1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:02,920 It's good to see everyone that's here this morning. 2 00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:06,600 We're glad you're with us. We have many visitors with us 3 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:11,000 this morning from maybe even just the local area, but there's 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,440 also several that are from out of the area, out of town and 5 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,080 passing through or visiting and we're glad that you're here. 6 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:23,400 Hope that we'll be able to say something this morning that will 7 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:29,130 encourage us in our faith and and build us up and edify us in 8 00:00:29,130 --> 00:00:32,770 some way. I was asked to to give this this 9 00:00:32,770 --> 00:00:38,570 topic I gave this lesson maybe about four or five years ago. 10 00:00:39,170 --> 00:00:42,970 Kind of went back and reworked it a little bit and some of you 11 00:00:42,970 --> 00:00:45,850 may remember it very well, but I'm sure there's some here this 12 00:00:45,850 --> 00:00:49,330 morning that have not heard it. But hopefully again we can be 13 00:00:50,570 --> 00:00:53,770 edified in some way from from the teaching this morning. 14 00:00:55,960 --> 00:01:00,320 I want to go through and and break down a little bit our our 15 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:03,960 text for our lesson, James. One versus 2 through 4. 16 00:01:04,599 --> 00:01:07,000 There it reads. Consider it pure joy, my 17 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:11,400 brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 18 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:14,880 because you know that the testing of your faith produces 19 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:18,680 perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work 20 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:23,920 so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 21 00:01:26,070 --> 00:01:29,470 Let's break it down just a little bit, he says. 22 00:01:29,470 --> 00:01:32,750 Consider, in other words, think about it, think about it, and 23 00:01:32,750 --> 00:01:37,750 regard it to be worthy. In other words of consideration, 24 00:01:37,750 --> 00:01:40,430 he says. Think about my brothers and 25 00:01:40,430 --> 00:01:45,430 sisters whenever you face and and excuse me, and consider it 26 00:01:45,430 --> 00:01:47,430 with pure joy. I'm getting a little bit ahead 27 00:01:47,430 --> 00:01:50,790 of myself. And joy is to delight or to 28 00:01:50,790 --> 00:01:55,550 rejoice and have gladness in your heart in talking about the 29 00:01:55,550 --> 00:01:59,310 trials that we enjoy, that we would have fine joy in. 30 00:01:59,310 --> 00:02:03,350 In other words, the temptations in New King James and the King 31 00:02:03,350 --> 00:02:07,950 James Version it says of many kinds, but he's talking about 32 00:02:08,270 --> 00:02:12,470 persecution and poverty, sickness, bereavement, calamity 33 00:02:12,470 --> 00:02:16,110 of any kind. Thayer says that this comes from 34 00:02:16,110 --> 00:02:20,670 the Greek word paramos parasmos, and it means adversity, 35 00:02:20,790 --> 00:02:26,900 affliction, trouble, the trials of man's fidelity, integrity, 36 00:02:27,140 --> 00:02:31,780 virtue, constancy. And he talks about then the 37 00:02:31,780 --> 00:02:37,060 testing of our faith, the proving that by that by which 38 00:02:37,060 --> 00:02:42,660 something is tried or proved a test, and he talks about this, 39 00:02:42,660 --> 00:02:45,900 produces perseverance. In other words, the byproduct or 40 00:02:45,900 --> 00:02:50,270 what happens at the end of the trial is that that it that it 41 00:02:50,270 --> 00:02:54,950 produces patience and enduring and sustaining perseverance, 42 00:02:54,950 --> 00:02:59,670 steadfastness, constancy, so that there will be not any 43 00:02:59,670 --> 00:03:03,470 lacking of anything will be to fully developed and complete. 44 00:03:04,390 --> 00:03:11,470 In other words, delight in the trials of life with joy and a 45 00:03:11,470 --> 00:03:16,030 joyful perspective and as an opportunity to grow in 46 00:03:16,030 --> 00:03:20,410 perseverance. It's all about perspective. 47 00:03:21,130 --> 00:03:23,050 It's all about how we look at things. 48 00:03:23,050 --> 00:03:25,410 It's all about how we perceive the trial. 49 00:03:25,730 --> 00:03:28,570 It's what our outlook is on it, how won't we make of it. 50 00:03:28,570 --> 00:03:34,170 In other words, that determines how we react to it. 51 00:03:35,130 --> 00:03:39,450 So we can react in the right way or we can react in a negative 52 00:03:39,450 --> 00:03:44,290 way. So imagine the worst trial you 53 00:03:44,290 --> 00:03:47,600 could possibly go through and it may be, you know, we've all 54 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:51,400 gone, gone through trials and it could be some of the worst 55 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:53,240 things that we can ever endure in life. 56 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,160 There might be money problems. It may be be that you lost your 57 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,720 job, you can't find another one, you were laid off. 58 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:04,440 It's hard to find a job. Things are getting tight. 59 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:07,880 The money isn't coming in. You can't pay your bills and 60 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:10,960 this and and it just continues on and on, whatever it may be 61 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:13,800 for one person. It may that be that you're going 62 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:18,480 through some medical issues and may that you be that you had to 63 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:23,240 have heart surgery or you had to have some other kind of surgery 64 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:26,040 or whatever it may be. Maybe you're dealing with cancer 65 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:29,840 problems. Maybe you've know someone that's 66 00:04:29,840 --> 00:04:32,600 going through problems with their family and family 67 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:37,680 problems, marital problems, maybe a terminal illness of some 68 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:39,840 kind. Maybe it's that you just got 69 00:04:39,840 --> 00:04:43,960 news for the one of your family members passed away from a bad 70 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:48,870 accident, whatever it may be. We may have problems in our own 71 00:04:48,870 --> 00:04:50,790 life, but we may also know other people. 72 00:04:50,790 --> 00:04:55,950 They're going through some very, very trying times in their life. 73 00:04:56,790 --> 00:04:59,990 I can think of a couple of people of the young couple up in 74 00:04:59,990 --> 00:05:03,550 the Oakdale congregation that are going through some trials 75 00:05:03,550 --> 00:05:06,790 right now. They have a foster child, had a 76 00:05:06,790 --> 00:05:10,430 foster child, and the child was taken away from them and given 77 00:05:10,430 --> 00:05:18,440 back to the father, who is really no good to have a child 78 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:23,040 for so long and it becomes one of your own and then have it 79 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:26,400 taken from your arms. Don't knowing if you're not, 80 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:28,160 knowing if you're going to get it back or not. 81 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:31,880 We're praying and praying that it looks like maybe they'd be 82 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:37,000 able to get the child back. But that's a major, major trial 83 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:40,080 in a person's life, a medical issue. 