain, a constant repeated attack. Now, see, if we got pain more than three days, what are we doing? We are rebuking. We are casting out. We do not believe it's from God because how could God allow us to.

Go through something like this?

We know it came from the devil and God had nothing to do with it. Oh, we start saying the devil is a lie.

Right?

I have lived long enough to know that he allows whatever it takes takes to get us to call on him and to be dependent on him. And the stress here in this scripture is not on the thorn, not on the issue that's hit your life. The stress is not on your husband. The stress is not on your financial situation. The stress is not about what you're going through in your health.

But rather than the acuteness of the.

Suffering and what it produces. It's not even about people in your life. It's not about the job you lost. It's not about your health. It's not about your wayward child.

It's not about your marital problems.

It's about how tight can you be squeezed.

And you still call on the name of the Lord.

And you still lift your hands and praise him.

And you still, still trust God with your life.

Say out loud, God's trying to produce something in my life. Say, God's trying to produce something in my life. And the apostle Paul said he pleaded with the Lord three times. Take this from me. Listen. God is watching us in the furnace of affliction. And we have got to learn how to stay steady. We have got to learn how to stay committed. We have got to learn how to.

Praise through our pain, he's still God. When you're sick, he's still God. When your marriage is on the rocks, he's still God. When you broke, he's still God. When you lose your job, he's still God. When people let you down, he's still God. When you lose your job, he's still still God. When your children cuss you out, he's still God. When your spouse steps out on you, he's still God. He wants to see if you'll praise him anyway and if he still gets.

The glory no matter what you're going through. Who? Throughout the Bible, there are contradictions all throughout the Bible. David, he kills lions, he kills bears, he gets promoted to kill Goliath, but he never can kill Saul never can kill Saul. And he has to go home knowing that he cannot conquer this one enemy in his life. God ended up having to deal with Saul. David never could kill him. There are people who are so powerfully used to lead worship, but they cannot manage their money and they stay broke. There are people who have great marriages, but their kids lives are a mess and they're strung out on drugs. They go home to their contradiction and their private pain. Their private thorn. Come on, somebody. Come on, somebody. We all have contradictions. We all have pain. We all have our thorns. When I got saved, there was some things that I just didn't want to do anymore. What about you? When you got saved? There was some things that was just easy to put down. Just some things that were easy. But there were other things that still keep me before God to this day. My own private pain, my own contradictions. And that thorn. Lord, I say, Lord, when will I ever come out of this thing? God, when will I ever overcome this thing? Contradictions that what keep me on my knees to this day, calling out to God. Parents. How many parents are out there? Parents? Aren't there things that you allow your kids to. To feel and that you allow your kids to go through just so they can learn a lesson? Just so they can learn a lesson? Well, guess what? God is a parent. God is our father. He is our father. God. He's our Abba Father. And he knows what we need and what it's going to take to shape us and to mold us and to take that sandpaper and knock off those hard edges so that we can look like Jesus, we can act like Jesus, we can have everything he says we can have. He's our father. Even if it's a bad spanking, right? Look at Jacob. His name means trick. And he had to be dealt with. God had to wrestle with him all day, night long, and he left him with a limp. Why? So that God could be glorified. Naaman, the captain of the Syrian army, powerful leader. Outside, shiny stuff. But inside what? He was a leper. Nobody knew it. Inside, he literally was dying. He was a leper. He had a condition. He had a thorn. John 16:33, says this. It says these things. I've spoken to you that in me you may have peace, because in the world you are going to have tribulation. But be of good cheer.

Why?

I've overcome the world. What he's saying is, if you stay in me, you can keep your peace, you can keep your joy, you can keep your praise. That word tribulation the original word is thalipsis, and it means this pressure. Oh, we don't want to talk about it. Oppression, stress, anguish, adversity, affliction, crushing, squeezing and distress. So let's reread that. In this world, you will have pressure.

You will have oppression, you will have.

Stress, you will have anguish, you will have adversity, affliction, crushing, squeezing and distress. What it means is this putting a lot of pressure on that which is really free and unfettered. You're really free in Christ. You're really unfettered. But what we go through in this world, the tribulation that we go through, puts people pain. It puts pressure, stress, anxiety, anguish. You know, it's like. This is the way I like to describe it. It's like spiritual bench pressing. Now, listen, it might have been 20 years ago, but did you ever do it, right? Did you ever exercise? It might have been 20 years ago, but who cares? Do you remember how it feels? Right? It's horrible. It hurts. It throbs. And when it. When you feel that pressure, when you feel that pain, there are things that you can't do.

There are things you can't do.

There's steps you can't take that you normally take. Because of the pain, because of the pressure, right? It's pressure on a muscle. But why are you doing it? To increase its strength. Look at somebody and say, the prize is worth the process. The prize is worth the process. That's the kind of pain that word tribulation is talking about. Second Corinthians, verse nine says this. But my grace, when you're going through this pain, my grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect when you.

Can'T do what you're used to doing. I'd rather boast in my weakness than in my knowledge.

My strength is made perfect when you are weak. Listen, I would rather boast and give a testimony over what I had to.

Go through to be who I am today. Look what it produced in my life. I'd rather have tears just streaming down my face than quote the Greek and the Hebrew and act like I got it all together so that God gets the glory. So that God gets the glory.

