Life is Harder than You Expected! - August 10, 2025

Dennis R. Wiles 

First Baptist Arlington 

August 10, 2025 

Flourishing Together 

First Baptist Arlington 

2025 – 2030 

2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ 

1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew) 

AUGUST 2025: Gold’s – God’s Gym 

August 3 – September 6, 2025 

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 

Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30) 

Life is Harder than You Expected! 

Job 5:7 

Theme for 2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ 

Theme for August 2025: Gold’s – God’s Gym 

AUGUST 2025 

God Cares! 

You Can’t Control Everything, But You Can Control Some Things! 

Keep Living! 

Life begins with hope and potential! 

What can happen? LIFE can happen! 

Job lost his flocks, his servants, and his children in one fateful day. Then his body was ravaged by disease from his head to his toe. 

Job’s friend, Eliphaz, offered this summary of Job’s condition: 

“Yet man is born to trouble as surely as the sparks fly upward.” 

-Job 5:7 

The Bible is clear --- life will not always be easy! 

“In this world, you will have trouble.” 

-Jesus 

Life is harder than you expected! 

-Traumatic Event 

-Strained Relationship 

-Serious Health Problem 

-Crushing Disappointment 

-Unchangeable Circumstance 

-Painful Loss 

How are we to respond to the challenges, the suffering, the difficulties that life may bring our way? 

DESPONDENCY, DESPAIR, DEPRESSION 

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD, “ he said. “Take my life, I am no better than my ancestors. Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. 

-1 Kings 19:3-5 

God has provided the resources we need to face our suffering, our circumstances, our challenges --- with hope and resilience! 

“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

-Jesus (John 16:33) 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

-Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30) 

As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them (Elijah and Elisha), and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 

-2 Kings 2:11