It's good to see everyone that's here this morning.
We're glad you're with us. We have many visitors with us
this morning from maybe even just the local area, but there's
also several that are from out of the area, out of town and
passing through or visiting and we're glad that you're here.
Hope that we'll be able to say something this morning that will
encourage us in our faith and and build us up and edify us in
some way. I was asked to to give this this
topic I gave this lesson maybe about four or five years ago.
Kind of went back and reworked it a little bit and some of you
may remember it very well, but I'm sure there's some here this
morning that have not heard it. But hopefully again we can be
edified in some way from from the teaching this morning.
I want to go through and and break down a little bit our our
text for our lesson, James. One versus 2 through 4.
There it reads. Consider it pure joy, my
brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith produces
perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work
so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Let's break it down just a little bit, he says.
Consider, in other words, think about it, think about it, and
regard it to be worthy. In other words of consideration,
he says. Think about my brothers and
sisters whenever you face and and excuse me, and consider it
with pure joy. I'm getting a little bit ahead
of myself. And joy is to delight or to
rejoice and have gladness in your heart in talking about the
trials that we enjoy, that we would have fine joy in.
In other words, the temptations in New King James and the King
James Version it says of many kinds, but he's talking about
persecution and poverty, sickness, bereavement, calamity
of any kind. Thayer says that this comes from
the Greek word paramos parasmos, and it means adversity,
affliction, trouble, the trials of man's fidelity, integrity,
virtue, constancy. And he talks about then the
testing of our faith, the proving that by that by which
something is tried or proved a test, and he talks about this,
produces perseverance. In other words, the byproduct or
what happens at the end of the trial is that that it that it
produces patience and enduring and sustaining perseverance,
steadfastness, constancy, so that there will be not any
lacking of anything will be to fully developed and complete.
In other words, delight in the trials of life with joy and a
joyful perspective and as an opportunity to grow in
perseverance. It's all about perspective.
It's all about how we look at things.
It's all about how we perceive the trial.
It's what our outlook is on it, how won't we make of it.
In other words, that determines how we react to it.
So we can react in the right way or we can react in a negative
way. So imagine the worst trial you
could possibly go through and it may be, you know, we've all
gone, gone through trials and it could be some of the worst
things that we can ever endure in life.
There might be money problems. It may be be that you lost your
job, you can't find another one, you were laid off.
It's hard to find a job. Things are getting tight.
The money isn't coming in. You can't pay your bills and
this and and it just continues on and on, whatever it may be
for one person. It may that be that you're going
through some medical issues and may that you be that you had to
have heart surgery or you had to have some other kind of surgery
or whatever it may be. Maybe you're dealing with cancer
problems. Maybe you've know someone that's
going through problems with their family and family
problems, marital problems, maybe a terminal illness of some
kind. Maybe it's that you just got
news for the one of your family members passed away from a bad
accident, whatever it may be. We may have problems in our own
life, but we may also know other people.
They're going through some very, very trying times in their life.
I can think of a couple of people of the young couple up in
the Oakdale congregation that are going through some trials
right now. They have a foster child, had a
foster child, and the child was taken away from them and given
back to the father, who is really no good to have a child
for so long and it becomes one of your own and then have it
taken from your arms. Don't knowing if you're not,
knowing if you're going to get it back or not.
We're praying and praying that it looks like maybe they'd be
able to get the child back. But that's a major, major trial
in a person's life, a medical issue.
Whatever it may be going through these problems, I'm sure there's
certain trials that come to mind that have happened in our lives.
Trials touch us in one way or another.
Anyone who thinks that we'll be able to go through life without
any trials is certainly mistaken.
Trials and sorrows are a part of life.
It's to be expected. And we can know we're going to
face troubles and trials at some point.
We just don't know sometimes when they're going to come along
and hit us. Job was a man that went through
all kinds of trials. We've read the story about Job,
how his family was taken away from him, everything was taken
away from him, his possessions, and he was left with a wife that
said curse God and die. His own body was struck with
boils from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet.
It says also Abraham's life shows us that we might be tested
beyond what we think we will ever be tested.
