1. Everything UNDER THE SUN is vanity & emptiness.
a. That’s the testimony of King Solomon. He had it all.
b. Money. Wisdom. Women. Possessions. Power. Prestige.
c. But it didn’t do it for him. It left him empty & hollow.
d. He writes the book of Ecclesiastes to tell us how it went.
e. At the end he comes to a wonderful conclusion…
Ecc. 12.13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
YES, Everything UNDER THE SUN is emptiness & vanity.
• But EVERYTHING IN THE SON is precious & wonderful.
NOW at first glance, when we hear that… oh you’re right ED.
• Everything in he SON is precious, wonderful, great.
• But what about… broken dreams? Shattered lives?
• What about sicknesses, diseases, pains, sorrows, sufferings?
• They come to us IN THE SON, in God’s will… don’t they?
1 Peter 4:19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.
JOSEPH… spent 13 years in prison, falsely accused. That was after being thrown into the pit by his own brothers…
• From the PIT, to PRISON, to the PALACE – God was at work!
MOSES… spent 40 years in the backside of the desert, alone, isolated, and nowhere near where He believed God would have him.
• God was going to undo all that the world had taught him.
• But when it was time, He rose up to deliver the people of God.
• YET where did he spend the last 40 years? In the desert!
• YES… God was working!
SHADRACH, MESACH, & ABEDNEGO… young, thriving, wonderful men of God, thrown into a fiery furnace bound & tied up.
• But they came out of the fire free.
• The fire didn’t harm them, but freed them from their bonds!
• YES… God was working.
Friends, this is so important, guys listen…
• There is NO WAY WHATSOVER any of us in this room, or listening in on the radio, or CD, or MP3, or POD CASTING… anywhere, anyone listening to my voice… listen..
• There IS NO WAY WHATSOEVER that any of us can sidestep the pains & problems, and sorrows & sufferings of life!
• They come to us all!
I. (4:12) Don’t Think It Strange
1. (12) Don’t be surprised.
a. Now this is the first stumbling block with trials.
b. We DO THINK it’s strange that WE would go through it.
c. It seems strange to us that the righteous suffer while the ungodly seem to have it all.
d. It seems strange to us that of all that we’ve done, our time would be rewarded with pain.
e. It seems strange to us that here we are living for God while others hate God seem to prosper.
f. David the Psalmist really wrestled with this too…
Psalm 73.12-14 (NLT) Look at these arrogant people-- enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply. 13 Was it for nothing that I kept my heart pure and kept myself from doing wrong? 14 All I get is trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.
That’s the real world guys… good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people.
NOTE: As a pastor, what I see on TV makes me sick!
• This constant barrage of false claims that if you just give to their cause, if you just support their ministry…
• You will have SPECIAL FAVOR with God and sickness won’t touch you and 10-fold blessings will follow you.
• If you give, and give right now!
• I’m sick of it because we live in the real world, not TV LAND.
NOTE: We minister to real needs, real suffering, real sorrows…
• Real people suffering with real things and have a genuine, growing faith in Jesus Christ!
• I see things almost every day, difficult things. The kind of things that can cause you to be discouraged in your Christian life
• AND even begin to wonder what’s wrong with me?!
• OR What’s wrong with God? Why has He abandoned me?
Peter says: It’s NOT STRANGE that you’re suffering Christian.
1 Peter 4.12 (NLT) Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.
THE MESSAGE Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job.
2. (13-14) But REJOICE!.
a. Don’t you just love the impossible?
NOTE: Moving to Colorado I’ve met a lot of THRILL SEEKERS.
• Guys that take honeymoons bungi jumping.
• Gals that hike out in the middle of nowhere with no compass.
• Hunters, skiers, snowboarders, hang gliders, it’s great!
• You know why? Because they challenge me!
• And occasionally I’ll try one of em… scared out of my mind.
NOW GOD, He’ll often lay before us an impossibility.
• To challenge us in our faith. Here’s a trial, rejoice! WHAT!?!
• Rejoice? For what? This is horrible. I don’t like it. Stinks!
• But still, rejoice, because you’re so like Jesus in the middle of painful times.
REMEMBER: Jesus was beaten… he was insulted… he had a crown of thorns upon his head… He was covered and received the full brunt of closed fists upon his jaw… he was whipped on his back until the flesh was ripped open and off his bones… He suffered.
