MANAGING CHRISTIAN TRIALS-II—James 1:1-27
Attention:
A man in a supermarket was pushing a cart which contained, among other things, a screaming baby.
As the man proceeded along the aisles, he kept repeating softly, "Keep calm, Thomas. Don’t get excited, Thomas. Don’t yell, Thomas."
A lady watched with admiration & then said, "You are certainly to be commended for your patience in trying to quiet little Thomas."
"Lady," he declared, "I’M THOMAS!"
Likewise, Christians are expected to effectively manage the difficulties they face.
James divulged the proper management of trials which were endemic/common to Christians.
There are proper ways of managing the those difficulties.
How are Christians to manage their trials properly?
Previously in James, we saw that Tackling trials properly, involves managing...
1—SOURCES of GUIDANCE(:1)
2—JOY(:2-3)
3—PATIENCE(:3-4)
4—Tackling trials properly, involves managing...
WISDOM(:5)
Explanation:(:5)
:5—“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally & without reproach, & it will be given to him.”
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God
We may need “wisdom” in order to tackle certain trials patiently. Something we’ve never gone thru before. Patience without God’s wisdom is mere optimism or hopefulness based on a fleshly ‘wish’ or ‘want-to.’ But patience undertaken in God’s wisdom gives us solidity, certainty.
We are encouraged to call upon God for His wisdom. When we see things thru God’s eyes, we can endure the trial or combination of trials, not necessarily with ease, but with certainty & assurance, with real patience.
*If one merely asks “wisdom” of “God”, then He will simply provide it. Why? Because He is our loving Father, & supplies our need.
Mat. 7:7-11—““Ask, & it will be given to you; seek, & you will find; knock, & it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, & he who seeks finds, & to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
“Wisdom”—sofia—Wisdom, broad & full of intelligence; used of the knowledge of very diverse matters. Denotes a "mental excellence of the highest sense", to details. Eng.—‘The quality of having experience, knowledge, & good judgment; the quality of being wise.’
“Ask”—aitew— To ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require. ‘Denotes a request of the will.’ ‘To ask for something to be given, not done, giving prominence to the thing asked for rather than the person, & hence is rarely used in exhortation.’ Strong —Strictly a demand for something due.
“Who gives to all liberally”
How or in what manner does God provide His wisdom? God gives “liberally” without restraint as we have submitted ourselves to desire His will. There are none who truly seek it, who are exempt from God’s wisdom.
“Liberally/Generously”—aplwv—Simply, openly, frankly, sincerely.
“& without reproach, & it will be given to him.”
God will provide wisdom without fault finding or scolding.
We are not robbing God of His wisdom, so He does not scold us in our asking. In fact His desire is that we have it.
“Reproach/Upbraideth/Finding fault”—oneidizw—To reproach, upbraid, revile. Eng.—Address (someone) in such a way as to express disapproval or disappointment.
Wisdom guides & determines our everyday decisions. Each decision made in Christ teaches us greater trust in God. Godly wisdom then, takes us thru “various trials” & “tests” of “faith”(:2-3).
Argumentation:
Prov. 1:1-4, 7—“The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom & instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, & equity; To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge & discretion--”.....“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom & instruction.”
Prov. 2:1-6—“My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge & understanding;”
Prov. 2:10-11—“When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you,”
1Cor. 2:12-16—“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
Illustration:
My entrance to seminary/I needed WISDOM & God provided much more than I could have imagined thru the seminary experience/WISDOM
Application:
?You properly Managing WISDOM?
?What does Your WISDOM say about your faith?
?You Tackling Trials properly in Christ?
5—Tackling trials properly, involves managing...
DOUBT(:6-8)
Explanation:(:6-8)
:6—“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven & tossed by the wind.”
In our asking for wisdom, there is only one hindrance to its fulfillment...
We must “ask in faith.” That is, there must be no “doubting” in the asking....
We must be certain 1)Not only that God wants to give us the wisdom—which He always does(a given)—....but 2)that we want His wisdom & not some other. Not for our own fleshly endeavors, but for those endeavors of the Lord.
*Truth be told, Christians question themselves & the certainty of their hearing God’s voice, but they never really doubt God!