84 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:45,320 Whatever it may be going through these problems, I'm sure there's 85 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:48,680 certain trials that come to mind that have happened in our lives. 86 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:52,760 Trials touch us in one way or another. 87 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:55,880 Anyone who thinks that we'll be able to go through life without 88 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:57,560 any trials is certainly mistaken. 89 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:00,280 Trials and sorrows are a part of life. 90 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:04,360 It's to be expected. And we can know we're going to 91 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:07,160 face troubles and trials at some point. 92 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:10,240 We just don't know sometimes when they're going to come along 93 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:13,570 and hit us. Job was a man that went through 94 00:06:13,570 --> 00:06:17,690 all kinds of trials. We've read the story about Job, 95 00:06:17,690 --> 00:06:20,890 how his family was taken away from him, everything was taken 96 00:06:20,890 --> 00:06:27,970 away from him, his possessions, and he was left with a wife that 97 00:06:27,970 --> 00:06:34,050 said curse God and die. His own body was struck with 98 00:06:34,050 --> 00:06:36,850 boils from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. 99 00:06:36,850 --> 00:06:44,000 It says also Abraham's life shows us that we might be tested 100 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:47,760 beyond what we think we will ever be tested. 101 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:55,080 Abraham was tested with the life and giving the life of his only 102 00:06:55,080 --> 00:07:01,040 son. I can't imagine a trial like 103 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:05,000 that. I hope that I would never be in 104 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:09,280 put in a position like that. But Abraham passed the test 105 00:07:09,280 --> 00:07:13,740 though the Angel of the Lord said in Genesis 12 and verse 22 106 00:07:13,740 --> 00:07:19,340 and verse 12. Now I know that you fear God 107 00:07:19,780 --> 00:07:23,060 since you have not withheld your son, your only son from me. 108 00:07:23,420 --> 00:07:26,700 In other words, Abraham was willing to obey God at any cost. 109 00:07:27,620 --> 00:07:33,300 Hebrews 11 and verse 17 tells us very clearly and the 1st 2 words 110 00:07:33,780 --> 00:07:36,660 tells the story. He says by faith. 111 00:07:39,020 --> 00:07:43,210 Abraham, when he was tested, you see, this was a test. 112 00:07:44,290 --> 00:07:46,490 God was saying that this is a test. 113 00:07:46,490 --> 00:07:51,610 Abraham, we can do the same. We can say to ourselves, well, 114 00:07:52,050 --> 00:07:55,850 this problem that I'm dealing with, this disappointment, this 115 00:07:55,850 --> 00:08:00,610 trial, this tragedy in my life, these problems in my life, the 116 00:08:00,610 --> 00:08:06,210 problems that I'm facing, we can look at ourselves and say this 117 00:08:06,210 --> 00:08:10,140 is a test, this is a test. Am I ready for the test? 118 00:08:11,740 --> 00:08:14,180 Remember we used to listen to the radio and they'd hear the 119 00:08:14,180 --> 00:08:17,940 beep come along and they would say this is a test, this is only 120 00:08:17,940 --> 00:08:21,460 a test. Well, that's what this life is. 121 00:08:21,700 --> 00:08:24,620 When these things come along and we noticed the trials that come 122 00:08:24,620 --> 00:08:28,820 our way, we can stop and saying we can go around just all broken 123 00:08:28,820 --> 00:08:32,380 down and everything if we want to or we can say here it is, 124 00:08:32,620 --> 00:08:36,340 this is the test, the test of our faith, just like it was with 125 00:08:36,340 --> 00:08:49,480 Abraham. He says when he was tested 126 00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:54,760 offered up Isaac and he who had received the promises offered up 127 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:59,400 his only begotten son of whom it was said, and Isaac, your seed 128 00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:03,720 shall be called. How could he do that? 129 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:09,320 Well, in verse 19 he says concluding or take taking note 130 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:14,400 of the fact that God was able to raise him up even from the dead. 131 00:09:16,070 --> 00:09:21,110 You see, Abraham had faith in God that even if he killed his 132 00:09:21,110 --> 00:09:26,550 son, God had the ability and the faith in the promise that God 133 00:09:26,550 --> 00:09:29,470 had made to him, that in his seed all the nations of the 134 00:09:29,470 --> 00:09:33,510 earth would be blessed and no matter what happened, God would 135 00:09:33,510 --> 00:09:41,190 do and fulfill his promise. Now what does that tell us? 136 00:09:41,190 --> 00:09:45,170 It tells us that we can make it through to the other side of the 137 00:09:45,170 --> 00:09:49,850 most severe problems and trials that we may face in life if we 138 00:09:49,850 --> 00:09:53,370 really trust in God, and if we believe that God will keep his 139 00:09:53,370 --> 00:09:57,050 promise that God never makes mistakes and the God will 140 00:09:57,050 --> 00:09:59,450 accomplish his purpose in and through us. 141 00:10:00,010 --> 00:10:03,930 It is that kind of face, that faith that passes the test. 142 00:10:05,370 --> 00:10:08,330 We have to realize that God is going to test us and allow us to 143 00:10:08,330 --> 00:10:12,610 be tested. And the thing that sustains us 144 00:10:12,930 --> 00:10:19,560 during those tests is our trust in God, our faith that God is 145 00:10:19,560 --> 00:10:22,680 working all things out for his purpose. 146 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:27,920 Things don't always turn out the way we want. 147 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:33,080 We pray to God. We ask for God to to bless us in 148 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:35,640 certain ways. We ask God to give us certain 149 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:38,080 things and to help us make it through. 150 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:44,220 And things don't always turn out the way we want, but it's for 151 00:10:44,220 --> 00:10:48,100 God's purpose and not necessarily ours that these 152 00:10:48,100 --> 00:10:51,020 things are being done. God has a purpose in these 153 00:10:51,020 --> 00:10:54,540 things. I know we dream of having a life 154 00:10:54,540 --> 00:10:59,340 of ease that we like to create this perfect environment around 155 00:10:59,340 --> 00:11:02,380 us. We make decisions in life so 156 00:11:02,380 --> 00:11:07,500 that we have smooth sailing. We don't go out and spend money 157 00:11:07,500 --> 00:11:09,860 on this because that's going to present another problem. 158 00:11:09,860 --> 00:11:12,260 We're not going to have money for this over here. 159 00:11:12,740 --> 00:11:16,460 And we save and we get this job and we work hard and we go to 160 00:11:16,460 --> 00:11:19,940 school and we do all these things and we make this decision 161 00:11:19,940 --> 00:11:23,980 not to do that or and to do this and we do all those things so 162 00:11:23,980 --> 00:11:28,300 that we have less problems in our life and that's what we 163 00:11:28,300 --> 00:11:30,180 want. We want less problems in our 164 00:11:30,180 --> 00:11:35,060 life. But things don't always work out 165 00:11:35,060 --> 00:11:37,500 that way. We that's the way we want it, 166 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:43,080 but they don't always work out that way. 167 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:50,120 We've planned, but frankly, that's not the way life works. 