Give Thanks - part 2

For Times of Trial

preached Nov. 10, 2019

Last week we gave thanks for the unity of believers. We are one in the Body of Christ, and one nation that will one day worship with one voice in Heaven. This week, let us look at its opposite: division and trials.

Unity is a beautiful thing, however it is a fleeting state on this side of heaven. We still must face the influence of sin, and many times our sin, especially in the form of selfish ambition, causes dissensions and strife. In this section, I would like to address two passages which speak to rejoicing through these times of trial. The primary passage will be James 1:2-8 which speaks to the reason for trials. Then, we will spend time in Hebrews which speaks to living a faith-filled life, both by the power of Christ and inspired by the witness of saints that have gone before us.

Rejoice in Trials : James 1:2-4

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4

James tells us to count it all joy when we face trials. Why? Because the testing of faith produces steadfastness which perfects our faith. This concept is common knowledge for anyone who has ever strived for anything. Body builders know it is only when the muscles are stretched and pushed beyond their limits that they grow. Financial security requires a slow and steady, disciplined approach to each month's budget. The smartest person in the room is the one who has read more, studied more, and pushed their brain beyond its comfort level. The contemporary notion of "let's avoid difficulty and pain to be happy" is a false start. Sugar-coated discipline tastes sweet, but it fails to grow the person. It is only in the struggle that we grow.

Embrace the struggle, because it makes you stronger.

Rejoice in the trial, because you can learn from it. If we fail to embrace the struggle, or fail to rejoice in the trial, we will miss the lesson. And typically, that means we will face the same struggle again. Consider the small kid in front of the stove. You can tell him over and over to not touch the hot stove. He may listen. But, the moment he doesn't heed the warning, he learns real fast what 'hot' means. Sometimes the lessons can be hurtful, but if we will embrace the struggle, we will definitely learn from the process.

The Bible calls the fruit of our trials, ‘steadfastness’. Your translation may also have ‘patience’ or ‘endurance’. The picture is an ability to endure the next trial, because you have faced this one. Think back to what you have experienced in your life. Now, go way back to when you were a child, and think of the trials you faced. Many times when we look back, we realize the things that we thought were the end of the world...weren’t. One of the weekly routines in teaching students is to remind them that their lives are not as bad as they think. It can be rough dealing with heartbreaks and school stress and all the things that go with being a teenager, but how many adults do you hear say “If only I could go back”. When we’ve grown through the struggles of our younger years, they don’t seem near as bad as they were at the time. And now, as adults, we think “Well, I’d take teenage problems over adult problems any day!”

This principle works the same with what you are facing today. At the moment, your struggles and trials seem insurmountable because you are in the middle of them. In time, by embracing the struggle, casting your cares on God because He cares for you, there will come a day when the struggle is gone. And when the next thing happens, you will be a bit stronger to take on the next task. This process continues through our lives, and as James writes the endurance we develop, “has its full effect, [and we] may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Endurance fills our spiritual gaps.

As we endure, we grow in the areas we are having to endure. Let’s compare this notion with the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5. If we want to love better, we need opportunities to show love. Well, if it’s easy to love someone, then we aren’t growing much there. But, if we find ourselves in the company of people that are difficult to love, then we must endure whatever it is about them that makes them hard to love, and that endurance builds our love. Building up our joy muscles are the same. It’s easy to be joyful when all is well. True joy comes when we can endure the harder times of life holding on to the joy we have in the Lord. Peace is the same. Anyone can have peace in the comfort of their home. True peace rests in the knowledge and assurance of Christ, regardless the situation. Some of us need better patience. We grow patience in times and situations that try our patience.

A funny thing happened to me the other day that made me realize my patience has grown a bit over the years. We were at McDonald’s, and I needed a refill. When I approached the fountain, I realized a line had developed. Now, that part is normal, but I realized the line was there only because a man was taking up the whole area getting his drinks. There was one of him, but he had four cups spread across the area where no one else could get their drink. He was taking a very long time to get ice in each cup, then fill each cup, and then get lids for each cup, and each one was being completed one at a time very slowly. The couple behind him was getting annoyed, and then the man’s food order was ready. He left all four drinks spread across the counter to go get his food. By the time he came back, the line had grown fairly long. When the man returned, he went back to getting his drinks together, but failed to notice the line of people behind him. One gentleman politely asked him to move so others could get their drinks. It finally clicked, and the man moved over. I chuckled the whole time at the couple next in line, because they were getting furious, but wouldn’t say anything. Now, in the past, I would have been the one fuming. But, I recognized the guy was a few crayons in his box, and just sat back watching the unfolding drama.

Now, I don’t use that story to say ‘look how patient I am’, because typically I am not. But, the reason I tell that story is because it illustrates what people tend to do during a struggle. There is always the object of the struggle. In this case, there is a guy who is taking up the whole area and taking too long to do a simple task. We have a few options in response. We can sit and fume—not helping anything or anyone while we do it. Or, we can politely deal with the problem. In this case, the man simply pointed out other people needed some room, and the guy moved. He helped the gentleman, who again was innocently oblivious to the problem, figure out what needed to be done. The third option, is to sit back and enjoy the show. Of the three, you should probably do the second, but I was too busy cracking up. So again, I wouldn’t say I was the model of patience there.