Abraham was tested with the life and giving the life of his only
son. I can't imagine a trial like
that. I hope that I would never be in
put in a position like that. But Abraham passed the test
though the Angel of the Lord said in Genesis 12 and verse 22
and verse 12. Now I know that you fear God
since you have not withheld your son, your only son from me.
In other words, Abraham was willing to obey God at any cost.
Hebrews 11 and verse 17 tells us very clearly and the 1st 2 words
tells the story. He says by faith.
Abraham, when he was tested, you see, this was a test.
God was saying that this is a test.
Abraham, we can do the same. We can say to ourselves, well,
this problem that I'm dealing with, this disappointment, this
trial, this tragedy in my life, these problems in my life, the
problems that I'm facing, we can look at ourselves and say this
is a test, this is a test. Am I ready for the test?
Remember we used to listen to the radio and they'd hear the
beep come along and they would say this is a test, this is only
a test. Well, that's what this life is.
When these things come along and we noticed the trials that come
our way, we can stop and saying we can go around just all broken
down and everything if we want to or we can say here it is,
this is the test, the test of our faith, just like it was with
Abraham. He says when he was tested
offered up Isaac and he who had received the promises offered up
his only begotten son of whom it was said, and Isaac, your seed
shall be called. How could he do that?
Well, in verse 19 he says concluding or take taking note
of the fact that God was able to raise him up even from the dead.
You see, Abraham had faith in God that even if he killed his
son, God had the ability and the faith in the promise that God
had made to him, that in his seed all the nations of the
earth would be blessed and no matter what happened, God would
do and fulfill his promise. Now what does that tell us?
It tells us that we can make it through to the other side of the
most severe problems and trials that we may face in life if we
really trust in God, and if we believe that God will keep his
promise that God never makes mistakes and the God will
accomplish his purpose in and through us.
It is that kind of face, that faith that passes the test.
We have to realize that God is going to test us and allow us to
be tested. And the thing that sustains us
during those tests is our trust in God, our faith that God is
working all things out for his purpose.
Things don't always turn out the way we want.
We pray to God. We ask for God to to bless us in
certain ways. We ask God to give us certain
things and to help us make it through.
And things don't always turn out the way we want, but it's for
God's purpose and not necessarily ours that these
things are being done. God has a purpose in these
things. I know we dream of having a life
of ease that we like to create this perfect environment around
us. We make decisions in life so
that we have smooth sailing. We don't go out and spend money
on this because that's going to present another problem.
We're not going to have money for this over here.
And we save and we get this job and we work hard and we go to
school and we do all these things and we make this decision
not to do that or and to do this and we do all those things so
that we have less problems in our life and that's what we
want. We want less problems in our
life. But things don't always work out
that way. We that's the way we want it,
but they don't always work out that way.
We've planned, but frankly, that's not the way life works.
But the fact that we have temporary rest and temporary
ease in life fools us sometimes into thinking that we may have
it made when that's not the case.
What if everything was smooth sailing all the time?
We would just think that we didn't need God anymore.
When we go through trials, when we go through problems, do we
pray more often? I've venture to say every one of
us do when things are going easy and we don't have the problems
to pray about. We just don't pray as often as
we do when we're having the problems.
And if we went through life without any problems and we
would kind of get distanced away from God.
Jesus said to his disciples, and specifically to Peter and
Matthew 26 and 41, watch and pray that you enter not into
trials, that same Greek word, Prariasmos, same thing.
Watch and pray that you enter, not into the trials.
Watch and look for trials. Pray, ask for strength, Watch
and pray. It would be it wouldn't be long
before Peter would understand a little bit more clearly what
Jesus was saying here, because Peter was fixing to face a trial
and he didn't do too well. He didn't do too well.
Our confidence is in the presence of God and knowing that
he is our helper and times of trials.
The Psalmist, David said in Psalm 23 and verse four.
Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
will fear no evil, for thou art with me.
God is with us. God is on our side.
God is our helper. So I want to notice 9 joys that
can come to us through these trials that we face in life.
Number one trials come to test the strength of our faith.
There's a great illusion. Excuse me illustration.
I'm sorry. And this relating to King
Hezekiah. Listen to second Chronicles 32
and 31. God withdrew from him in order
to test him, that he might know all that was in his heart.