168 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:56,480 But the fact that we have temporary rest and temporary 169 00:11:56,480 --> 00:12:00,480 ease in life fools us sometimes into thinking that we may have 170 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:02,920 it made when that's not the case. 171 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:06,400 What if everything was smooth sailing all the time? 172 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:09,600 We would just think that we didn't need God anymore. 173 00:12:12,230 --> 00:12:19,030 When we go through trials, when we go through problems, do we 174 00:12:19,030 --> 00:12:24,190 pray more often? I've venture to say every one of 175 00:12:24,190 --> 00:12:30,750 us do when things are going easy and we don't have the problems 176 00:12:31,430 --> 00:12:33,630 to pray about. We just don't pray as often as 177 00:12:33,630 --> 00:12:36,910 we do when we're having the problems. 178 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:42,760 And if we went through life without any problems and we 179 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:45,680 would kind of get distanced away from God. 180 00:12:51,150 --> 00:12:54,750 Jesus said to his disciples, and specifically to Peter and 181 00:12:54,750 --> 00:13:00,070 Matthew 26 and 41, watch and pray that you enter not into 182 00:13:01,270 --> 00:13:08,110 trials, that same Greek word, Prariasmos, same thing. 183 00:13:08,510 --> 00:13:11,510 Watch and pray that you enter, not into the trials. 184 00:13:12,110 --> 00:13:15,190 Watch and look for trials. Pray, ask for strength, Watch 185 00:13:15,190 --> 00:13:17,990 and pray. It would be it wouldn't be long 186 00:13:17,990 --> 00:13:21,150 before Peter would understand a little bit more clearly what 187 00:13:21,150 --> 00:13:27,310 Jesus was saying here, because Peter was fixing to face a trial 188 00:13:28,790 --> 00:13:32,390 and he didn't do too well. He didn't do too well. 189 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:37,560 Our confidence is in the presence of God and knowing that 190 00:13:37,560 --> 00:13:40,680 he is our helper and times of trials. 191 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:44,960 The Psalmist, David said in Psalm 23 and verse four. 192 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:48,120 Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I 193 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:51,320 will fear no evil, for thou art with me. 194 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:56,200 God is with us. God is on our side. 195 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:04,820 God is our helper. So I want to notice 9 joys that 196 00:14:04,820 --> 00:14:10,500 can come to us through these trials that we face in life. 197 00:14:11,500 --> 00:14:14,660 Number one trials come to test the strength of our faith. 198 00:14:16,940 --> 00:14:21,220 There's a great illusion. Excuse me illustration. 199 00:14:21,220 --> 00:14:24,340 I'm sorry. And this relating to King 200 00:14:24,340 --> 00:14:28,220 Hezekiah. Listen to second Chronicles 32 201 00:14:28,220 --> 00:14:31,740 and 31. God withdrew from him in order 202 00:14:31,740 --> 00:14:38,490 to test him, that he might know all that was in his heart. 203 00:14:39,650 --> 00:14:45,650 Do you see that He said God left him for the purpose of testing, 204 00:14:47,050 --> 00:14:51,970 for the purpose of trials? That he might know what was in 205 00:14:51,970 --> 00:14:58,690 King Hezekiah's heart? I need to know, and we all need 206 00:14:58,690 --> 00:15:01,050 to know, the strength of our faith. 207 00:15:02,900 --> 00:15:06,740 Sometimes we may think that we're strong. 208 00:15:08,140 --> 00:15:10,580 We may get even a little bit arrogant about that. 209 00:15:10,580 --> 00:15:14,180 And then a trial comes along and guess what? 210 00:15:17,260 --> 00:15:18,900 Not as strong as we thought we were. 211 00:15:21,860 --> 00:15:25,060 Maybe we crumble, whatever it may be. 212 00:15:26,020 --> 00:15:32,280 But a trial will test your faith, and that's good for us. 213 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,640 That's good for us to know when we're weak. 214 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:41,520 It's good to for us to know that we need to improve on things, 215 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:44,280 that we need to get on our knees a little bit more and that we 216 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:47,440 need to study a little bit more and we need to pray a little bit 217 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:49,080 more and we need to read a little bit more. 218 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:54,240 And we do need to have a stronger, firmer foundation in 219 00:15:54,240 --> 00:16:02,870 our faith. But a trial will prove to you 220 00:16:02,870 --> 00:16:05,630 how strong your faith is. If you're blaming God for your 221 00:16:05,630 --> 00:16:09,350 problems, if you're questioning his ability, if you're wondering 222 00:16:09,350 --> 00:16:12,710 why this is happening, if you're worried all the time, that's a 223 00:16:12,710 --> 00:16:15,150 good indication that maybe there's a problem with your 224 00:16:15,150 --> 00:16:19,070 faith. On the other hand, if you're 225 00:16:19,070 --> 00:16:21,710 going through the trial and you find yourself at peace and God's 226 00:16:21,710 --> 00:16:30,160 promises, comforted by God's presence, having peace in those 227 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:36,040 things in the trials, and you're putting it in His hands, trust 228 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:38,120 in him, letting him bear the burden of it all. 229 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:43,880 And you're going on your way, just dealing with those things 230 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:49,160 in life, then you know, and you're strengthened by your 231 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:51,840 faith as well. So we ought to be thankful for 232 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:56,440 the trials because they assist us in letting us know where we 233 00:16:56,440 --> 00:16:58,840 stand in our faith. That's very helpful. 234 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:06,079 When Habacok was going through the promise that the that the 235 00:17:06,079 --> 00:17:09,280 Chaldeans were going to come to wipe out his people. 236 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:12,640 In spite of all that Habacok said, and this is one of my 237 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:15,680 favorite verses. Habacok said, Though the fig 238 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:20,520 tree may blossom, may not blossom, Excuse me, nor fruit be 239 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:24,640 on the vine, though the labor of the olive may fail, and the 240 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:26,960 yields and the fields yield no fruit. 241 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:31,820 Food, though the flock may be cut off from the fold and there 242 00:17:31,820 --> 00:17:37,860 be no hurt in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. 243 00:17:38,060 --> 00:17:40,380 I will joy in the God of my salvation. 244 00:17:40,860 --> 00:17:44,140 The Lord God is my strength. He will make me my feet like 245 00:17:44,140 --> 00:17:48,300 deer's feet, and he will make me walk on the high hills. 246 00:17:50,740 --> 00:17:58,530 Things don't go so well in life. We can be like like Job's wife 247 00:17:58,530 --> 00:18:02,210 and say curse God and die and blame everything on God and and 248 00:18:02,210 --> 00:18:05,450 all of our problems and why God aren't you do making our my life 249 00:18:05,450 --> 00:18:09,010 better and and all these kinds of things that be mad at God. 250 00:18:09,010 --> 00:18:13,490 Or we can say thank you God for the trial and the testing of my 251 00:18:13,490 --> 00:18:17,610 faith. And so the purpose of testing is 252 00:18:17,610 --> 00:18:22,810 to reveal what you and I can find out about our faith. 2nd We 253 00:18:22,810 --> 00:18:25,210 must recognize that trials come to humble us. 254 00:18:26,060 --> 00:18:29,420 They come to remind us not to think more confidently in our 255 00:18:29,420 --> 00:18:33,260 spiritual life, our spiritual strength, than we should. 