I know I'm not smart enough. I know I'm not educated enough. I know I'm not righteous enough.

It's all God. It's all God.

It's all God. And there's some of you out there listening to me right now, just hanging on to the bottom of the rope, counting your last pennies, wondering what you're going to get your kids for Christmas.

Listen, it may not be an outpouring. It may not be an overflow, but Scripture says that his grace is just enough. It's all that you need.

Romans 5, 3, 5 says that God is not the only one who gets glory through your suffering. And it says, we also glory in our suffering, in our tribulation, because we know that suffering produces perseverance. And perseverance produces character, and character produces hope.

And I want to know, when you're.

Going through, who still comes to church.

Who still tithes and worships God? I'm talking about pushing through. I'm talking about perseverance. And I'm talking about who still gets.

Up and cooks a meal for their family when they're tired.

I'm talking about who still does what they know they're supposed to do when all hell is going through.

I'm talking about perseverance. I want to know when you're going through, who still pays their bills on time. I'm talking about character now. I'm talking about character. Look at somebody and say character.

Who still keeps their word, who still.

Gets up and goes to work on time, talking about character.

And when you're going through, who still.

Talks faith, who still keeps speaking the.

Word even when it looks like all.

Hell'S breaking out in your house, you.

Still quote the word. You still look at that wayward child.

And said, you are a man of God.

You are a woman of God.

Is your hope in the Lord when you're going through tribulation? It's easy to talk hope when everything's going right.

But can you talk it when you're tired? Can you talk it when you're broke? Can you talk it when you're sick? Can you talk it when you're devastated.

While you're being pushed and pressed? His grace is sufficient for you. There's a release of grace. There's a release faith in this room tonight. I believe it. I believe it. I've prayed for it. A fresh anointing of grace is here right now. Why don't you just lift your hands wherever you are? Come on, lift your hands wherever you are. His grace is sufficient.

You don't think you're gonna make it, but you're gonna make it. You're gonna get through tonight, and then.

You'Re gonna get kissed with grace and mercy in the morning. You just don't know how you're gonna get through this season. And you say, Pastor Hope 2020 has been a hellacious year.

What about if all your hell has not been from hell.

What if God had to take you and squeeze you to see what was really on the inside of you? There's a fresh, fresh anointing of grace right here. His grace is sufficient. There is purpose in your pain. There is purpose in your pain. Keep trusting God. Keep believing God. Keep doing right. Don't flip out, don't wig out.

Don't backslide.

There is purpose in your pain. The prize of knowing him is what produces. Lord, I just pray for the people under the sound of my voice tonight. I don't know what they're going through, Lord, but you do. And I know in my own life, God, when I thought I was at the end of my rope. The power of crying out. The power of saying, God, not my will, but yours. The power of knowing that greater is he that's in me.

God.

I was honest with you and I said, God, I don't know if I can make it another day, God, I don't know if I can make it through, God, the pain is so hard. The pain is so heavy. It hurts so bad. But God, just like you always do, you come and you wrap yourself around us and you just breathe grace on us. Lord, we know by scripture that grace comes in measures. So I ask right now that the people listening to me, Jesus, that you would increase their measure. That you would increase their measure of faith, Jesus, so that they can make it, so that they can stand and that you get the glory. And God, that. That they. Glory. Do it, Jesus. Do it, Jesus. Don't falter right here on the edge of your breakthrough. That's a word for somebody.

Don't falter.

Don't give up right now on the edge of your breakthrough. I believe you to do it, God, as we just lift our hands right now. Sometimes you just have to lift your hands and worship. Sometimes you just have to worship, God. You have to worship through your pain. You have to worship through your process. So, God, we just lift our hands and worship you right now. Come on, God, stand up with me and begin to worship. Let's just worship. Oh, God, we worship you. We praise you. We give you glory, Lord. We don't understand everything that's going on around us. We don't understand this pain. We don't understand this process, God. But you are good all the time. You are good, Jesus, even when things are not good. And we trust you with our life. We look back over our life to all the testimony and all the times you've brought us through. And it gives us fuel to go through the next battle, God, it gives us fuel. Lord, I thank you that we're stronger than we think we are. I thank you Jesus, that we are strong, stronger today than we were last year. I thank you God, that everything we've been going through has prepared us, Lord, for what you got right around the corner. Oh God, I thank you and Lord, we offer up our inconsistencies to you tonight, Jesus. Just highlight them and show us clearly our heart, Lord, so that we could offer them to you and we could bow our knee and say, God, not my will, but your yours. Shape me and mold me and make me, Jesus, into who you want me to be. And I'm going to give you all the praise and I'm going to give you all the glory and I'm going to give you all the honor because you deserve it, Lord. In Jesus name, in Jesus name. In Jesus name. Won't you high five somebody in the room with you and say the prize is worth the process? The prize is worth the process. Let us hear from you. Let us hear from you. If you need prayer, type that in. If you need prayer, call our number that'll be on the screen. We got people waiting to pray for you. Email us, let us know what your needs are and get in a good Bible based church. If you don't have a church home, we have an east coast campus in Greenville, South Carolina. We got a campus here in San Jose, California and we got I CH Church that goes all across the world and we are here to minister to you and love you. I love you, God bless you and I'll see you next week.