“Doubting”—diakrinw—[‘Thru judgment’]—1) To separate, make a distinction, discriminate, to prefer; 2) To learn by discrimination, to try, decide—2a) To determine, give judgment, decide a dispute; 3) To withdraw from one, desert; 4) To separate one’s self in a hostile spirit, to oppose, strive with dispute, contend; 5) To be at variance with one’s self, hesitate, doubt.
“For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven & tossed by the wind.”
A doubter is comparable to waves on the ocean. On the open ocean, The direction of waves is determined by the various whims of the wind—ever-changing.
“Wave”—kludwn—A dashing or surging wave, a surge, a violent agitation of the sea. ‘A billow, surge, suggesting size & extension. So to in fig. application of the words.’ Strong—‘From kluzw (to billow or dash over); a surge of the sea (literally or figuratively):-- raging, wave.’
“Sea”—yalassa—‘The sea or ocean as contrasted with the land or shore. It may be applied to small bodies of water.’
“Driven/Blown with/by the wind”—anemizw— To agitate or drive by the wind. From —anemov—meaning: Wind, a violent agitation & stream of air; 2) A very strong tempestuous wind; 3) The four principal or cardinal winds, hence the four corners of heaven. ‘More forcible than pneuma;yet less forcible than either lailaq or yuella it is the strong, often the tempestuous, wind.’
“Tossed”—ripizw—To raise a breeze, put air in motion, whether for the sake of kindling a fire orcooling one’s self—1a) To blow up a fire, 1b) To fan, i.e. cool with a fan; 2) To toss to & fro, to agitate—2a) Of the wind, 2b) Of persons whose mind wavers in uncertainty between hope & fear, between doing & not doing a thing.
:7—“For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;”
A doubter—one who wants wisdom but will not receive it—will not receive anything asked for from God. So this requires that one be certain of “the Lord’s” will/desire.
But we are also told that our actual need can also drive God to bless us.
Lk. 11:5-10—“And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, & go to him at midnight & say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; ‘for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, & I have nothing to set before him’; & he will answer from within & say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, & my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise & give to you’? “I say to you, though he will not rise & give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise & give him as many as he needs. So I say to you, ask, & it will be given to you; seek, & you will find; knock, & it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, & he who seeks finds, & to him who knocks it will be opened.”
Lk. 18:1-8—“Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray & not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. “Now there was a widow in that city; & she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, ‘yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’” Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. “And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day & night to Him, though He bears long with them? “I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?””
“Suppose”—oiomai—To suppose, think. Both oiomai & dokew ‘Describe a subjective judgment growing out of inclination or a view of facts in their relation to us. ‘A subjective judgment which has feeling rather than thought (dokew) for its ground.’
“Receive”—lambanw—1) To take; 2) To receive (what is given), to gain, get, obtain, to get back.
“Anything”—tiv—1) A certain, a certain one; 2) Some, some time, a while.
:8—“he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
“He is a double-minded man...”
“Double-minded”—diqucov— ‘Two-spirited’; Vacillating(in opinion or purpose). 1)Double minded—1a) Wavering, uncertain, doubting, 1b) Divided in interest.
“Unstable in all his ways.”
Instability rules the person who has no confidence in God.
“Unstable”—akatastatov—1) Unstable, inconstant, restless. From: kayisthmi meaning to place down (permanently), i.e. (figuratively) to designate, constitute, convey:-- appoint, be, conduct, make, ordain, set.
“Ways”—odov—1) Properly—1a) A way—1a1) A travelled way, road, 1b)A travellers way, journey, travelling; 2) metaph.—2a) A course of conduct, 2b) A way (i.e. manner) of thinking, feeling, deciding.
Argumentation:
Mk. 11:22-24—“So Jesus answered & said to them, “Have faith in God. “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed & be cast into the sea,’ & does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, & you will have them.”
Doubt is a statement of the quality of your faith!
If your very faith is in question, then your requests cannot be fulfilled by the God who provides yet in whom you have no confidence.
1Jn. 5:14-15—“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
Heb. 10:23—“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
Eph 4:14—“... we should no longer be children, tossed to & fro & carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,”
Illustration:
My sister-in-law’s job change/Source of continual worry/Miserable at work/She was truly frightened of moving from a corporate powerhouse to a local single owner business/Long story short—She made the move & is happy as a lark/Owner is a Christian & business is thriving/DOUBT
DOUBT almost kept her enslaved. Once DOUBT was managed properly her trials(worries) melted away!