Do you see that He said God left him for the purpose of testing,
for the purpose of trials? That he might know what was in
King Hezekiah's heart? I need to know, and we all need
to know, the strength of our faith.
Sometimes we may think that we're strong.
We may get even a little bit arrogant about that.
And then a trial comes along and guess what?
Not as strong as we thought we were.
Maybe we crumble, whatever it may be.
But a trial will test your faith, and that's good for us.
That's good for us to know when we're weak.
It's good to for us to know that we need to improve on things,
that we need to get on our knees a little bit more and that we
need to study a little bit more and we need to pray a little bit
more and we need to read a little bit more.
And we do need to have a stronger, firmer foundation in
our faith. But a trial will prove to you
how strong your faith is. If you're blaming God for your
problems, if you're questioning his ability, if you're wondering
why this is happening, if you're worried all the time, that's a
good indication that maybe there's a problem with your
faith. On the other hand, if you're
going through the trial and you find yourself at peace and God's
promises, comforted by God's presence, having peace in those
things in the trials, and you're putting it in His hands, trust
in him, letting him bear the burden of it all.
And you're going on your way, just dealing with those things
in life, then you know, and you're strengthened by your
faith as well. So we ought to be thankful for
the trials because they assist us in letting us know where we
stand in our faith. That's very helpful.
When Habacok was going through the promise that the that the
Chaldeans were going to come to wipe out his people.
In spite of all that Habacok said, and this is one of my
favorite verses. Habacok said, Though the fig
tree may blossom, may not blossom, Excuse me, nor fruit be
on the vine, though the labor of the olive may fail, and the
yields and the fields yield no fruit.
Food, though the flock may be cut off from the fold and there
be no hurt in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength. He will make me my feet like
deer's feet, and he will make me walk on the high hills.
Things don't go so well in life. We can be like like Job's wife
and say curse God and die and blame everything on God and and
all of our problems and why God aren't you do making our my life
better and and all these kinds of things that be mad at God.
Or we can say thank you God for the trial and the testing of my
faith. And so the purpose of testing is
to reveal what you and I can find out about our faith. 2nd We
must recognize that trials come to humble us.
They come to remind us not to think more confidently in our
spiritual life, our spiritual strength, than we should.
They come not only to show us our strength, but they come to
humble us so that we don't think that we're stronger than we are.
This is illustrated by Paul and and through all the things he
accomplished, he might become proud.
And both. Both will listen to 2nd
Corinthians 12 and verse 7, unless I should be exalted above
measure by the abundance of the revelations.
A thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to
buffet me, lest I have exalted above measure.
Barnes notes, says comments on this, and it says lest I should
be spiritually proud, lest I should become selfconfident in
vain and suppose that I was a special favorite in heaven.
Trials will humble us when we think maybe we're a little bit
too, too set, much, much set on a pedestal.
We must realize that God allows the trials, especially when
we're so blessed that we don't, that we shouldn't think too
confidently of ourselves. Trials keep us in check.
Also #3 I also believe the Lord brings trials in our lives to
wean us away from worldly things.
You know, it seems like as we get on in life and we get older
in life, that the things of life, the things that are going
to go away when the Lord comes again, the things that will be
burned up. The things that we possess, the
things that we strive for in life, they become less important
to us the older we get. When we're young, we're going
after it. We want to get that good job and
we want to put the money away. And we work hard to be able to
buy this thing and that thing in this car and this and that and
whatever it may be. And we put all of our effort
into things on this earth. And then heavenly things,
spiritual things, fall by the wayside.
Our efforts in those things and our work towards those things go
by the wayside. You know, when problems and
trials come into your life and all those worldly things stop
making so much more importance in our lives, they don't mean
very much. If anything, when you're laying
in the hospital bed and you're on the edge of death, maybe, or
you're battling a disease or a problem in your life, those
things don't amount to anything. So I think the trials are here
to wean us away from worldly things.
I think about Moses. He'd been raised in Pharaoh's
house. He'd been brought up as a Prince
in Egypt. He was educated.
He had reached the top of Egyptian society.
He was in a place of prominence. He had it made in Hebrews 11 and
24 through 27, by faith. Moses, when he became of age,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing
rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy
the passing pleasure of sin, esteem the reproach of Christ
greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.