256 00:18:33,780 --> 00:18:36,300 They come not only to show us our strength, but they come to 257 00:18:36,300 --> 00:18:42,060 humble us so that we don't think that we're stronger than we are. 258 00:18:43,260 --> 00:18:47,060 This is illustrated by Paul and and through all the things he 259 00:18:47,060 --> 00:18:48,780 accomplished, he might become proud. 260 00:18:48,780 --> 00:18:50,220 And both. Both will listen to 2nd 261 00:18:50,220 --> 00:18:53,930 Corinthians 12 and verse 7, unless I should be exalted above 262 00:18:53,930 --> 00:18:56,410 measure by the abundance of the revelations. 263 00:18:57,170 --> 00:19:01,170 A thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to 264 00:19:01,170 --> 00:19:04,330 buffet me, lest I have exalted above measure. 265 00:19:05,170 --> 00:19:08,570 Barnes notes, says comments on this, and it says lest I should 266 00:19:08,570 --> 00:19:13,690 be spiritually proud, lest I should become selfconfident in 267 00:19:13,690 --> 00:19:17,970 vain and suppose that I was a special favorite in heaven. 268 00:19:22,300 --> 00:19:28,140 Trials will humble us when we think maybe we're a little bit 269 00:19:28,140 --> 00:19:32,900 too, too set, much, much set on a pedestal. 270 00:19:35,660 --> 00:19:39,260 We must realize that God allows the trials, especially when 271 00:19:39,260 --> 00:19:43,420 we're so blessed that we don't, that we shouldn't think too 272 00:19:43,420 --> 00:19:46,780 confidently of ourselves. Trials keep us in check. 273 00:19:47,510 --> 00:19:52,830 Also #3 I also believe the Lord brings trials in our lives to 274 00:19:52,830 --> 00:19:54,990 wean us away from worldly things. 275 00:19:57,870 --> 00:20:05,030 You know, it seems like as we get on in life and we get older 276 00:20:05,030 --> 00:20:10,910 in life, that the things of life, the things that are going 277 00:20:10,910 --> 00:20:14,590 to go away when the Lord comes again, the things that will be 278 00:20:14,590 --> 00:20:17,610 burned up. The things that we possess, the 279 00:20:17,610 --> 00:20:21,850 things that we strive for in life, they become less important 280 00:20:21,890 --> 00:20:26,850 to us the older we get. When we're young, we're going 281 00:20:26,850 --> 00:20:29,050 after it. We want to get that good job and 282 00:20:29,050 --> 00:20:32,650 we want to put the money away. And we work hard to be able to 283 00:20:32,650 --> 00:20:36,210 buy this thing and that thing in this car and this and that and 284 00:20:36,210 --> 00:20:39,610 whatever it may be. And we put all of our effort 285 00:20:39,930 --> 00:20:47,910 into things on this earth. And then heavenly things, 286 00:20:49,270 --> 00:20:52,310 spiritual things, fall by the wayside. 287 00:20:52,310 --> 00:20:57,310 Our efforts in those things and our work towards those things go 288 00:20:57,310 --> 00:21:04,950 by the wayside. You know, when problems and 289 00:21:04,950 --> 00:21:10,590 trials come into your life and all those worldly things stop 290 00:21:10,590 --> 00:21:15,880 making so much more importance in our lives, they don't mean 291 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:19,160 very much. If anything, when you're laying 292 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:24,320 in the hospital bed and you're on the edge of death, maybe, or 293 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:29,440 you're battling a disease or a problem in your life, those 294 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:38,560 things don't amount to anything. So I think the trials are here 295 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:40,480 to wean us away from worldly things. 296 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:43,400 I think about Moses. He'd been raised in Pharaoh's 297 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:46,700 house. He'd been brought up as a Prince 298 00:21:46,700 --> 00:21:50,380 in Egypt. He was educated. 299 00:21:50,380 --> 00:21:53,220 He had reached the top of Egyptian society. 300 00:21:53,220 --> 00:21:59,460 He was in a place of prominence. He had it made in Hebrews 11 and 301 00:21:59,460 --> 00:22:04,020 24 through 27, by faith. Moses, when he became of age, 302 00:22:04,300 --> 00:22:09,180 refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing 303 00:22:09,180 --> 00:22:13,900 rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy 304 00:22:13,900 --> 00:22:17,740 the passing pleasure of sin, esteem the reproach of Christ 305 00:22:17,740 --> 00:22:19,980 greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. 306 00:22:20,500 --> 00:22:23,780 For he looked to the reward. But faith. 307 00:22:23,860 --> 00:22:27,740 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, 308 00:22:28,300 --> 00:22:31,620 for he endured and seeing him who is invisible. 309 00:22:33,220 --> 00:22:36,900 Moses had gotten his eyes off of all the things that were around 310 00:22:36,900 --> 00:22:40,460 him, all of the riches and all the the prominence in the 311 00:22:40,460 --> 00:22:43,580 position that we he was in. And he looked to God and 312 00:22:43,580 --> 00:22:49,660 realized what was important. The things were not important. 313 00:22:53,340 --> 00:22:56,980 So the Lord uses trials to wean us off those worldly things, and 314 00:22:56,980 --> 00:23:00,980 trials will do that. Number four, I think the trials 315 00:23:00,980 --> 00:23:03,100 will help us to focus on our eternal hope. 316 00:23:04,860 --> 00:23:07,260 I don't know how they work for you, but I know with me they 317 00:23:07,260 --> 00:23:10,740 tend to make me desire heaven a little bit more. 318 00:23:13,060 --> 00:23:17,300 When we see all the things that are going on around us, all the 319 00:23:17,300 --> 00:23:22,900 sin and all the fighting and all the just everything that we see, 320 00:23:25,340 --> 00:23:30,420 we can look at heaven and heaven becomes a lot sweeter, heavenly 321 00:23:30,420 --> 00:23:36,700 things, our eternal hope. If your life you've been laying 322 00:23:36,700 --> 00:23:40,020 away treasures in heaven, you're going to be very, very distant 323 00:23:40,020 --> 00:23:42,900 relationship with the temporal things, with the things of this 324 00:23:42,900 --> 00:23:45,980 life. So trials tend to show us the 325 00:23:45,980 --> 00:23:47,660 waste and the things of this world. 326 00:23:50,580 --> 00:23:53,100 Romans 8 and verses 16 through 18. 327 00:23:53,620 --> 00:23:56,900 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the 328 00:23:56,900 --> 00:24:01,700 children of God, and of children than heirs, heirs of God, and 329 00:24:01,700 --> 00:24:05,940 joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that 330 00:24:05,940 --> 00:24:08,660 we may also be glorified together. 331 00:24:09,660 --> 00:24:12,780 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time 332 00:24:12,780 --> 00:24:17,380 are not worthy to be compared with the glory which we shall be 333 00:24:17,380 --> 00:24:22,620 revealed in us, Paul continues in verse 22. 334 00:24:23,430 --> 00:24:27,750 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with 335 00:24:27,750 --> 00:24:33,110 birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who 336 00:24:33,110 --> 00:24:36,430 have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves grown 337 00:24:36,430 --> 00:24:39,910 within ourselves, eagerly waiting the adoption, the 338 00:24:39,910 --> 00:24:43,710 redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope. 339 00:24:44,110 --> 00:24:46,110 But hope that isn't seen is not hope. 340 00:24:46,390 --> 00:24:48,950 For why does one still hope for what he sees? 341 00:24:49,590 --> 00:24:53,050 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait with 342 00:24:53,050 --> 00:24:56,250 it, but wait for it with perseverance. 343 00:25:00,210 --> 00:25:02,530 We can go through all these problems in life. 344 00:25:02,530 --> 00:25:05,570 We can go through the trials and and it can be some of the worst 345 00:25:05,570 --> 00:25:08,370 things that we will ever endure in life. 346 00:25:11,170 --> 00:25:15,890 But we still have hope. We still have an eternal hope, 347 00:25:17,370 --> 00:25:23,490 regardless of what happens. Our hope and eternal life is one 348 00:25:23,490 --> 00:25:26,330 thing. That is such a joy that we can 349 00:25:26,330 --> 00:25:32,330 have faith in. Also, trials cause us to think 350 00:25:32,330 --> 00:25:34,530 on divine things, heavenly things. 