Application:
?You properly Managing DOUBT?
?What does Your DOUBT say about your faith?
?You Tackling Trials properly in Christ?
6—Tackling trials properly, involves managing...
STATUS(:9-11)
Explanation:(:9-11)Standing/Perspective/Position
:9—“Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,”
In managing Christian trials—or even those common to man— the Christian of low esteem, should be ever mindful of the “exaltation” he experiences in Christ.
It is noteworthy that Christians—of either poverty or wealth & everything in between—are considered “brothers.”
“Lowly/Low degree/Humble”—tapeinov—1)Not rising far from the ground; 2) metaph.—2a) As a condition, lowly, of low degree, 2b)Brought low with grief, depressed, 2c)Lowly in spirit, humble, 2d) In a bad sense, deporting one’s self abjectly, deferring servilely to others.
“Glory/Rejoice/Take pride”—kaucaomai—To vaunt (in a good or a bad sense):-- (make) boast, glory, joy, rejoice. 1) To glory (whether with reason or without); 2) To glory on account of a thing; 3) To glory in a thing. Eng.—V.—Take great pride or pleasure in.
“Exaltation/High Position”—uqov—1)Height, elevation;2)To be exalted, height, (on) high.
:10—“but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.”
Likewise, the rich(opposite of lowly & thus highly esteemed) Christian should be ever mindful of the “humiliation”/want/helplessness regarding our dealing with sin & the forgiveness we have in Christ’s bringing about the payment. All Christians(regardless of means)) are merely saved sinners in need of their Savior. We “glory” in God’s grace!
In the day & location there were basically 2 classes—Rich & not rich. The rich were the movers & shakers & the remainder got moved & shaken. Thus entire families would prosper while others languished.
It would be very easy for a non-elected & non-representative politico to see himself as above others. It would also be easy for a ‘successful’ businessman to do the same. The difference between the two socially would be tremendous.
Again, the “lowly.” are brothers of the rich & vice versa.
“Rich”—plousiov—1)Wealthy, abounding in material resources; 2) metaph. Abounding, abundantly supplied—2a)Abounding (rich) in Christian virtues & eternal possessions.
“Humiliation/Low position”—tapeinwsiv—1)Lowness, low estate; 2) metaph.—2a)Spiritual abasement, leading one to perceive & lament his (moral) littleness & guilt. Strong—Depression (in rank or feeling):-- Humiliation, be made low, low estate, vile.
“Pass away”—parercomai—1)To go past, pass by—1a)Of persons moving forward—1a1) To pass by; 1b) Of time—1b1)An act continuing for a time, 1c) metaph.—1c1) To pass away, perish, 1c2) To pass by (pass over), that is, to neglect, omit, (transgress), 1c3) To be led by, to be carried past, be averted; 2) To come near, come forward, arrive.
:11—“For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, & its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.”
It is wise for the rich man recognize that his “pursuits”/undertakings—which have brought him wealth— neither sustain him nor set him apart from the rest of humanity. He will just as soon “fade away” as everyone else, even in the midst of those pursuits.
Secondarily, one merely has a “beautiful appearance”(rich) when compared to the other(lowly). But both the flower & the grass meet the same end.
“Burning heat/Scorching wind/Scorching heat”—kauswn—1)Burning heat—1a)Of the sun; 2) Eurus, a very dry hot, east wind, scorching & drying up everything.
“Withers”—xhrainw—1)To make dry, dry up, wither; 2) To become dry, to be dry, be withered—2a)Of plants, 2b) Of the ripening of crops, 2c) Of fluids, 2d) of the members of the body; 3)To waste away, pine away, i.e. a withered hand.
“Grass”—cortov—1)The place where grass grows & animals graze; 2) Grass, herbage, hay, provender—2a)Of green grass, 2b) of growing crops.
“Beautiful/Grace”(used here only)—euprepeia—Goodly appearance, shapeliness, beauty, comeliness. Strong —Good suitableness, i.e. gracefulness:-- grace.