For he looked to the reward. But faith.
By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king,
for he endured and seeing him who is invisible.
Moses had gotten his eyes off of all the things that were around
him, all of the riches and all the the prominence in the
position that we he was in. And he looked to God and
realized what was important. The things were not important.
So the Lord uses trials to wean us off those worldly things, and
trials will do that. Number four, I think the trials
will help us to focus on our eternal hope.
I don't know how they work for you, but I know with me they
tend to make me desire heaven a little bit more.
When we see all the things that are going on around us, all the
sin and all the fighting and all the just everything that we see,
we can look at heaven and heaven becomes a lot sweeter, heavenly
things, our eternal hope. If your life you've been laying
away treasures in heaven, you're going to be very, very distant
relationship with the temporal things, with the things of this
life. So trials tend to show us the
waste and the things of this world.
Romans 8 and verses 16 through 18.
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God, and of children than heirs, heirs of God, and
joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that
we may also be glorified together.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time
are not worthy to be compared with the glory which we shall be
revealed in us, Paul continues in verse 22.
For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with
birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who
have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves grown
within ourselves, eagerly waiting the adoption, the
redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope.
But hope that isn't seen is not hope.
For why does one still hope for what he sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait with
it, but wait for it with perseverance.
We can go through all these problems in life.
We can go through the trials and and it can be some of the worst
things that we will ever endure in life.
But we still have hope. We still have an eternal hope,
regardless of what happens. Our hope and eternal life is one
thing. That is such a joy that we can
have faith in. Also, trials cause us to think
on divine things, heavenly things.
That's what Paul said in Second Corinthians foreign versus 16
through 18. Therefore we do not lose, lose
heart, even though our our man is perishing.
Yet the inward man is renewed day by day, for our light
affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us, if
far more exceeding an eternal weight of glory.
Then in verse 18 he says, why we do not look at the things which
are seen, but at the things which are not seen.
For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things
which are not seen are eternal. So don't worry about the things
here on earth. Don't focus on those things.
Think on heavenly things. Think about the things that are
eternal. Next, I want to notice the
trials also reveal that we what about what we really love?
The illustration of Abraham and Isaac is one that was a test of
Abraham's love for God. It was a test for Isaac and for
Abraham this, but this was Abraham's choice.
If you're going to love God, you're going to say thank you,
God, for what I'm going through, what you can accomplish in me
while going through this. Thank you for what I'm learning.
Thank you for helping me test my faith.
Thank you for the trial and helping me see where I am.
But if we really love ourself, we're going to say why are you
putting me through this? God, why am I going through
this? Why am I having trouble?
And trials and time after time and it seems like I get out of
one and it's the other one's just coming right down on me
again. Or before I even get through
this, here's another one loaded on top of me and another one
loaded on top of me. We need to stop and thank God
for those trials and testing us and letting him work us through
those. If our attitude isn't right, if
our perspective isn't right, then Satan is the one that's
controlling that. Satan is winning.
And one thing we want to notice is the God doesn't tempt us.
God allows us to be tempted. God allows us to go through
trials. God tests us.
Temptation is is the Devil's work.
First Corinthians 10, verse 13. No temptation has overtaking you
except such as is common to man. But God is faithful who will not
allow you to be tempted to beyond what you're able, but
will what. The temptation will also make a
way of escape that you may be able to bear it.
That doesn't mean that he doesn't allow certain things to
come my way. But God has told us how to deal
with temptation. He has told us how to deal with
sin. He has told us how to deal with
disappointment. He has told us how to deal with
all these problems in life. And there's nothing that God
can't do. And that's things that we can't
turn away from as well. See, sometimes people create
their own problems in life. Deuteronomy 13 and verse three.
You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that
dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing
you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul. So what do we love?
The Lord's testing us to see who we really love, whether we love
him with all of our heart and our soul.
Luke 14 and 26 and 27. If anyone comes to me and does
not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and
sisters, yes, in his own life also he cannot be my disciple.
And whoever, whosoever does not bear his cross and come after
me, cannot be my disciple. Well, He says that we need to
hate everybody, including ourselves.
Well, that's not what he says or what he means here.
