Purpose Behind Problems

Welcome

Illustration: Samuel 17 - David and Goliath

· Lined up – anticipating war

· Israel vs Philistines

· Large man – fully armored – warrior from youth – Goliath

· Steps forward – challenge of single combat

· Who serves who

· Israelites too scared

· David – sheepherder

· Sent to give food

· David arrives – Goliath taunting, luring

· Youthful ignorance and cockiness

· Saul’s response

· David – killed to protect sheep

· Because of God

· God delivered lion and bear

· Faith God will deliver here

· Saul – armor and sword

· David put on but too heavy

· Takes off get’s sling and rocks

· God’s power behind, David steps forward

· Goliath – walk in park

· Yells – feed flesh

· David – looks into Goliath’s eyes

“You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hand.”

What can we learn from this event?

Young - not a battle of strength but a spiritual battle.

His experienced-unshakable faith - battle was the Lord’s

Important factor in today’s sermon.

Series Connection

Looking at Biblical ways-storms

Don’t do, just come - Walk - burden

H.S. - strength - endure and persevere - hope, peace, and joy.

Today

Still crisis - -emotions

Intentional.

plan and purpose

Key phrase: Purpose behind problems

Importance - God’s purposes - life changing impacts

Scripture

James 1:1-8 - 1 Peter 4:12-13

Look at 1 Peter in more depth next week.

Context

Urgency of faithfulness - hostile opposition - times of crisis.

Dispersion - persecution

· Acts 11:19

“Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews”.

Stephen??

James 1:1-8

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Exegesis – General Overview

Themes - our series:

Perseverance during trials

The sovereignty of God

And prayer, wisdom, and faith

Versus 2-4:

React - purpose “trials of various kinds”

“Fiery trials.”

“count it all joy”

joy not in trial - in purpose - results associated

“Rejoice” in suffering.

· Versus 5-8:

God’s wisdom - Ask

Clarify a couple things that may be confusing

Verse 3: Steadfastness

Different ideas - what this means.

Steadfastness: stand firm - perseverance - endurance

Verse 8:

7 versus - “You may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”

Misinterpreted.

Fulfilled - glorified

Glorified - new life in eternity.

Partial fulfillment - Follow instructions

Spiritual maturity

Example:

Eternal life now - fulfilled later

Learn - apply from Scripture?

5 Truths About Trials

1. Common - necessary - not surprised - off guard.

Rule - exception.

Horizontal - bring us closer together.

2. Different Areas

Physical

Emotional

Relational

Spiritual

Financial

3. Puts our faith to the test.

Faith - confidence in God - stretched - strained -comfort zone.

Test ourselves - ask:

Am I immediately sent into a panic?”

Do I doubt God’s love?

Will I lean on God rather than my own resources

Refining Gold - Very elementary

Gold - has additives

Heated and melted - 1000 and 1200 degrees Celsius.

Gold separates from additives - sinks

Impurities are left behind

Illustration: God refines us - fiery trials

Remove obstacles - in way of spiritual maturity

Closer relationship with Him.

4. Measure our faith and maturity

School tests - learned - grown - knowledge and understanding.

Same true trials - grade ourselves.

Spiritual maturity is measured - ability to withstand - God-dependent and God-reliant.

Where we are - need to be - improvements

Learn - didn’t - know we had to learn.

5. Without trials, there is no spiritual maturity.

Painful emotions

Natural response - cut our trials

Persevere - endure - completion

Breaking us down - re-making

Hind sight 20-20 - God working - learned - our maturity

Next time - easier - persevere - endure = grow

From Scripture, Ways to React To Crisis

1. Don’t be surprised.

Not surprised = remain calm.

Think rationally - immediately come to Jesus.

No panic - no human responses.

2. Count it all joy, keep on rejoicing.

Hard to swallow.

Why should we:

Plan and purpose - grow - mature - walk with Christ.

Important:

Faith - -His strength - greater and deeper relationship

Hudson Taylor - Christian missionary to China - 1800’s

“It doesn’t matter how great the pressure is. What really matters is where the pressure lies, whether it comes between me and God or whether it presses me nearer to His heart.”

Last: Romans - joy in - no present sufferings can compare - glorified in eternity with God.

3. Pray for God’s wisdom

Ask - gives generously.

Wisdom from above

Qualification - faith - no doubting

Faith - trust God - promises.

Faith - His love - protection

No faith - no God’s love - protection - no promises.

Ultimately - no faith - Gospel message - no salvation

Doubt - live independently of God - crisis hits - prayer desperation, bunker prayers.

