How To Withstand Trials

HOW TO WITHSTAND TRIALS Part 1

Matt 5:48 James 1:2-12

Pastor Jeff Seaman

Introduction A pastor once asked his congregation, “Does anyone here Know any perfect people?” A short man stood up and shouted, “Yes, my wife’s first husband” This man had learned from experience how hard it is to measure up to a perfect standard.

When God measure us against His standard of perfection, our imperfections are glaring and yet God does not reduce His standard or lower His expectations.

Jesus made this quite clear when He said, “You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” Matt 5:48

Clearly, God’s holiness is nonnegotiable. He calls us to live up to His standard; He never lowers Himself to ours.

This is a far cry from the spirit of the present age. You and I are witnessing firsthand the “dumbing down” of righteousness. Not only has the secular society lost its moral compass due to erosion of any sense of absolute truth, but we Christians are rapidly descending the ladder of holiness rather than ascending the mountain of godliness to be near to and be like our perfect God.

Day in and day out we are bombarded by the standards of this ungodly age, which is dupe us into thinking that being a tad better than the world somehow makes us acceptable to God.

The reality, however, is that God in His absolute holiness is our standard, not the world in its fallenness. Yet we, along with our mates, children, relatives, friends, and other fellow Christians, are falling prey to this softer, easier, and reduced definition of perfection.

James makes God’s goal plain: “That you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (1:4). James wants us to grow up, to become mature, to be sanctified, to be become more like Jesus.

It is My goal as we go though the book of James you will be ready to do whatever it takes to become a perfect Christian and, in the process, discover a new level of spiritual life, power, and victory.

Although the pursuit of perfection won’t produces absolute perfection in your life, you will grow tremendously in your faith when you make perfection your goal.

THE PERFECT CHRISTIAN

HOW TO WITHSTAND TRIALS Part1

James 1:2

I remember as a boy listening to the radio. From time to time the normal programming would be interrupted by the announcement that the station was going to test the emergence broadcasting system. Then I would hear a load, annoying noise for thirty or sixty seconds.

I used to hate those test because they always seem to come at the worst time, just when you didn’t want the programming to be interrupted. And since there was never any warning that the test was coming, there wasn’t any way you could avoid it. The station just break in and did it test.

The troubles of life are like that. They often come with no warning—just the announcement, “this is a test”. There’s nothing to warn you that the doctor is going to come back a bad report or that it’s layoff time. Life’s test just show up at the most inopportune times.

Today I want us to see why God puts trials in the paths of His children. The first thing we need to recognize is the reality of trials.

We see throughout Scripture that trials are a reality in life, and we read Scriptures like “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials”. (James 1:2)

1. THE REALITY OF TRIALS

Notice the Bible does not say if you encounter trials; it talks instead about when they come

Trials are inescapable.

Job said, “Man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward (Job 5:7) The only way exit trouble is to exit life. Jesus said, “In the world you have tribulation” (Jn.16:33)

So if you are going through a tough time right now, don’t be surprised. If you have just exited a trial, don’t be shocked when the next one arrives.

MULTICOLORED TRIALS

The Greek word used for trials here has to do with trouble, tribulation, and difficulties. It’s a fairly broad word that can be applied to any number of things. The word literally means “multicolored” –as in blue Monday or pink slip

Different colored trials

1. There is a trial that comes in the “color” called PHYSICAL.

2, There is a trial that come in the “color” called EMOTIONAL

3. There is a trial that come in the “color called FINANCIAL

This is hardly a catalog of every possible trial you and I can face, but you get the idea. Trials come in a multitude of colors, shapes, and sizes.

So since we can’t avoid them, what should we do with them.

2. THE REASON FOR TRIALS