If you go back to strong the Greek, the word from strong says
to love less than. So in other words, if there's
things that we love more than God, that's a problem.
That's a problem in our life. If there are things that we put
before God, that's a problem. So we need to love God so it
tests our love towards God. These trials do trials teach us
to value the blessings of God. We're taught these days to value
these things. If you turn on the television,
it doesn't take very long. It's things you need to have
this to be happy. You need to buy this to be
happy. You need to put this into your
home. You need to put this on your
car. You need to put this kind of
clothing on your body because this will make you happy.
You need to drink this liquid. You need to drink that liquid.
You need to do all these other things to be happy in life.
It's all about things in life. And that's the only way that you
can find pleasure and peace in life, is to have all these
things. Well, we are blessed, but the
blessings the the trials are teach are to teach us the value
of the blessings of God. Jesus went through trials and
obeyed his Father. And there was a blessing noticed
in Hebrews 5 and verses 7 through 9.
Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers
and supplications with vehement, cries and tears to him, who was
able to save him from death, and was heard because of his godly
fear. Though he was a son, yet he
learned obedience by the things which he suffered, and having
been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation to
all who obey him. What was the blessing in Jesus
trials? What was the blessing in his
sacrifice? Eternal salvation to us.
So we have to look at the trials that come into our life.
There's going to be a blessing at the end.
We don't see that right now. We don't feel that right now.
We don't. We want that.
But it's going to be at the end that we see the blessing.
Trials come to us through the suffering and we get to the get
us to the other side that we may obey in the suffering and then
receive the blessing through the trials on the other side. #8
Trials and suffering come to enable us to help others in
their suffering. Sometimes when suffering comes
and it may have no other purpose than to make us better able to
help and assist others in their trials and and their suffering
as well. Notice in the 22nd chapter of
Luke where Jesus says to Peter and the Lord said Simon Simon.
Indeed, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat,
but I have prayed for you that your face should not fail.
And when you have returned to me, he says strengthen your
brother, he said to Peter. Basically Peter, when you've
gone through all this, when you get to the other side of this,
your job is going to be take what you've learned and
strengthen the brother. There's the blessing.
There's the blessing to be able to use it to help others in
their own suffering. That's like Jesus and Hebrews,
the 4th chapter and verse 15. For we do not have a high priest
who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all the
points tempted as we are yet without sin.
Also listen Hebrews 2 and verse 18.
For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is
able to aid those who are tempted.
People who know grief know how to grieve with you.
People who know loss know what it means to lose someone or
something close. People who know struggles know
to know how to what it's like to battle a disease and can comfort
you in that. People who know disappointment
know what it's like to not get a job or promotion or or what
you're praying for. They know how to help you
through that. People that know the trials that
maybe we're experiencing know how to comfort and help you.
So we go through trials for the purpose of being able to help
others, help others in their walk, help others in their
struggles, and maybe what they've in their faith to
encourage them in their trials. I want to say that something
else right now, when you're going through a struggle, let
your brothers and sisters know about it, how bad it is for you,
so we can pray with you and for you.
Don't keep it to yourself. We're here to help, to grieve
and to comfort, to encourage, to pray with you.
If we don't know what's going on, we can't help.
So when you're having problems, let someone know.
Let us know so that we can help because maybe some of us have
gone through some of the same problems and we're here to help.
Then finally, trials come to develop greater strength and
greater usefulness to God, Thomas Melton, a 17th century
English preacher, said. While all things are quiet and
comfortable, we live by sense or feelings rather than faith.
But the worth of a soldier is never known in times of peace.
When we go through a trial, we come out on the other end of it.
Stronger when your faith is exercised, when you're when
you're going through problems and and your spiritual muscles
are being exercised and worked and worked and worked, you come
out on the other end of it stronger.
Then we're more useful to God. We're more useful to other
people. We can help people strut through
their struggles and things like that.
So let God use you. So let's sum it up.
What? What is?
God's purpose as he tests us is to test our faith as the
strength of our strength of our faith.
That when we know where our strength is or isn't, it's to
humble us so we don't think more confidently of our spiritual
strength. And we should.
It's to wean us away from worldly things.
It's to call us to a heavenly hope.
