Faith That Isn't Defeated by Troubles
Notes
Transcript
Handout
We are in the middle of a crazy time. I know I say this every week, but we are.
We have the Corona Virus, which has caused our leaders to shut down the economy causing millions to be without jobs. Then you have the politicizing of the virus and the treatments of it. The president mentioned that Hydroxychloraquine was a good treatment and because so many in the media and government hate HIM, it has blasted as not working. The study that showed it didn’t work was done on patients who were given the treatment at a very critical point and then another study revealed it relied on false data. Study after Study has now shown that it works when administered early. Politics… It’s a shame we hate the opposite side of the isle to the point of allowing people to die.
Throw riots on top of that.
Stores still don’t have a lot of what you might want to get. Try to buy Purell, of sanitizing wipes… still hard to get.
You can’t even go out to eat in a lot of places...
What happens when the systems that you are used to working… stop working? How should you and I react to circumstances beyond our control? These are legitimate questions that people are asking.
That’s why we are doing this series, Faith Works, Even When Life Doesn’t. If faith will not work when things get tough, then it’s useless. I want us to discover a deeper faith… a faith that lasts… a faith that isn’t rocked by troubles… a faith that will give you hope… a faith that will help you through the difficult times. Theme verse…
18 But someone will say, “One person has faith, another has actions.” My answer is, “Show me how anyone can have faith without actions. I will show you my faith by my actions.”
Faith has to work in every day settings.
James wasn’t writing to people in a pandemic, but to people who were being persecuted.
1 This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings!
Why were they scattered? Persecution. They were running for their lives. Their lives had been turned upside down just like yours has during this pandemic. They lost their jobs, their homes, often their families, and if caught they could lose their lives.
So James writes to them to encourage them. He tells them that they must have faith, even when’s it’s difficult.
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
“For you know” - When you know certain things, you will handle the Covid crisis or any other crisis better. How you handle stress will be determined by what you know… of your perspective.
Perspective fuels faith
Perspective fuels faith
4 Facts about difficulties
4 Facts about difficulties
1. Problems are unescapable
1. Problems are unescapable
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
Notice James doesn’t say “if” troubles come your way. He says when troubles… Troubles are coming.
Jesus also said this when he said In this world you will have troubles…
Peter said don’t be surprised when troubles happen in your life.
No one is exempt from Troubles. This has been a misleading teaching fo some churches in US. Jesus was killed, all but John of the disciples were killed, Paul was killed. We will have troubles.
2. Problems are variable
2. Problems are variable
Troubles come in all shapes and sizes. No two experiences are the same. If troubles were Baskin and Robbins, they would come in more than 31 flavors.
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
Any kind means a lot of different kinds… troubles are like weeds… there are over 415 different types of weeds around… I think they could all be in my yard…
That’s how troubles are. None of them are identical. They vary in type, intensity and duration. We have no idea how long Covid 19 will last.
3. Problems are unpredictable
3. Problems are unpredictable
Problems usually catch us by surprise. In January, everything was going good outside of politics. The economy was good… unemployment was the lowest it had been in years… then boom… this thing we know as the Corona Virus hits and shuts the whole world down.
Problems are unpredictable.
2 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.
Have you noticed that troubles come at you from all sides when you are not expecting them. On top of the virus, we have protests and now riots and lawlessness. They come from all sides when we least expect them. When they do, it’s inconvenient and often we are un-prepared.
The phrase when test and challenges come at you from all sides actually means when you fall into troubles. It’s the same as the Good Samaritan where it said the man fell into the hands of robbers. Trouble sneaks up on us and catches us by surpise.
4. Problems are purposeful
4. Problems are purposeful
Anything you are going through has a purpose.
3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
The testing … produces… Troubles come to produce good character if you have the right perspective.
James is saying that God uses difficulties in our lives for our good.
How does he do that?
3 Purposes of Difficulties
3 Purposes of Difficulties
3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
1. Problems test my faith
1. Problems test my faith
3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
Faith is like a muscle. You have to exercise it to make it stronger… just like working out on weights.
This word test is a term used for refining metals. You take gold and put it in the fire and the fire burns all the impurities out of it until you are left with pure gold.
Its the same way with our faith. When it is exposed to troubles, it gets stronger. Right now, the world is in a sort of crisis. We are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible. You may have lost your job. You may not be able to go back to school. We have all kinds of problems.
Look at Job. He had all sorts of problems, but he stayed faithful to the Lord and he passed the tests and God restored to him double what he had lost.
