Great Joy in Times of Trial.

As Christians we encounter many trials. I remember sitting outside of a doctors office with Hope in Birmingham Alabama, I had just recieved the news that our company was closing.... what were we to do, a family of five with no income. I remember turning to Hope and quoting Job 13:15 “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” Looking back at that trial of life I found so much joy.... we can have great joy during the trials of life.

CPS: Last week we learned that we have a living and lasting Hope in Christ Jesus regardless of what we are faced with, this week we will see because of that hope we can have joy regardless of what we are faced with.

I. We can have great joy as we encounter the trials of life because they make us like Jesus. (6-7)

A. The Trials of Life

Christians have never been promised a life without difficulties. These Christian’s Peter writes to were facing great difficulty (EXPLAIN). Peter at that moment was in prison and would soon face his death.

Peter writes, ye are in heaviness (Times of sorrow, grief) of manifold (various, all sorts. multi colored) temptations (peirasmos = not the temptation to sin but a time of trial.) Many of us are facing Various Trials of life today.

ILL: Author Leo Buscaglia tells this story about his mother and their “misery dinner.” It was the night after his father came home and said it looked as if he would have to go into bankruptcy because his partner had ran off with their firm’s funds. His mother went out and sold some jewelry to buy food for a sumptuous feast. Other members of the family scolded her for it. But she told them that “the time for joy is now, when we need it most

B. Joy during the Trials

We can experience joy in our trials, WE DON’T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL IT IS OVER, because we have hope (future) in Jesus. Greatly Rejoice(Verb)(agalliaō = be extremely joyful, be filled with delight)

ILL: As a third-century man was anticipating death, he penned these last words to a friend: “It’s a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people are the Christians—and I am one of them.” If you are a Christian you can have joy even when you are facing death!

Trials are brief when in comparison to eternity (For a season!)

C. The Necessity of Trials

Trials are within God’s control

Need (verb)(dei = it is necessary, to have to) Trials are in the plan of God and they serve a purpose. This doesn't mean that God causes the Trials in your life but that He uses them! It is said that man rules but God over rules! These dispersed Christians (Org. Audience), Scattered (vs.1) diaspora (root- speiro = sow seed) They had been planted through out the world to testify of God’s grace. God uses your trials for His glory and your good!

2. Trial are God’s Test

Their purpose is to test your faith! Trial (KJV) Proof (NASB) of your faith. (Dokimion - proved genuineness.) Genuine faith is more precious than God and it never perishes, these test are to form you into the likeness of Christ Jesus. The idea is that of a 1st century Goldsmith. He put gold in a crucible and places the crucible over a hot flame and melts it, the contaminants float to the surface where they are skimmed off. These process was repeated until the goldsmith could see his image clearly in the melted metal. When the image was clear that meant the gold was pure. And that’s what our Lord is doing: stamping His image upon you. And when He can see His likeness reproduced in your life, He’ll know that you have become gold fit for His use and for His glory. Job, who went through so many trials, said, “When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10) Bringing praise, honor, and glory to God and that results in heavenly praise, honor, and glory for us because at His appearing we will be like Him!

3. You are not alone during your Trials!

Trials are difficult but we can have joy knowing that they are meant to make us like Christ and we have the promise of God to cling too that He is always with us and even closer during the trials of life. When Shadrach, Meshack, and Adbindigo were thrown into the fiery furnace the king looked down into the heated pit thinking he would see the three men burnt to death, but instead he saw 4 men and one was like the Son of God. When they were taken out of the furnace the fire had not harmed them they were completely saved even from the stench of smoke! Christ is never closer to you, my friend, than when you’re in the trials of life.

II. We can have great joy as we encounter the trials of life because soon we will see Jesus. (8-9)

Life is difficult and the longer we live on earth the more trials we will endure! But in these trials we can have a joy so great that words can’t describe it. Our lives are but a vapor in comparison to the eternal glory we are being prepared to enter into. A day is coming that we will be removed from this world. That may sound like a scary thing but through faith this world is not our home we are just passing through so be faithful. Faith (pistis = believe to a complete trust.) On that day when we depart from the world be it through the rapture of the church or through death we will receive the end of our faith! End (telos = goal or destination) that end is our the fullness Salvation and on that day our faith will become sight! Today we live by faith in Jesus, we can’t see Him yet we love Him! (Romans 5:5) We don’t see Him now but we believe in Him (John 20:29b “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

When this life is over we are going to see Him, face to face. What a day that will be, regardless of what we face we should have joy knowing that soon we will be with our savior and see Him in eternal glory and know Him in the fullest! When we see Jesus face to face we are to realize that all the troubles we endured in life on earth were worth it!

ILL: Adrian Rogers told the true story of William Montagu Dyke, who who blinded at the age of ten during an accident. Mr. Dyke was handsome, charming, witty, and wealthy. He fell in love with one of the most beautiful girls in all of England. Though he had never seen her with his eyes he loved her and asked her to marry him. Before the wedding, Mr. Dyke visited a very special doctor who specialized in blindness and his sight was restored. Mr. Dyke left the bandages on his eyes and waited until that very exciting moment, when the bride was coming down the aisle escorted by her father. As they came down the aisle the doctor snipped away the bandages. He blinked and looked, and their was his beautiful bride and words couldn't describe the joy in his heart as he saw her for the first time! He starred at her as they drew close, he was speechless until finally he said “At Last.”

It will be that way when we see Jesus but the roles will be reversed, the groom sees us but the bride has yet to see her groom, that day the scales of sin will fall from our eyes and we will see the Lord Jesus whom we love and believe and we will receive the end of our faith, the fullness of salvation when we see Jesus face to face!

Conclusion: Have joy in your heart even when times are tough know.... we are being made like Jesus and we will soon see Jesus!