It's to help us think and focus on heavenly things, To reveal
what we really love. To teach us value of the
blessings of God and to and appreciate those blessings as
they come at us. To enable us to help others in
their trials and to bear one another's burdens.
To develop enduring strength, for greater usefulness to God so
that God can use us more for the cause of Christ.
Trials are going to come, and there's no way of avoiding them.
You know, trials are going to come at us.
And we might say, well, I don't know what God's purpose is in
this. I don't know why I'm going
through this, what's going to be accomplished.
We want to get to the other side of it.
And sometimes that side, that other side is short lived.
It can be very rapid. And sometimes it can take years
and years and years to get through something to the other
side before we realize that was a that was a strengthening, that
was a blessing, that was a trial that was hard to endure.
So if we go back to James one of verse 3, this is knowing that
the testing of your faith produces patience and endurance
and perseverance. It says trials are going to
come. Testing of your faith is going
to come. But let's notice what will get
us through to the other side first.
It takes a joyful attitude. That's that perspective we
talked about at the beginning, he says.
My brother encountered joy. This means persevering in and
through the trial with the right attitude.
A joyous attitude. Secondly, in verse three we must
have an understanding mind, he says.
Knowing that that the testing is producing something.
There's something that's going to be the end product.
It will produce something. And thirdly, in verse four we
must have a submissive will said.
Let patients have its perfect work.
In other words, let the trial happen.
Endure the trial because it is the work of God in your life.
Let God work in your life. If God is not working in your
life, the devil is. And if you let him get the upper
hand, he will come out the other side with a bitter attitude and
mad and and just in all kinds of of distress in life. 4th versus
5 through 8 We must have a believing heart.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all
liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting.
For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by
the wind. For let not that man suppose
that he will receive anything from the Lord.
He is a doubleminded man, and unstable in all his ways.
Have faith in what we ask for, without any doubting.
Believe God that he's able to take care of it.
He's able to accomplish what we desire, but realize it is still
his will and his good that is working in us.
And finally, in verses Fort 9 through 11, we must have a
humble spirit. Let the lowly let the lowly
brother glory in his exultation, but the rich in his humiliation,
because as a flower of the field he will pass away.
For no sooner has the sun risen with the burning heat than it is
what it weathers the grass, its flowers fall, and its beautiful
parents perishes, so the rich man also will fade away in his
pursuits. So you persevere through trials
with a joyous attitude, attitude and understanding mind, a
submissive will, a believing heart, and a humble spirit.
But then in verse 12, James tells us what happens when we
make it through the trial. Blessed is the man that endures
temptation or the trials for when he has been approved.
In other words, when he's been made, he's made it to the other
side of the trial. He will receive the crown of
life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him.
That's what the other side is. That's what's at the end of the
trial is the blessings that we have in God.
There's a story I just heard this last week and, and it's an
old story. Maybe you've heard it, I don't
know. I hadn't heard it before about
this teenage daughter going to her father and just complaining
about everything that's going on wrong in her life.
All the struggles she was facing, all the difficulties,
the problems just said she didn't know if she could really
take much more of it to her father.
And so the father goes into the kitchen and he takes 3 pots and
he puts them on the stove and puts water in them.
And he turns on the fire and begins to boil the water.
The water starts boiling and he takes a potato and he puts it in
one pot. He takes an egg and he puts it
in another pot and he takes up some ground coffee and he puts
it in the third pot. And after about 20 minutes or
so, he turns the fire off and he takes the potato out and he puts
it in a in a bowl. He takes the egg out and he puts
it in a bowl and he takes a sifter or a strainer and strains
the ground coffee into a cup. And he tells his daughter, what
do you see? He said, well, there's a potato,
there's an egg and some coffee. He says look a little closer and
touch the potato, feel the potato and feel the egg or peel
the egg says what do you notice? He said.
Well, the potato has got softer. I can squish it and I can push
on it and the egg, he says Peel that, peel it off the egg, he
said. Well what was once delicate and
could crack and and spill out onto the floor is now hard.
He says take a sip of the of the coffee and the aroma and the
smell of the coffee says, what does that?