351 00:25:35,090 --> 00:25:38,010 That's what Paul said in Second Corinthians foreign versus 16 352 00:25:38,010 --> 00:25:40,690 through 18. Therefore we do not lose, lose 353 00:25:40,690 --> 00:25:43,050 heart, even though our our man is perishing. 354 00:25:43,050 --> 00:25:47,070 Yet the inward man is renewed day by day, for our light 355 00:25:47,070 --> 00:25:50,110 affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us, if 356 00:25:50,110 --> 00:25:53,310 far more exceeding an eternal weight of glory. 357 00:25:53,630 --> 00:25:56,710 Then in verse 18 he says, why we do not look at the things which 358 00:25:56,710 --> 00:25:59,470 are seen, but at the things which are not seen. 359 00:25:59,710 --> 00:26:02,070 For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things 360 00:26:02,070 --> 00:26:05,830 which are not seen are eternal. So don't worry about the things 361 00:26:06,070 --> 00:26:09,790 here on earth. Don't focus on those things. 362 00:26:10,310 --> 00:26:13,830 Think on heavenly things. Think about the things that are 363 00:26:13,830 --> 00:26:28,080 eternal. Next, I want to notice the 364 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:32,360 trials also reveal that we what about what we really love? 365 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:39,680 The illustration of Abraham and Isaac is one that was a test of 366 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:44,770 Abraham's love for God. It was a test for Isaac and for 367 00:26:44,770 --> 00:26:47,330 Abraham this, but this was Abraham's choice. 368 00:26:49,850 --> 00:26:53,890 If you're going to love God, you're going to say thank you, 369 00:26:53,890 --> 00:27:00,850 God, for what I'm going through, what you can accomplish in me 370 00:27:02,610 --> 00:27:05,050 while going through this. Thank you for what I'm learning. 371 00:27:05,090 --> 00:27:07,890 Thank you for helping me test my faith. 372 00:27:08,250 --> 00:27:13,670 Thank you for the trial and helping me see where I am. 373 00:27:16,270 --> 00:27:18,830 But if we really love ourself, we're going to say why are you 374 00:27:18,830 --> 00:27:21,870 putting me through this? God, why am I going through 375 00:27:21,870 --> 00:27:23,390 this? Why am I having trouble? 376 00:27:23,830 --> 00:27:27,550 And trials and time after time and it seems like I get out of 377 00:27:27,550 --> 00:27:30,590 one and it's the other one's just coming right down on me 378 00:27:30,590 --> 00:27:32,710 again. Or before I even get through 379 00:27:32,710 --> 00:27:36,310 this, here's another one loaded on top of me and another one 380 00:27:36,310 --> 00:27:43,410 loaded on top of me. We need to stop and thank God 381 00:27:43,610 --> 00:27:51,810 for those trials and testing us and letting him work us through 382 00:27:51,810 --> 00:27:54,490 those. If our attitude isn't right, if 383 00:27:54,490 --> 00:27:57,170 our perspective isn't right, then Satan is the one that's 384 00:27:57,170 --> 00:27:59,970 controlling that. Satan is winning. 385 00:28:02,050 --> 00:28:05,530 And one thing we want to notice is the God doesn't tempt us. 386 00:28:06,290 --> 00:28:09,850 God allows us to be tempted. God allows us to go through 387 00:28:09,850 --> 00:28:12,660 trials. God tests us. 388 00:28:14,460 --> 00:28:17,940 Temptation is is the Devil's work. 389 00:28:18,740 --> 00:28:21,980 First Corinthians 10, verse 13. No temptation has overtaking you 390 00:28:21,980 --> 00:28:26,260 except such as is common to man. But God is faithful who will not 391 00:28:26,260 --> 00:28:29,420 allow you to be tempted to beyond what you're able, but 392 00:28:29,420 --> 00:28:31,900 will what. The temptation will also make a 393 00:28:31,900 --> 00:28:34,780 way of escape that you may be able to bear it. 394 00:28:41,570 --> 00:28:43,930 That doesn't mean that he doesn't allow certain things to 395 00:28:43,930 --> 00:28:47,650 come my way. But God has told us how to deal 396 00:28:47,650 --> 00:28:49,770 with temptation. He has told us how to deal with 397 00:28:49,770 --> 00:28:51,970 sin. He has told us how to deal with 398 00:28:51,970 --> 00:28:54,490 disappointment. He has told us how to deal with 399 00:28:54,530 --> 00:28:58,890 all these problems in life. And there's nothing that God 400 00:28:58,890 --> 00:29:02,410 can't do. And that's things that we can't 401 00:29:02,410 --> 00:29:07,250 turn away from as well. See, sometimes people create 402 00:29:07,250 --> 00:29:31,800 their own problems in life. Deuteronomy 13 and verse three. 403 00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:35,520 You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that 404 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:38,120 dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing 405 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:41,480 you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your 406 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:44,320 heart and with all your soul. So what do we love? 407 00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:49,490 The Lord's testing us to see who we really love, whether we love 408 00:29:49,490 --> 00:29:51,290 him with all of our heart and our soul. 409 00:29:51,570 --> 00:29:55,290 Luke 14 and 26 and 27. If anyone comes to me and does 410 00:29:55,290 --> 00:29:59,210 not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and 411 00:29:59,210 --> 00:30:03,010 sisters, yes, in his own life also he cannot be my disciple. 412 00:30:03,010 --> 00:30:07,090 And whoever, whosoever does not bear his cross and come after 413 00:30:07,090 --> 00:30:12,090 me, cannot be my disciple. Well, He says that we need to 414 00:30:12,090 --> 00:30:13,890 hate everybody, including ourselves. 415 00:30:14,570 --> 00:30:17,490 Well, that's not what he says or what he means here. 416 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:22,520 If you go back to strong the Greek, the word from strong says 417 00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:26,120 to love less than. So in other words, if there's 418 00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:29,840 things that we love more than God, that's a problem. 419 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:35,240 That's a problem in our life. If there are things that we put 420 00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:41,080 before God, that's a problem. So we need to love God so it 421 00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:48,480 tests our love towards God. These trials do trials teach us 422 00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:58,520 to value the blessings of God. We're taught these days to value 423 00:30:58,760 --> 00:31:01,040 these things. If you turn on the television, 424 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:03,800 it doesn't take very long. It's things you need to have 425 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:06,480 this to be happy. You need to buy this to be 426 00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:08,710 happy. You need to put this into your 427 00:31:08,710 --> 00:31:10,150 home. You need to put this on your 428 00:31:10,150 --> 00:31:12,510 car. You need to put this kind of 429 00:31:12,510 --> 00:31:15,870 clothing on your body because this will make you happy. 430 00:31:15,870 --> 00:31:18,870 You need to drink this liquid. You need to drink that liquid. 431 00:31:19,150 --> 00:31:22,230 You need to do all these other things to be happy in life. 432 00:31:22,430 --> 00:31:30,620 It's all about things in life. And that's the only way that you 433 00:31:30,620 --> 00:31:34,860 can find pleasure and peace in life, is to have all these 434 00:31:34,860 --> 00:31:43,130 things. Well, we are blessed, but the 435 00:31:43,130 --> 00:31:48,770 blessings the the trials are teach are to teach us the value 436 00:31:49,410 --> 00:31:53,530 of the blessings of God. Jesus went through trials and 437 00:31:53,530 --> 00:31:56,330 obeyed his Father. And there was a blessing noticed 438 00:31:56,330 --> 00:31:58,410 in Hebrews 5 and verses 7 through 9. 