“Appearance/Fashion”—proswpon—1)The face—1a) The front of the human head, 1b) countenance, look, 1b1)The face so far forth as it is the organ of sight, & by it various movements & changes) the index of the inward thoughts & feelings, 1c)The appearance one presents by his wealth or property, his rank or low condition—1c1) Outward circumstances, external condition, 1c2) Used in expressions which denote to regard the person in one’s judgment & treatment of men; 2) The outward appearance of inanimate things. The front (as being towards view), i.e. the countenance, aspect, appearance, surface; by implication, presence, person:-- (outward) appearance, X before, contenance, face, fashion, (men’s) person, presence.—Strong
“Perishes/Destroyed”—apollumi—To destroy.. Strong —To destroy fully (reflexively, to perish, or lose), literally or figuratively:-- destroy, die, lose, mar, perish.
“Fade away”(used one time)—marainw—1)To extinguish (a flame, fire, light, etc.); 2)To render arid, make to waste away, consume away, perish; 3)To have a miserable end.
“Pursuits/Ways/Business”—poreia—1)A journey; 2)A going, that is: purpose, pursuit, undertaking.
Argumentation:
Deut. 15:7-15—““If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him & willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs. Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ & your eye be evil against your poor brother & you give him nothing, & he cry out to the LORD against you, & it become sin among you. You shall surely give to him, & your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works & in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor & your needy, in your land.’ If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you & serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed; you shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, & from your winepress. From what the LORD has blessed you with, you shall give to him. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, & the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today.”
We were poor as we were enslaved by sin. But Christ redeemed us with His precious life’s blood.
The poor “will never cease from the land.” Thus we will always have a call to minister unto them.
Look around you in this congregation....Some are in financial need. Will you do your part to meet that need?
Rom. 12:2-5—“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, & individually members of one another.”
Lk. 6:24—““But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation.”
1Tim. 6:9-11 “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation & a snare, & into many foolish & harmful lusts which drown men in destruction & perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, & pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things & pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.”
Mat. 6:19-21—““Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth & rust destroy & where thieves break in & steal; “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys & where thieves do not break in & steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
2Cor. 6:4-10—“But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand & on the left, by honor & dishonor, by evil report & good report; as deceivers, & yet true; as unknown, & yet well known; as dying, & behold we live; as chastened, & yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, & yet possessing all things.”
Illustration:
Outreach to Grady County, GA/All SBC churches joined the effort/We had Drs.-Farmers-Bankers-Custodians-Lawyers-Nurserymen-Business owners-Employees & everything in between/STATUS erased in Christ
Application:
?You properly Managing STATUS?
?What does Your STATUS say about your faith?
?You Tackling Trials properly in Christ?
7—Tackling trials properly, involves managing...
ENDURANCE(:12)
Explanation:(:12) Approval
:12—“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
“Blessed is the man who endures temptation;
“Endurance” is the other side of the coin of patience. It involves patience protracted over time & in adverse circumstances. The adverse circumstances being “temptation.” Endurance holds fast to one’s faith thruout the temptation.
The thing(s) endured is the “temptation.” That is, at every occurrence of temptation, he maintains his faith through the end of it, & coming out the other end is unscathed & untainted by sin.
Saving faith must be an enduring faith. ‘Faith’ which does not endure cannot save.
We sing, ‘Though none go with me I still will follow...’ & that is the way it must be. Is your faith an enduring faith. What happens to your ‘trust’ in Jesus when the pressure is greater than you can bear? Does your faith take a back seat or rule the pain?
“Endures/Perseveres”—upomenw—1)To remain—1a)To tarry behind; 2)To remain i.e. abide, not recede or flee—2a)To preserve: under misfortunes & trials to hold fast to one’s faith in Christ, 2b) To endure, bear bravely & calmly: ill treatments.
“Temptation”(See :13)—peirasmov n.— Strong —An experiment, attempt, trial, proving. ‘A putting to proof (by experiment [of good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or provocation); by implication, adversity:-- temptation, X try.’
“For when he has been approved,”
Having stood the test of temptation, the faithful is thus “approved.”
“Approved/Tried/Stood the test”—dokimov—1)Accepted, particularly of coins & money; 2)Accepted, pleasing, acceptable.