What does that teach you? Well, you see, there were three
things there, and and all three of those things were exposed to
the same environment, the boiling water, but they all
reacted differently. Said the food represents the
three ways people face the same adversities.
The boiling water is is the troubles in life that we face.
But all three things face the same thing.
The potato that was once hard is now soft and softened.
The egg that was once liquid form is now hardened and become
hard. And the coffee has changed form
into something completely different.
And he said, which are you to his daughter?
I believe it's a kind of a powerful story, honestly, when
we constantly get knocked down in life, how we react to certain
things and how we embrace them. You can take a person that is
very hard and rigid and a trial will soften them up and you can
take somebody that's very tender and it'll make them hard.
And you can take someone that just takes on those trials and
does the best they can with them and get something very good out
of it. It teaches you to grow and to
adapt to the adversity that is around you and that you're
dealing with. But James says and verse James
one and verse 2 counted all joy when you fall into various
trials. Remember the slide I showed
earlier about how we like to have our lives go?
Trials are not fun and enjoyable.
No one likes having problems in life.
We know trials will come. It's going to happen.
So let's prepare our hearts for how we're going to react to
those things. Whether we're going to embrace
those trials or whether they're going to let them destroy us.
It can devastate us, or it can be a blessing to make us a
better, stronger person and more helpful to others, and also more
helpful to the cause of Christ. There's another little story I
heard this week about this, this man said.
You know, if I if I have a basketball that's worth about
maybe 15 to $20 in my hands, you put that basketball the LeBron
James head and it's worth about maybe 30 to $40 million.
It's about whose hands it's in. You take a football in my hands.
Maybe it's worth $2025.00, but you put that football in the
hands of Peyton Manning or one of these other highly paid
football players and and quarterbacks, and it becomes
worth millions of dollars. It depends on whose hands it's
in. You put a slingshot in my hands
and I remember when I was a kid I could use a slingshot.
Not the ones you pulled back this way, the ones you sling
like David did, and you put it in my hands, and I may be able
to knock the side of a barn down eventually, but you put it in
the hands of King David and it slew Goliath and sent the
Philistines away. You give me 5 loaves and two
fishes, and I can eat that myself and my hands and have
plenty left over. But you put 5 loaves and two
fishes in the hands of Jesus, and it'll feel a feel a
multitude of people. It depends on whose hands it's
in. You take a couple of nails and
put them in my hands and I may be able to mend a fence, may be
able to fend mend a broken rocking chair or hang a picture
on the wall. But you put those two nails and
hands of Jesus and it'll it'll turn into eternal salvation.
It depends on whose hands. It's in all your cares and
worries. In life.
In our hands, we try to fix everything in our life by
ourselves, without faith in God, and it'll accomplish nothing but
you. Put it in God's hands and He'll
get you through it. It depends on whose hands it's
in. For Peter, five and six and
seven. Therefore, humble yourselves
under the mighty hand of God that he may be able to exalt you
and do time casting all your care upon him for He cares for
you. Put it in God's hands and quit
worrying about it. Remember, it's our perspective
that we have to focus on in life and that's how we find joy in
trials. The lesson is yours this
morning. I hope that we've said something
that will benefit us and encourage us and build us up in
the faith. If you are here this morning and
you are not a child of God and hearing the word, won't you
believe it? Once you repent of your life?
Repentance means a change of life, a change of mind which
results in a change of of life. That means we are going in One
Direction, we turn around and we walk in the other direction,
towards God and towards Christ. After we repent, we want to
confess the name of Christ, that we believe that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God, just like the Ethiopian nobleman did, and acts
the 8th chapter. Then we want to be baptized into
Christ for the remission of our sins.
That what's that's what washes away our sins, that's what adds
us to the church. That what?
That's what makes us a child of God in God's eyes.
If you've taken those steps for some reason, you've turned away
and you've done things that we feel requires a public
confession of those faults, won't you come with a repenting
heart? And we'll pray with you and for
you come while we stand and sing.
We thank you for listening to our podcast put on by the Church
of Christ at 2215 Plans Rd. in Bakersfield.
If you would like any additional information or you would like to
receive a free Bible correspondence course by mail,
please e-mail us at info@churchofchristbakersfield.com.
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Wednesdays at 7:30 PM. Please make plans to join us.
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