Double minded - seeking God in trouble

Truth: no genuine saving relationship with Christ.

Charles Spurgeon - Pastor/author - 1800’s

“When people clearly see that since the time of their supposed conversion the world has gone prosperously with them, then they will love God. But when they endure adversity, they rebel against the Lord. Their love is a love for the table, not the host. A love of the cupboard, not to the master of the house.”

4. Return to your foundation in Christ

Don’t overthink

Foundation of prayer - submission

God-dependence on God

Quiet time

Most important thing to not lose sight of

Talking about last 5 weeks.

Every sermon I will ever give

Lies in this most important truth:

Jesus Christ fulfilled and accomplished God’s eternal plan for creation

And for His overarching plan of redemption and salvation.

Christ’s fulfilled this through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension.

Charles Spurgeon – paraphrased quote

There are some of our spiritual blessings from God that would never be discovered if it were not for our trials. Do you not know that our faith never looks so grand in summer weather as it does in Winter? Hope itself is like a star – not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. Afflictions are often the black foils in which God has set the jewels of His children’s blessings, to make us shine more brightly. It was but a little while ago that I was on my knees praying, “Lord, I fear I have no faith: let me know that I have faith” Was not this really, though perhaps unconsciously, praying for trials? For how can we know if we have faith until our faith is exercised? Real growth in faith is the result of sanctified trials. God often takes away our comforts and our privileges to make us better Christians.

Finishes with a poem

“Trials make the promise sweet,

Trials give new life to prayer,

Trials bring me to His feet,

Lay me low and keep me there.”

Conclusion - Reading Prayer

Father, I pray today especially for us who find ourselves in a dark place, who see no light on the horizon, who feel the hot blast from the fiery trials, with no relief in sight. And for us who will be facing storms in the future. Change this painful place into our hiding place where You are near, where You are real. Minister to us in a very special way, to us whom You are testing to prove our faith. Calm our fears. Quiet our spirits. Remind us that rials are essential if we hope to become Christlike. This I pray through Jesus, who was, Himself, a Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief. And who, though Your Son, learned obedience from the things witch He suffered. Amen

Welcome

Illustration: Samuel 17 - David and Goliath

What can we learn from this event?

· They were lined up for battle, each side facing each other in anticipation of war.

· Israel on one side, the Philistines on the other.

· Then appeared a large, fully armored Philistine, a warrior from his youth named Goliath.

· He boldly stepped forward and challenged any Israelite to battle him in single combat.

· He says, “If your man wins, we Philistines will serve you. But if I win, you Israelites will serve us.”

· No Israelite dared to come forward, they were all “dismayed and greatly afraid” of him.

· At this time, there was a youth named David, a sheepherder.

· David’s father sent him to the battle lines to bring food to his brothers and the army and see what was happening.

· When David arrived, he heard Goliath taunting the Israelites to lure someone into battle.

· He looked at Goliath up and down. And with what seemed to be youthful ignorance and cockiness, said I’ll fight this guy.

· Saul, the king of Israel says to David, “Are you out of your mind? You can’t fight this guy. You’re just a youth”.

· David responded, “Did you know I have killed both a lion and a bear when they tried to kill my sheep?”

· “I was able to do so because of our God.”

· “It was God who delivered me from the lion and the bear.”

· “And I have faith that God will deliver me from this Philistine as well.”

· Saul said, “Okay, but if I were you, I would put this suit of armor on and take this sword if you have any chance at all”

· David put the armor on and took the sword.

· But it didn’t take long for him to realized that it was pretty heavy and that he had never fought in battle with all that armor.

· So he took it off and pulled out his sling with a few rocks thinking “This will work just fine”

· With God’s power behind him, David steps out to face Goliath.

· Goliath took one look at the boy and knew this was going to be a walk in the park.

· He told David, “When I kill you, I’m going to feed your flesh to the birds and beasts.”

· David looked into Goliath’s eyes and said,

“You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hand.”

· Well, if you have attended Sunday school class as a kid. You know David killed Goliath with one stone.

Point – What can we learn from this event?

· Even though David was young, he knew this was not a battle of strength but a spiritual battle.

· Because David had experienced God’s protection before, he had unshakable faith He would prevail again because the battle was the Lord’s not his.

· This experience is an important factor in today’s sermon.

Series Connection

· We’ve been looking at Biblical ways to face storms that come into our lives.

· That when we come to Christ, He helps carry our burden and walks with us through the crisis.

· And also the indwelling Holy Spirit supplies us with His strength, not ours, to endure and persevere through the storm with hope, peace, and joy.