‘In the ancient world there was no banking system as we know it today, & no paper money. All money was made from metal, heated until liquid, poured into moulds & allowed to cool. When the coins were cooled, it was necessary to smooth off the uneven edges. The coins were comparatively soft & of course many people shaved them closely. In one century, more than eighty laws were passed in Athens, to stop the practice of shaving down the coins then in circulation. But some money changers were men of integrity, who would accept no counterfeit money. They were men of honor who put only genuine full weighted money into circulation. Such men were called "dokimos" or "approved."—Donald Barnhouse
“He will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
Upon being approved the endurer of temptation will receive as a prize—the crown of life. This crown is pledged to any & all who truly “love” God’s Christ known as Jesus.
There is one sense in which our salvation is yet future—its actual fulfillment. However that salvation is lived out every moment up to the time of its fulfillment! It is experienced as a radically changed life. It is seen outwardly as our lifestyle, choices, desires, wants, needs become those of an inward desire to honor Christ!
“Receive”—lambanw—1)To take; 2)To receive (what is given), to gain, get, obtain, to get back.
“Crown”—stefanov—1)A crown—1a)A mark of royal or (in general) exalted rank—1a1)The wreath or garland which was given as a prize to victors in public games, 1b) metaph. The eternal blessedness which will be given as a prize to the genuine servants of God & Christ: the crown (wreath) which is the reward of the righteousness, 1c)That which is an ornament & honor to one. Strong—‘from an apparently primary stefw (to twine or wreathe); a chaplet (as a badge of royalty, a prize in the public games or a symbol of honor generally; but more conspicuous & elaborate than the simple fillet, diadhma), literally or figuratively:-- Crown.’—.
“Life”—zwh—Life—Existence, having death as its antithesis. As compared to biov: denoting ‘The period, means, manner, of existence.—a living.
“Lord”—kuriov—1)He to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord—1a)The possessor & disposer of a thing.—1a1)The owner; one who has control of the person, the master, 1a2)In the state: the sovereign, prince, chief, the Roman emperor., 1b)Is a title of honor expressive of respect & reverence, with which servants greet their master, 1c)This title is given to: God, the Messiah.
‘Has a wider meaning, applicable to the various ranks & relations of life & not suggestive of either property or of absolutism.’
‘Despothv on the other hand, relates only to a slave & denotes absolute ownership & uncontrolled power.’
“Promised”—epaggellw—1)To announce that one is about to do or furnish something—1a)To promise (of one’s own accord) to engage voluntarily; 2)To profess—2a)An art, to profess one’s skill in something.
“Love”—agapaw—1)Of persons—1a)To welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly; 2)Of things—2a)To be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing. ‘Embracing especially the judgment & the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty & propriety:’
Argumentation:
Ps. 119:67, 71, 75—“Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.”....“It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.”....“I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.”
“Enduring” temptation is a teacher of many things. All of them ultimately revealing that we can & should trust God’s desire above our own.
Heb. 10:32-34—“But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches & tribulations, & partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on me in my chains, & joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better & an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.”
1Pet. 1:3-9—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible & undefiled & that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, & glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible & full of glory, receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls.”
Mat. 19:29—““And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, & inherit eternal life.”
“Endurance” is required to remain true to Christ in the face of the family we love, yet who oppose our Savior. We cannot sugar-coat this by convincing ourselves that ‘ole uncle Joe is a good man’ & that’s sufficient. It is NOT sufficient if unless his ‘good’ is lived out by the presence of the Holy Spirit acquired thru faith in Christ.
Rom. 8:26-28—“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
2Tim. 2:8-14—“Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.”
Illustration:
Our lawn furniture/Weathered the sun, heat & humidity of South GA & Central FL/Weathered standing in soil/Weathered the cold & ice of NC/ENDURANCE
Application:
?You properly Managing ENDURANCE?
?What does Your ENDURANCE say about your faith?
?You Tackling Trials properly in Christ?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Lady, I’m Thomas!
Action:
Tackling trials properly, involves managing...
4—WISDOM(:5)
5—DOUBT(:6-8)
6—STATUS(:9-11)
7—ENDURANCE(:12)
1—SOURCES of GUIDANCE/ Advice(:1)
2—JOY / Faith(:2-3)
3—PATIENCE(:3-4)
Presented 09/26/2010am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