But, looking back at the list of fruit in Galatians 5:22-23, notice all of these work the same way:

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control all grow in situations and seasons of our lives that are trying. It is easy to say you have all these when things are easy and right. It is only when we face a struggle and trial that we discover if it’s true.

True faith is demonstrated during a trial.

How we respond during the trial is how we know if we are really complete. And, when we find ourselves not showing one of the fruits during the trial, that is God showing us where we are incomplete. That is the spiritual gap that needs filling. So, thank God that He has allowed a trial to come upon you. That means He is working on you. He has not abandoned you to struggle alone. In fact, the very opposite is true. He is hard at work in your mind and heart.

The Connection between Trials and Faith : Hebrews 11:1 & 6, 12:1-17

(11:1) Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

(11:6) And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

(12:1-7) Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

nor be weary when reproved by him.

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

and chastises every son whom he receives.”

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

Our next passage I want us to look at is in Hebrews. The reason I bring this up is because I am not sure how well we sometimes make the connection between faith, spiritual fruit and trials. James tells us to rejoice during the trial, because it completes us. What would be missing, I have defined as the fruit of the Spirit. It also possible to sum up the spiritual fruit with the single word ‘faith’. A faith-filled person will demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit, because they have the faith needed to be joyful during trials, love the unlovable, and be patient with those around them. They have the faith to control their impulses and maintain peace while the corrupted world around them falls apart.

So, with that in mind, how does one gain faith? Again, it will be through trials and tribulations. Now, the beautiful thing about Hebrews is that the writer spends two chapters on what faith is, and how we can be inspired to maintain our faith regardless of life’s struggles.

First, he defines faith.

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

My faith gives me assurance of what I hope for, because my hope is in Christ and the promises He has made. I have hope for heaven, and I have faith I will be there. It is not because of anything I’ve done, but because Jesus has already demonstrated who He is. And, Jesus has promised He prepares a place for each one who is saved. I have not seen Heaven, but I am convicted it is coming, because I have faith in the promises of Christ.

Sometimes you may hear people describe faith as something unreasonable. They need further proof, but people demonstrate faith all the time. We have faith that when we go to sit in a chair, it won’t break. We have the faith the other drivers will stay in their lane. At any point, that faith could be proven false with disastrous results. But, Jesus has proven time and time again that He is faithful to us, and will fulfill all the promises He has given.

It is reasonable to put faith in Christ regardless the situation.

The remaining verses of Chapter 11 demonstrate the multitude of times God has been faithful to His people. Now, we typically read this as the person demonstrates faith, and God rewards them, which is good. But, think of it this way, too. God rewards the faith. He did not leave these people to their doom. They put faith in God, and He fulfilled the promise He made to them. Look at verse 6.

Faith includes both belief in God and that He rewards those who seek Him.

Some define faith as believing in God. That is really only half of it. The demons believe in God. True faith includes we believe in God, and that He rewards those who seek Him. Consider how many people there are who believe God exists, but they refuse to follow Him. Why do they refuse? Because they do not believe He actually rewards those who seek Him. They don’t believe He is as good as He says He is. If you go back to James and read on, you’ll notice James says it very similarly.

The writer continues on listing time and time again a person who put their faith in God, put that faith to work, and God fulfilled the promise made to them. Each of these people culminate in Chapter 12, verse 1, where the writer tells us:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

We have two inspirations for us to run the face of faith. Behind us, we have the cloud of witnesses in the past. The great men and women of faith who endured all that the world can throw at us, and received the reward of their faith. Ahead of us, we have Christ. The author and perfecter of our faith, who is calling us toward our true home in Heaven. He endured the cross, so that He could make us new creations who are running in faith to Him.

God has proven Himself faithful in the Old Testament, on the cross, and He also will in you.

The writer continues by comparing God’s discipline with a father’s discipline. All good fathers discipline their children so that they will grow in righteousness. Should we not expect our Heavenly Father to do the same so that we can share in His holiness?

But, it is here we come full circle back to James. Sometimes our trials come because of our own sin. Sometimes our trials come because of someone else’s sins. Regardless the source of the trial, God uses these times in our lives to discipline us. Remember, ‘discipline’ means more than ‘punishment’. Discipline has to do with organizing and building up a skill or trait. Athletes discipline their bodies to be better athletes. Teachers and scholars discipline their minds to be better teachers and scholars. Parents discipline their kids to be better family members. God disciplines His children to be better children of God. We rejoice in the trial, because we have faith that God is using the trial to make us better Christians.

So what shall we do?

I love how Hebrews 12:12-13 puts it:

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

Consider the picture. Do you feel like your faith has drooping hands and weak knees? Lift them up and strengthen them! Your faith may be lame now, but it will not be put out of joint. You aren’t going to fall apart. You can and will be healed, because Jesus Christ, the Great Physician is working. And that trial you are facing is proof that the Good Doctor is in!