Today

· Throughout our series you’ve heard me say that God doesn’t take the crisis away nor the painful emotions that come with them.

· Because these storms are intentional.

· God has a plan and purpose behind life’s trials.

· Key phrase: Purpose behind problems

· Because of the importance of God’s purposes for the times of crisis we face, and the life changing impacts they have, there is a lot of information we will be covering.

· May have to finish next time.

Scripture

· James 1:1-8 with a brief comparison to 1 Peter 4:12-13

· Look at 1 Peter in more depth next week.

Context

· Both letters address the urgency of faithfulness in the face of hostile opposition and times of crisis.

· Both letters are addressed for believers in the dispersion, those who left Jerusalem and were spread out in different areas because of the persecution of Christians.

· Acts 11:19

“Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews”.

· Stephen??

James 1:1-8

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Exegesis – General Overview

· Here are some of the main themesof James’ letter that relate to our series:

- Perseverance during trials

- The sovereignty of God

- And prayer, wisdom, and faith

· Versus 2-4: Speaks to how we should react to “trials of various kinds” and the purpose behind them.

· 1 Peter refers to trials as “Fiery trials.”

· James’ tells us to “count it all joy” to face trials.

· Now he’s not saying the joy resides in the trial itself but joy in the purpose and results associated with the trial.

· We see in 1 Peter, he uses “rejoice” in suffering.

· Versus 5-8: Talks about asking for God’s wisdom as we face trials and the faith required behind asking.

Clarify a couple things that may be confusing

· Verse 3: Steadfastness is an important word here and we may have different ideas to what this means.

· Here, James uses steadfastnessto mean to stand firm in perseverance and endurance when facing trials.

· Verse 8: The results of the first 7 versus is that “You may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”

· This can be hard to understand or be misinterpreted.

· Being perfect and complete is only fulfilled in our glorified state.

· We are glorified when we die and are resurrected into new life in eternity.

· But here, James is referring to believers experiencing a partial fulfillment of our ultimate state of being perfect and complete when we follow his instructions.

· Our spiritual maturity

· Example: When we come to faith in Jesus, we receive eternal life and live our earthly lives in light of this.

· But this eternal life is ultimately fulfilled after our earthly death.

What can we learn from this Scripture and how can we apply it during our storms

5 Truths About Trials

1. Trials are common, even necessary in the Christian’s life so we should not be surprised by them. Don’t be taken off guard.

· Illustration – a rock hitting the water or earthquake

· Trials are a rule rather than an exception.

· As the Body of Christ, the church, we all experience them which can bring us closer together.

2. There are various trials we will face in life.

- Physical

- Emotional

- Relational

- Spiritual

- Financial

3. Trials put our faith to the test.

· We can first test our faith by asking ourselves:

- Am I immediately sent into a panic?”

- Do I doubt God’s love?

- Will I lean on God rather than my own resources?

· We must also know God has a plan and purpose for trials.

· When we come to Christ, our faith and confidence in God is stretched and strained as we are out of our comfort zone.

4. The trials measure our faith and maturity

· When we were in school, we would take tests to see how much we have learned and grown in our knowledge and understanding.

· The same is true when going through trials, except we get to grade ourselves.

· Our Spiritual maturity is measured in our ability to withstand times of crisis being God-dependent and God-reliant.

· We find out how well we’re doing, where we need to be, and see our improvements along the way.

· Many times, we learn something we didn’t even know we had to learn.

5. Without trials, there is no spiritual maturity.

· When the storm hits, we feel very painful emotions.

· Our natural response is to cut our trials short through our own human efforts or to just escape from them altogether.

· But we are told to persevere and endure trials to completion to help us mature spiritually.

· Through the crisis, God is breaking us down and re-making us to become a more effective man or woman of God.

· As we look back after the storm has passed, we see what we’ve learned, how God has worked in us through it, and how God was maturing us.

· Also, the next time a crisis hits, it becomes easier and easier to persevere and endure because you are growing and maturing through every trial.

The Biblical Strength for Trials

· We’ve been learning that when we come to Christ, He walks with us and provides the power to persevere and endure through the storm through the Holy Spirit.

· We’ve also learned how the Holy Spirit reveals the truth of all we are in Christ.

· God’s love poured into us, the forgiveness of sin, adopted into the family of God, and eternal life.

· Knowing these truths will help us face times of crisis.

· The strength lies in knowing and trusting to the core of our being of God’s sovereignty over the crisis.

· That He has a specific plan and purpose for the trials.

· That He loves us and will not abandon us during these difficult times. He has our best interests in mind.