439 00:31:59,170 --> 00:32:03,770 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers 440 00:32:04,210 --> 00:32:09,310 and supplications with vehement, cries and tears to him, who was 441 00:32:09,310 --> 00:32:13,870 able to save him from death, and was heard because of his godly 442 00:32:13,870 --> 00:32:18,310 fear. Though he was a son, yet he 443 00:32:18,310 --> 00:32:22,750 learned obedience by the things which he suffered, and having 444 00:32:22,750 --> 00:32:28,310 been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation to 445 00:32:28,310 --> 00:32:32,390 all who obey him. What was the blessing in Jesus 446 00:32:32,430 --> 00:32:35,710 trials? What was the blessing in his 447 00:32:36,110 --> 00:32:42,250 sacrifice? Eternal salvation to us. 448 00:32:44,250 --> 00:32:47,570 So we have to look at the trials that come into our life. 449 00:32:48,410 --> 00:32:50,290 There's going to be a blessing at the end. 450 00:32:52,170 --> 00:32:55,010 We don't see that right now. We don't feel that right now. 451 00:32:55,490 --> 00:32:57,530 We don't. We want that. 452 00:32:57,530 --> 00:33:00,210 But it's going to be at the end that we see the blessing. 453 00:33:04,230 --> 00:33:06,870 Trials come to us through the suffering and we get to the get 454 00:33:06,870 --> 00:33:13,150 us to the other side that we may obey in the suffering and then 455 00:33:13,150 --> 00:33:21,030 receive the blessing through the trials on the other side. #8 456 00:33:21,030 --> 00:33:24,590 Trials and suffering come to enable us to help others in 457 00:33:24,590 --> 00:33:29,190 their suffering. Sometimes when suffering comes 458 00:33:29,190 --> 00:33:35,100 and it may have no other purpose than to make us better able to 459 00:33:35,100 --> 00:33:39,380 help and assist others in their trials and and their suffering 460 00:33:39,380 --> 00:33:43,740 as well. Notice in the 22nd chapter of 461 00:33:43,740 --> 00:33:49,860 Luke where Jesus says to Peter and the Lord said Simon Simon. 462 00:33:49,860 --> 00:33:53,820 Indeed, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat, 463 00:33:54,620 --> 00:33:58,180 but I have prayed for you that your face should not fail. 464 00:33:58,620 --> 00:34:03,210 And when you have returned to me, he says strengthen your 465 00:34:03,210 --> 00:34:09,010 brother, he said to Peter. Basically Peter, when you've 466 00:34:09,010 --> 00:34:12,130 gone through all this, when you get to the other side of this, 467 00:34:13,810 --> 00:34:17,730 your job is going to be take what you've learned and 468 00:34:17,730 --> 00:34:21,170 strengthen the brother. There's the blessing. 469 00:34:22,770 --> 00:34:26,810 There's the blessing to be able to use it to help others in 470 00:34:26,810 --> 00:34:34,820 their own suffering. That's like Jesus and Hebrews, 471 00:34:34,820 --> 00:34:39,219 the 4th chapter and verse 15. For we do not have a high priest 472 00:34:39,219 --> 00:34:43,620 who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all the 473 00:34:43,620 --> 00:34:46,540 points tempted as we are yet without sin. 474 00:34:47,739 --> 00:34:50,020 Also listen Hebrews 2 and verse 18. 475 00:34:50,020 --> 00:34:53,659 For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is 476 00:34:53,659 --> 00:34:55,940 able to aid those who are tempted. 477 00:34:57,820 --> 00:35:02,710 People who know grief know how to grieve with you. 478 00:35:05,950 --> 00:35:10,830 People who know loss know what it means to lose someone or 479 00:35:10,830 --> 00:35:15,990 something close. People who know struggles know 480 00:35:15,990 --> 00:35:21,750 to know how to what it's like to battle a disease and can comfort 481 00:35:21,750 --> 00:35:24,550 you in that. People who know disappointment 482 00:35:24,550 --> 00:35:28,150 know what it's like to not get a job or promotion or or what 483 00:35:28,150 --> 00:35:31,070 you're praying for. They know how to help you 484 00:35:31,070 --> 00:35:34,870 through that. People that know the trials that 485 00:35:34,870 --> 00:35:37,670 maybe we're experiencing know how to comfort and help you. 486 00:35:40,070 --> 00:35:42,750 So we go through trials for the purpose of being able to help 487 00:35:42,750 --> 00:35:50,710 others, help others in their walk, help others in their 488 00:35:50,710 --> 00:35:53,950 struggles, and maybe what they've in their faith to 489 00:35:53,950 --> 00:35:58,200 encourage them in their trials. I want to say that something 490 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:04,520 else right now, when you're going through a struggle, let 491 00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:10,280 your brothers and sisters know about it, how bad it is for you, 492 00:36:11,640 --> 00:36:13,640 so we can pray with you and for you. 493 00:36:16,240 --> 00:36:19,960 Don't keep it to yourself. We're here to help, to grieve 494 00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:23,320 and to comfort, to encourage, to pray with you. 495 00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:26,400 If we don't know what's going on, we can't help. 496 00:36:28,100 --> 00:36:31,020 So when you're having problems, let someone know. 497 00:36:31,020 --> 00:36:35,980 Let us know so that we can help because maybe some of us have 498 00:36:35,980 --> 00:36:40,300 gone through some of the same problems and we're here to help. 499 00:36:42,300 --> 00:36:46,420 Then finally, trials come to develop greater strength and 500 00:36:46,420 --> 00:36:52,180 greater usefulness to God, Thomas Melton, a 17th century 501 00:36:52,180 --> 00:36:56,010 English preacher, said. While all things are quiet and 502 00:36:56,010 --> 00:37:01,130 comfortable, we live by sense or feelings rather than faith. 503 00:37:01,730 --> 00:37:05,730 But the worth of a soldier is never known in times of peace. 504 00:37:09,890 --> 00:37:13,810 When we go through a trial, we come out on the other end of it. 505 00:37:13,810 --> 00:37:20,730 Stronger when your faith is exercised, when you're when 506 00:37:20,730 --> 00:37:23,650 you're going through problems and and your spiritual muscles 507 00:37:23,650 --> 00:37:28,970 are being exercised and worked and worked and worked, you come 508 00:37:28,970 --> 00:37:30,690 out on the other end of it stronger. 509 00:37:34,170 --> 00:37:37,610 Then we're more useful to God. We're more useful to other 510 00:37:37,610 --> 00:37:40,770 people. We can help people strut through 511 00:37:40,770 --> 00:37:42,330 their struggles and things like that. 512 00:37:44,890 --> 00:37:51,190 So let God use you. So let's sum it up. 513 00:37:51,270 --> 00:37:51,830 What? What is? 514 00:37:51,830 --> 00:37:57,710 God's purpose as he tests us is to test our faith as the 515 00:37:57,710 --> 00:37:59,510 strength of our strength of our faith. 516 00:37:59,510 --> 00:38:04,710 That when we know where our strength is or isn't, it's to 517 00:38:04,710 --> 00:38:08,030 humble us so we don't think more confidently of our spiritual 518 00:38:08,030 --> 00:38:09,150 strength. And we should. 519 00:38:10,110 --> 00:38:12,430 It's to wean us away from worldly things. 520 00:38:13,390 --> 00:38:15,310 It's to call us to a heavenly hope. 521 00:38:16,510 --> 00:38:21,270 It's to help us think and focus on heavenly things, To reveal 522 00:38:21,270 --> 00:38:25,430 what we really love. To teach us value of the 523 00:38:25,430 --> 00:38:29,030 blessings of God and to and appreciate those blessings as 524 00:38:29,030 --> 00:38:32,270 they come at us. To enable us to help others in 525 00:38:32,270 --> 00:38:35,830 their trials and to bear one another's burdens. 526 00:38:37,030 --> 00:38:41,110 To develop enduring strength, for greater usefulness to God so 527 00:38:41,110 --> 00:38:44,990 that God can use us more for the cause of Christ. 528 00:38:45,790 --> 00:38:49,070 Trials are going to come, and there's no way of avoiding them. 529 00:38:55,020 --> 00:38:56,740 You know, trials are going to come at us. 530 00:38:56,740 --> 00:39:01,700 And we might say, well, I don't know what God's purpose is in 531 00:39:01,700 --> 00:39:04,100 this. I don't know why I'm going 532 00:39:04,100 --> 00:39:09,260 through this, what's going to be accomplished. 