FROM WILLIAM BARCLAY: Roman scourging was a terrible torture. The victim was stripped; his hands were tied behind him, and he was tied to a post with his back bent double and conveniently exposed to the lash. The lash itself was a long leather thong, studded at intervals with sharpened pieces of bone and pellets of lead. Such scourging always preceded crucifixion and "it reduced the naked body to strips of raw flesh, and inflamed and bleeding weals." Men died under it, and men lost their reason under it, and few remained conscious to the end of it.
Look back at v13… the word ‘partake’. Next to it you could write the word ‘FELLOWSHIP’, it’s the Greek ‘koy-no-neh-o’
• We don’t’ often think of ‘sharing in common’ our struggles but that’s what Peter says here… you’re sharing along with Jesus!
• And His spirit of Glory rests upon you, v14.
• There is glory coming. This momentary light affliction, it’s working for us an eternal weight of glory.
THE FIERY TRIALS in our lives today work a benefit in our lives.
James taught us earlier that TRIALS PRODUCE!
James 1.2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
It’s TRUE: God will send storms our way. God will allow difficulties in our lives to TEST OUR FAITH.
• He’s seeking to find deep in your heart if you really, really trust Him! NOT just with our LIPS but with our LIVES!
• There’s nothing I can do except to trust God through them.
• He wants to show me something in life. He wants me to see my heart, and my tendency to take my eyes off of Him!
Deut 8.2 "And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
• God is at work… it’s not strange that He would work this way.
• It’s gloriously leading us to the end that He desires!
IN THE WILDERNESS with the children of Israel God supplied.
• Yes they were suffering greatly, but God remained faithful.
• That’s His promise to us in times of trial.
Hebrews 13.5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Genesis 28.15 "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you."
GOD IS ABLE to work in your life right where you are.
• He’s able to get you through it, YES, just you and God!
• Maybe nobody understands. Maybe nobody listens to your cries.
• Maybe you feel all alone. Maybe you’re ready to give up.
• Listen… God knows and He wants to work a work in your life!
In the wilderness, God provided. They had manna. EVERY DAY!
In the wilderness, God was present. He gave them a cloud by day and a light by night. EVERY DAY!
• GOD IS ABLE TO FEED You & PROVIDE for your every need!
• GOD IS ABLE TO LEAD & GUIDE You through the middle of this horrible time, or the one to come.
APP: IN the middle of your storm, you need to see & seek God.
• It’s not a time to rely upon man. It’s not a time to blame man.
• It’s a time to seek the One who bought you & loves you.
NOTE: It’s easy isn’t it to walk around strong & on fire for Jesus.
• I’m as servant. I love you God. I’m ready for anything!
• Well when you walk into a trial, all the façade is blown away and what’s left is who you and I really are!
• And what we learn is just how weak we are! We need Jesus.
3. (15-16, 19) Suffering.
a. V15 - It’s really bad when we bring it on ourselves right?
b. But v16, if you’re suffering for righteousness, don’t be ashamed. Then v19… commit yourself to Him.
Jump to v19… I don’t understand why God does some of the things that He does. But I know Him. & I Trust Him.
• I’ve walked with him now for over 14 years… He’s faithful.
• I rebelled against Him for 23 years… He’s faithful.
• Look at Psalm 66 for a minute, v4-13
4. (17-18) Judgment begins in God’s house first!
a. There are times of discipline in the house of God.
b. Sometimes trouble comes as a means to chasten us and discipline us.
c. So it’s always good to stop and ask for wisdom from God.
d. Asking, “Is there something in my life that needs attention?”
APP: It’s a good thing guys to seek God’s heart in it all.
• Please don’t become stubborn, or hard hearted.
• It’s easy to complain, and whine, and feel sorry for ourselves when times are tough… but pray for strength persevere!
We OBEY THE GOSPEL. How? By faith.
John 6.27-29 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." 28 Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" 29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."
THE CHOICE Today is so wonderful. Trials are going to be a part of your life but with them we are given a choice.
• We can give up and let the enemy defeat us.
• OR we can consider it appointed & allowed by God in our lives to work in a wonderful way.
RECENTLY I listened to A pastor teaching on the subject of trials & defeat & I love how he ended his message… 3 Things we need to do
MOSES (Exodus 14.13) – STAND STILL & see the salvation of God.
Don’t move, stand your ground & let God show you who He really is.
David (Psalm 46:10) – BE STILL & Know THAT I AM GOD. In others words, stop talking and start listening.
NAOMI (Ruth 3.18) – SIT STILL until you know how the matter will turn out.” -- That’s my prayer for you… STAND, BE, SIT Still.