ILL - There was a man who worked at a sawmill all of his life, and then at the ager of 40, he was laid off due to the economic downturn. When he got home and told his wife, she asked him, what are you going to do now? He thought for a minute and then said, I am going to do what I wanted to do all my life. I am going to become a builder. So he mortgaged his house and went into the building business. The first two projects he did were a couple of small hotels. In five years he was a millionaire.
That man’s name was Wallace Johnson and the business he started after getting fired was called Holiday Inns. Wallace once said that if he could find the man who fired him, he would thank him. He said at the time it happened, he didn’t understand why he was fired, but later saw the hand of God in it.
So the first thing troubles do is test my faith.
2. Problems develop my endurance
2. Problems develop my endurance
Troubles develop our endurance or steadfastness… staying power. It’s the ability to handle pressure, to handle problems when they come. If you don’t go through troubles, you will never develop endurance or the ability to handle problems. God wants to produce endurance or steadfastness in our lives.
This quality is in short supply in our culture today. Most people give up and during this pandemic, suicides and OD’s have skyrocketed. One of the things God wants to teach us is that when things don’t go right, we don’t give up… we keep going.
3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
3. Problems grow my character
3. Problems grow my character
4 So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.
Wouldn’t you like to be strong in character… full and complete? You get theat when you learn to respond to troubles correctly.
ILL - Russian study - show that animals who were put into a comfortable environment actually became weaker and more susceptible to sickness and they all died sooner than animals that had to experience their normal hard lives.
So how does God want us to respond tot he troubles caused by Covid 19?
James gives us some counter cultural responses.
How should I respond to Troubles?
How should I respond to Troubles?
1. Rejoice in the problem
1. Rejoice in the problem
Rejoice because you know that God will use whatever is happening. Remember Joseph? He said you meant this for evil, but God meant it for good…
20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.
We don’t thank God for the trouble, but for what he will bring because of it.
We know God can bring good out of bad
We know God can bring good out of bad
Look at this again.
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
He is not telling us to fake it until we make it.
We don’t rejoice FOR the problem, but IN the problem.
We don’t rejoice FOR the problem, but IN the problem.
We rejoice because we know God will bring good out of it. We can rejoice because we are never alone. God is always right here with us. We know that God sees and knows and cares about everything we are going through. We also know that God will give us strength if we will trust him.
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
This includes Covid 19. In everything God works for our good. God will work for our good during this time.
When you are in a difficult time like we are in, joy is choice. It’s your choice to rejoice or not. If you don’t what good is that? Whether or not I rejoice has nothing to do with circumstances… if it did we may never rejoice. It has to do with trusting God.
David said this…
1 I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.
People were trying to kill David, but he rejoiced.
Let’s choose to rejoice today.
2. Request: Ask God for wisdom
2. Request: Ask God for wisdom
Don’t worry - pray!
5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
God doesn’t hold back wisdom from you. He will give it to you. Look it says he won’t correct you for asking. He wants us to ask.
Have you asked God to give you wisdom during the Covid19 pandemic? Have you asked him what to do during the civil unrest and lawlessness we are experiencing?
God gives wisdom to anyone who asks.
3. Relax & Trust God
3. Relax & Trust God
Just believe that he will help you.
6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
Don’t have divided loyalty. Believe and not doubt. Expect him to answer and don’t doubt him.
6 The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me. 7 Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me.
Relax… rest.
Trouble doesn’t automatically produce good in your life. For a lot of people they become bitter instead of better. What’s the difference? Your faith makes the difference.... faith that works when life doesn’t.
REjoice … Ask God for Wisdom … Trust that God will help you
4. Remember God’s Promise
4. Remember God’s Promise
Refuse to forget them. The devil will get you to try, but don’t.
There are thousands of promises in the Bible… over 7,000 of them. We never have to face troubl eon our own.
12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
The reason we are doing a series on building your faith is that we will have troubles in this life. Bad things are going to happen whether you respond correctly to them or not. Use your problems for good. Don’t wallow around in them… it doesn’t make you better and it makes people around you want to NOT be around you.
2 Questions: Will you turn to God for help and will you let God teach you some things and learn from your trouble?
If you will do this, you will receive a reward. Look at verse 12 again.
12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
You will receive a reward…
Stay with me for the next few weeks so you can learn what God wants you to learn during this crazy time.
Prayer time -
Salvation Prayer
Pray for others.
Lord you know every trial and trouble we are going through. I understand you have a purpose for these times and that you want to grow our faith, develop our endurance, and mature our character. so Jesus I want to respond with faith, not fear. I want to thank you because I know that you will use this time for good in my life. I ask you for your wisdom to guide me each and every day. I trust you to bring us through these difficult days. Help us to remember your promises to us and not give up… in Jesus name.