533 00:39:12,020 --> 00:39:13,740 We want to get to the other side of it. 534 00:39:14,340 --> 00:39:18,300 And sometimes that side, that other side is short lived. 535 00:39:19,470 --> 00:39:23,030 It can be very rapid. And sometimes it can take years 536 00:39:23,110 --> 00:39:27,190 and years and years to get through something to the other 537 00:39:27,190 --> 00:39:32,310 side before we realize that was a that was a strengthening, that 538 00:39:32,310 --> 00:39:36,070 was a blessing, that was a trial that was hard to endure. 539 00:39:38,790 --> 00:39:45,860 So if we go back to James one of verse 3, this is knowing that 540 00:39:45,860 --> 00:39:49,580 the testing of your faith produces patience and endurance 541 00:39:49,580 --> 00:39:53,580 and perseverance. It says trials are going to 542 00:39:53,580 --> 00:39:55,260 come. Testing of your faith is going 543 00:39:55,260 --> 00:39:58,620 to come. But let's notice what will get 544 00:39:58,620 --> 00:40:01,420 us through to the other side first. 545 00:40:02,260 --> 00:40:05,700 It takes a joyful attitude. That's that perspective we 546 00:40:05,700 --> 00:40:07,740 talked about at the beginning, he says. 547 00:40:07,740 --> 00:40:11,780 My brother encountered joy. This means persevering in and 548 00:40:11,780 --> 00:40:14,100 through the trial with the right attitude. 549 00:40:14,590 --> 00:40:18,750 A joyous attitude. Secondly, in verse three we must 550 00:40:18,750 --> 00:40:20,430 have an understanding mind, he says. 551 00:40:20,430 --> 00:40:23,750 Knowing that that the testing is producing something. 552 00:40:23,990 --> 00:40:27,310 There's something that's going to be the end product. 553 00:40:28,110 --> 00:40:33,030 It will produce something. And thirdly, in verse four we 554 00:40:33,030 --> 00:40:35,310 must have a submissive will said. 555 00:40:35,310 --> 00:40:37,510 Let patients have its perfect work. 556 00:40:41,130 --> 00:40:42,690 In other words, let the trial happen. 557 00:40:42,930 --> 00:40:45,690 Endure the trial because it is the work of God in your life. 558 00:40:45,970 --> 00:40:49,170 Let God work in your life. If God is not working in your 559 00:40:49,170 --> 00:40:52,970 life, the devil is. And if you let him get the upper 560 00:40:52,970 --> 00:40:57,210 hand, he will come out the other side with a bitter attitude and 561 00:40:57,210 --> 00:41:03,850 mad and and just in all kinds of of distress in life. 4th versus 562 00:41:03,850 --> 00:41:06,090 5 through 8 We must have a believing heart. 563 00:41:06,820 --> 00:41:10,180 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all 564 00:41:10,180 --> 00:41:13,420 liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 565 00:41:13,420 --> 00:41:16,220 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting. 566 00:41:16,220 --> 00:41:19,540 For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by 567 00:41:19,540 --> 00:41:22,260 the wind. For let not that man suppose 568 00:41:22,260 --> 00:41:24,300 that he will receive anything from the Lord. 569 00:41:24,540 --> 00:41:28,220 He is a doubleminded man, and unstable in all his ways. 570 00:41:30,220 --> 00:41:33,900 Have faith in what we ask for, without any doubting. 571 00:41:34,380 --> 00:41:36,460 Believe God that he's able to take care of it. 572 00:41:37,740 --> 00:41:41,740 He's able to accomplish what we desire, but realize it is still 573 00:41:41,740 --> 00:41:44,500 his will and his good that is working in us. 574 00:41:45,100 --> 00:41:48,260 And finally, in verses Fort 9 through 11, we must have a 575 00:41:48,260 --> 00:41:52,260 humble spirit. Let the lowly let the lowly 576 00:41:52,260 --> 00:41:56,220 brother glory in his exultation, but the rich in his humiliation, 577 00:41:56,220 --> 00:41:59,460 because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 578 00:42:00,100 --> 00:42:03,580 For no sooner has the sun risen with the burning heat than it is 579 00:42:03,580 --> 00:42:08,240 what it weathers the grass, its flowers fall, and its beautiful 580 00:42:08,280 --> 00:42:12,600 parents perishes, so the rich man also will fade away in his 581 00:42:12,600 --> 00:42:17,360 pursuits. So you persevere through trials 582 00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:22,680 with a joyous attitude, attitude and understanding mind, a 583 00:42:22,680 --> 00:42:26,520 submissive will, a believing heart, and a humble spirit. 584 00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:30,400 But then in verse 12, James tells us what happens when we 585 00:42:30,400 --> 00:42:34,080 make it through the trial. Blessed is the man that endures 586 00:42:35,240 --> 00:42:38,960 temptation or the trials for when he has been approved. 587 00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:42,160 In other words, when he's been made, he's made it to the other 588 00:42:42,160 --> 00:42:45,120 side of the trial. He will receive the crown of 589 00:42:45,120 --> 00:42:48,040 life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. 590 00:42:49,080 --> 00:42:52,880 That's what the other side is. That's what's at the end of the 591 00:42:52,880 --> 00:42:56,480 trial is the blessings that we have in God. 592 00:43:00,680 --> 00:43:04,860 There's a story I just heard this last week and, and it's an 593 00:43:04,860 --> 00:43:06,540 old story. Maybe you've heard it, I don't 594 00:43:06,540 --> 00:43:09,660 know. I hadn't heard it before about 595 00:43:10,700 --> 00:43:15,300 this teenage daughter going to her father and just complaining 596 00:43:15,300 --> 00:43:18,020 about everything that's going on wrong in her life. 597 00:43:18,460 --> 00:43:21,220 All the struggles she was facing, all the difficulties, 598 00:43:21,620 --> 00:43:26,300 the problems just said she didn't know if she could really 599 00:43:26,300 --> 00:43:28,620 take much more of it to her father. 600 00:43:30,620 --> 00:43:36,010 And so the father goes into the kitchen and he takes 3 pots and 601 00:43:36,010 --> 00:43:38,130 he puts them on the stove and puts water in them. 602 00:43:38,650 --> 00:43:41,210 And he turns on the fire and begins to boil the water. 603 00:43:42,250 --> 00:43:45,810 The water starts boiling and he takes a potato and he puts it in 604 00:43:45,810 --> 00:43:49,250 one pot. He takes an egg and he puts it 605 00:43:49,250 --> 00:43:53,330 in another pot and he takes up some ground coffee and he puts 606 00:43:53,330 --> 00:43:57,490 it in the third pot. And after about 20 minutes or 607 00:43:57,490 --> 00:44:03,680 so, he turns the fire off and he takes the potato out and he puts 608 00:44:03,680 --> 00:44:07,520 it in a in a bowl. He takes the egg out and he puts 609 00:44:07,520 --> 00:44:12,880 it in a bowl and he takes a sifter or a strainer and strains 610 00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:18,800 the ground coffee into a cup. And he tells his daughter, what 611 00:44:18,800 --> 00:44:21,040 do you see? He said, well, there's a potato, 612 00:44:21,040 --> 00:44:26,480 there's an egg and some coffee. He says look a little closer and 613 00:44:26,480 --> 00:44:32,050 touch the potato, feel the potato and feel the egg or peel 614 00:44:32,050 --> 00:44:34,610 the egg says what do you notice? He said. 615 00:44:35,170 --> 00:44:41,330 Well, the potato has got softer. I can squish it and I can push 616 00:44:41,330 --> 00:44:45,170 on it and the egg, he says Peel that, peel it off the egg, he 617 00:44:45,170 --> 00:44:48,010 said. Well what was once delicate and 618 00:44:48,010 --> 00:44:51,330 could crack and and spill out onto the floor is now hard. 619 00:44:53,450 --> 00:44:57,490 He says take a sip of the of the coffee and the aroma and the 620 00:44:57,490 --> 00:44:59,710 smell of the coffee says, what does that? 621 00:44:59,870 --> 00:45:04,190 What does that teach you? Well, you see, there were three 622 00:45:04,190 --> 00:45:12,430 things there, and and all three of those things were exposed to 623 00:45:12,430 --> 00:45:15,830 the same environment, the boiling water, but they all 624 00:45:15,830 --> 00:45:20,230 reacted differently. Said the food represents the 625 00:45:20,230 --> 00:45:23,750 three ways people face the same adversities. 