Welcome back to Aspastor John. This summer Pastor John is out of the studio preaching in Belfast in Scotland before returning to the States for a 40-day writing leave to finish up a book on Providence on the sovereignty of God a book he started last summer and hopes to finish this summer I cannot wait to see it and all of it the travel the book writing in this very podcast is all made possible by you we are supported by the prayers and the funding of God's people so thank you for generously

investing in this important and eternal work so with Pastor John busy we're diving into our archive of 1500 episodes and this summer we're pulling out some of your favorites about once every 50 episodes we release one that touches a nerve and touches the 300,000 play mark these are the elite episodes in our six and a half year history we only have about 30 of them and here's one of them

It's Monday a new week ahead and we have new tasks ahead and new burdens ahead and new mercies ahead and podcast listener Fabian writes and ask this

Dear Pastor John this phrase God will never give us more than what we can handle is often used when someone is facing life challenges

sufferings and trials based on the Bible is this phrase that God will never give us more than what we can handle is it biblically correct

Whether that statement God will never give us more than we can handle is biblically correct depends on what we mean by we and handle

What does we mean what does handle mean does we nothing we can handle does we mean God watches us make takes into account our independent possibilities based on our track record of handling trouble and thus measure out that trouble to us so that it doesn't go beyond

what we independently by our own resources can handle is that what we means or does we mean what we can handle if we receive it by faith in divine assistance and that God knows what he himself will give us by grace in enabling us to handle what he gives us

So he's not thinking of we as independent but we as dependent on the grace that comes with the difficulty which which of those two does the statement ask about and handle was handle mean does handle mean you never collapse under it does it mean you never fail in any task does it mean you never mess up does it mean you never fail to get a B plus on every one of life tests

Or does handle mean you never fail so that you never recover or repent or restore reconciliation and that you are finally lost because you fail which just handle mean so to answer all of that and give my answer to the question let's just look at the key text that I think he probably has in mind

first Corinthians 1013 no temptation or test it's the same word in Greek no test has overtaken you but what is common to man God is faithful he will not let you be tempted tested beyond your ability or beyond what you're able but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it

when Paul says he won't give what's beyond what you're able he means not beyond what you're able with God's help we know that because of a couple other things he says for example in second Corinthians 9.8 he says God is able to make all grace a bound to you so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times

times you may abound in every good work in other words in every test or temptation the question is will I do what I ought to do and Paul says there will be grace not just I'm dependent on you to use your resources

without depending on grace I'm giving you grace so there will be grace to do it not not you independent of my powers to help and he said in first Corinthians 1510 by the grace of God I am what I am and his grace towards me was not in vain on the contrary I worked harder than any of them though it was not I but the grace of God that is with me in other words

if I survive any test or accomplish any work when I'm tested it is grace decisively grace not decisively me so my answer to the first query is what what is we mean in this statement God will never give us more than we can handle is that we means we helped

by sovereign grace not we independent of the power of God's help and then the question is what does handle mean never stumble never fail never get a C minus or an F on a particular test that God gives and my answer is no it doesn't mean that if we had perfect reliance on all

that he is for us in Christ we would pass every test glowingly but God does not promise that kind of perfect reliance on his omnipotent grace well then what is being promised when he says that we

will always have with every test and escape and when he says that we will have grace for every good work and I think what is promised is ultimately that he will never let us so stumble

or so fail that we don't recover and repent and are restored in other words he will never let us sin our way into apostasy and damnation he will enable us to bear the fruits of genuine faith

and perseverance to the end and hear the text that make me think that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Philippians 1 6 Romans 8 30 those whom he predestined to call those whom he called he justified and those whom he justified he glorified he's going to keep you

or Luke 22 31 Simon Simon Jesus says to Peter behold Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like weak get your faith out of you

but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail and when you have turned again strengthen your brothers I prayed for you yes you're going to deny me tonight but I'm bringing you back

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