626 00:45:24,510 --> 00:45:29,660 The boiling water is is the troubles in life that we face. 627 00:45:31,020 --> 00:45:33,220 But all three things face the same thing. 628 00:45:33,860 --> 00:45:38,060 The potato that was once hard is now soft and softened. 629 00:45:38,900 --> 00:45:42,940 The egg that was once liquid form is now hardened and become 630 00:45:42,940 --> 00:45:45,940 hard. And the coffee has changed form 631 00:45:45,940 --> 00:45:47,460 into something completely different. 632 00:45:49,780 --> 00:45:52,300 And he said, which are you to his daughter? 633 00:45:54,250 --> 00:45:57,050 I believe it's a kind of a powerful story, honestly, when 634 00:45:57,050 --> 00:46:01,450 we constantly get knocked down in life, how we react to certain 635 00:46:01,450 --> 00:46:05,290 things and how we embrace them. You can take a person that is 636 00:46:05,290 --> 00:46:12,090 very hard and rigid and a trial will soften them up and you can 637 00:46:12,090 --> 00:46:15,730 take somebody that's very tender and it'll make them hard. 638 00:46:17,210 --> 00:46:22,800 And you can take someone that just takes on those trials and 639 00:46:22,800 --> 00:46:26,680 does the best they can with them and get something very good out 640 00:46:26,680 --> 00:46:31,480 of it. It teaches you to grow and to 641 00:46:31,480 --> 00:46:35,120 adapt to the adversity that is around you and that you're 642 00:46:35,120 --> 00:46:43,350 dealing with. But James says and verse James 643 00:46:43,350 --> 00:46:48,230 one and verse 2 counted all joy when you fall into various 644 00:46:48,270 --> 00:46:52,870 trials. Remember the slide I showed 645 00:46:52,870 --> 00:46:56,540 earlier about how we like to have our lives go? 646 00:46:58,340 --> 00:47:00,340 Trials are not fun and enjoyable. 647 00:47:01,380 --> 00:47:03,420 No one likes having problems in life. 648 00:47:04,180 --> 00:47:06,620 We know trials will come. It's going to happen. 649 00:47:06,620 --> 00:47:10,900 So let's prepare our hearts for how we're going to react to 650 00:47:10,900 --> 00:47:13,180 those things. Whether we're going to embrace 651 00:47:13,180 --> 00:47:16,700 those trials or whether they're going to let them destroy us. 652 00:47:18,380 --> 00:47:21,820 It can devastate us, or it can be a blessing to make us a 653 00:47:21,820 --> 00:47:26,850 better, stronger person and more helpful to others, and also more 654 00:47:26,850 --> 00:47:34,050 helpful to the cause of Christ. There's another little story I 655 00:47:34,050 --> 00:47:41,330 heard this week about this, this man said. 656 00:47:42,090 --> 00:47:45,650 You know, if I if I have a basketball that's worth about 657 00:47:45,650 --> 00:47:53,440 maybe 15 to $20 in my hands, you put that basketball the LeBron 658 00:47:53,440 --> 00:47:57,160 James head and it's worth about maybe 30 to $40 million. 659 00:47:59,880 --> 00:48:06,600 It's about whose hands it's in. You take a football in my hands. 660 00:48:06,720 --> 00:48:11,640 Maybe it's worth $2025.00, but you put that football in the 661 00:48:11,640 --> 00:48:16,120 hands of Peyton Manning or one of these other highly paid 662 00:48:16,680 --> 00:48:20,240 football players and and quarterbacks, and it becomes 663 00:48:20,240 --> 00:48:26,920 worth millions of dollars. It depends on whose hands it's 664 00:48:26,920 --> 00:48:30,200 in. You put a slingshot in my hands 665 00:48:30,200 --> 00:48:33,240 and I remember when I was a kid I could use a slingshot. 666 00:48:33,240 --> 00:48:35,400 Not the ones you pulled back this way, the ones you sling 667 00:48:35,400 --> 00:48:39,040 like David did, and you put it in my hands, and I may be able 668 00:48:39,040 --> 00:48:43,000 to knock the side of a barn down eventually, but you put it in 669 00:48:43,000 --> 00:48:48,440 the hands of King David and it slew Goliath and sent the 670 00:48:48,440 --> 00:48:54,600 Philistines away. You give me 5 loaves and two 671 00:48:54,600 --> 00:48:58,680 fishes, and I can eat that myself and my hands and have 672 00:48:58,680 --> 00:49:01,160 plenty left over. But you put 5 loaves and two 673 00:49:01,160 --> 00:49:04,280 fishes in the hands of Jesus, and it'll feel a feel a 674 00:49:04,280 --> 00:49:11,760 multitude of people. It depends on whose hands it's 675 00:49:11,760 --> 00:49:15,120 in. You take a couple of nails and 676 00:49:15,120 --> 00:49:19,040 put them in my hands and I may be able to mend a fence, may be 677 00:49:19,040 --> 00:49:23,680 able to fend mend a broken rocking chair or hang a picture 678 00:49:23,680 --> 00:49:26,200 on the wall. But you put those two nails and 679 00:49:26,200 --> 00:49:34,200 hands of Jesus and it'll it'll turn into eternal salvation. 680 00:49:36,320 --> 00:49:41,640 It depends on whose hands. It's in all your cares and 681 00:49:41,640 --> 00:49:42,480 worries. In life. 682 00:49:42,480 --> 00:49:46,240 In our hands, we try to fix everything in our life by 683 00:49:46,240 --> 00:49:52,360 ourselves, without faith in God, and it'll accomplish nothing but 684 00:49:52,360 --> 00:49:54,960 you. Put it in God's hands and He'll 685 00:49:54,960 --> 00:49:58,160 get you through it. It depends on whose hands it's 686 00:49:58,160 --> 00:50:01,520 in. For Peter, five and six and 687 00:50:01,520 --> 00:50:03,240 seven. Therefore, humble yourselves 688 00:50:03,240 --> 00:50:05,880 under the mighty hand of God that he may be able to exalt you 689 00:50:05,880 --> 00:50:09,720 and do time casting all your care upon him for He cares for 690 00:50:09,720 --> 00:50:12,880 you. Put it in God's hands and quit 691 00:50:12,880 --> 00:50:16,400 worrying about it. Remember, it's our perspective 692 00:50:16,400 --> 00:50:23,400 that we have to focus on in life and that's how we find joy in 693 00:50:23,400 --> 00:50:25,480 trials. The lesson is yours this 694 00:50:25,480 --> 00:50:28,760 morning. I hope that we've said something 695 00:50:30,240 --> 00:50:33,440 that will benefit us and encourage us and build us up in 696 00:50:33,440 --> 00:50:38,120 the faith. If you are here this morning and 697 00:50:38,120 --> 00:50:42,040 you are not a child of God and hearing the word, won't you 698 00:50:42,040 --> 00:50:45,960 believe it? Once you repent of your life? 699 00:50:47,670 --> 00:50:50,670 Repentance means a change of life, a change of mind which 700 00:50:50,670 --> 00:50:54,670 results in a change of of life. That means we are going in One 701 00:50:54,670 --> 00:50:57,270 Direction, we turn around and we walk in the other direction, 702 00:50:57,270 --> 00:51:02,710 towards God and towards Christ. After we repent, we want to 703 00:51:02,710 --> 00:51:06,110 confess the name of Christ, that we believe that Jesus Christ is 704 00:51:06,110 --> 00:51:10,070 the Son of God, just like the Ethiopian nobleman did, and acts 705 00:51:10,070 --> 00:51:13,740 the 8th chapter. Then we want to be baptized into 706 00:51:13,740 --> 00:51:15,500 Christ for the remission of our sins. 707 00:51:15,500 --> 00:51:19,020 That what's that's what washes away our sins, that's what adds 708 00:51:19,020 --> 00:51:20,220 us to the church. That what? 709 00:51:20,340 --> 00:51:24,220 That's what makes us a child of God in God's eyes. 710 00:51:24,980 --> 00:51:27,700 If you've taken those steps for some reason, you've turned away 711 00:51:28,300 --> 00:51:31,140 and you've done things that we feel requires a public 712 00:51:31,300 --> 00:51:34,020 confession of those faults, won't you come with a repenting 713 00:51:34,020 --> 00:51:35,900 heart? And we'll pray with you and for 714 00:51:35,900 --> 00:51:37,020 you come while we stand and sing. 715 00:51:39,010 --> 00:51:41,890 We thank you for listening to our podcast put on by the Church 716 00:51:41,890 --> 00:51:46,330 of Christ at 2215 Plans Rd. in Bakersfield. 717 00:51:47,050 --> 00:51:50,490 If you would like any additional information or you would like to 718 00:51:50,490 --> 00:51:53,490 receive a free Bible correspondence course by mail, 719 00:51:54,250 --> 00:51:59,570 please e-mail us at info@churchofchristbakersfield.com. 720 00:52:00,290 --> 00:52:05,490 Our service times are Sundays at 10:30 AM and 5:00 PM and 721 00:52:05,490 --> 00:52:09,930 Wednesdays at 7:30 PM. Please make plans to join us. 722 00:52:10,450 --> 00:52:12,610 We would love for you to be our honored guest.