When Trials Become Triumphs
When Jason Lester was 12 years old, he was hit by a car and suffered a paralyzed arm. Decades later, he’d be a world-class endurance sports champion. Today, he can swim faster, ride further and run incredible distances as an Ironman and Ultraman, and he does it all without the full use of his right arm. In 2009, he was named the ESPY award winner for "Best Male Athlete with a Disability" and the first male triathlete to win such an honor. In addition to numerous championships, he’s also the author of the book Running on Faith, the autobiography that chronicles his rise to fame and how his belief in God got him there. His relentless message is summed up well when he wrote, “If you don’t stop, you can’t be stopped.”
Have you ever experienced those times when life hits you hard?
Have you ever felt so down you feel like giving up?
Financial difficulty. Physical disability. Terrible employer. Disgusting employee. Abusive relationship. Failed marriage. Deteriorating health. Problematic business. Rebellious child. Cheating spouse. Shattered dreams. Unanswered prayers. Unresolved conflict.
When life hits you hard, don’t let it knock you down.
John Piper worded it for us clearly, "Life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to heaven. Life is a winding and troubled road. Switchback after switchback… God is for us in all these strange turns. God is not just showing up after the trouble and cleaning it up. He is plotting the course and managing the troubles with far-reaching purposes for our good and for the glory of Jesus Christ."
Life, in other words, is essentially good lumped with the bad – with the bad intended only to bring out the good in us. Hence, when the bad turns up and comes along, we should remember that everything happens for a reason. It is in our dire times that we must purposefully choose to trust steadily in the faithfulness of the God who promised that He knows the plans He has for us.
Today, we will look at a passage in the Bible where the Apostle Paul encourages believers… that when we go through difficult times… when life hits hard and trials seem to be painful… it is during those times when God brings out the best in us and shows us the best in Him.
2 Corinthians 4:7-10 NIV
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
Let us come to God in prayer…
When life hits you hard, don’t let it knock you down.
There are at least three powerful truths that we can learn from this passage about our trials…
(1) Trials Show God’s Power
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
"Earthen" jars or "clay" jars, as opposed to bronze ones, were readily discarded; because clay was ordinary and always available, such containers were cheap and disposable if they were broken or became dirty — an odd container for a rich treasure.
Paul contrasts between the message of the gospel and the messenger of the gospel. The fantastic message of the good news in Jesus Christ is carried by frail and fragile messengers. The main point is that God has purposely designed it this way so that there will be no mistake as to the source of the great life-changing power of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This point is illustrated in verse 7 by the contrast between a treasure and a clay jar.
At the time this Scripture was written, earthenware vessels (clay jars) were very plentiful in that part of the world. They were used as containers to hold water or food. Sometimes these clay pots were used to hold things of greater worth, such as money, jewels, or even parchments. It was composed of a cheap clay pitcher or jar containing olive oil and a floating wick. All of these pottery vessels were easy to purchase and broke just as easily. In fact, such potsherds can still be seen among ancient ruins today.
Thus the contrast between the carrier and the content of the Christian message is well illustrated. The message of the gospel is precious and valuable like a treasure of jewels or light, but it is purposely contained in common and ordinary-looking human "vessels of clay."
Our bodies, our outward appearance, our essential humanity, our physical disabilities, our shattered dreams, these are all elements of our jar of clay. None of these things can bring meaning or a sense of value to our lives. If we focus on our human side, despair is bound to set in.
But the wonderful secret to overcoming despair is… Kept inside that broken, fragile, ordinary jar of clay is a treasure, a priceless treasure of immeasurable worth! So that God’s power might be displayed through our trials, our weaknesses, and our pain.
Illustration:
By the age of 5, Beethoven was playing the violin under the tutelage of his father--also an accomplished musician. By the time he was 13, Beethoven was a concert organist. In his 20s he was already studying under the very watchful eyes of Haydn and Mozart. In fact, Mozart spoke prophetic words when he declared that Beethoven would give the world something worth listening to by the time his life ended. As Beethoven began to develop his skills, he became a prolific composer. During his lifetime, he wrote nine majestic symphonies and five concertos for piano, not to mention numerous pieces of chamber music. Ludwig van Beethoven also wrote sonatas and pieces for violin and piano. He has blessed the world with the masterful works of unique harmony that broke with the traditions of his times.
The man was a genius. Beethoven was not, however, a stranger to difficulties. During his twenties, he began to lose his hearing. His hearing problem haunted him in the middle years of his life, but he kept it a well-guarded secret. When he reached his fifties, Beethoven was stone deaf. Three years later he made a tragic attempt to conduct an orchestra and failed miserably. Approximately five years later, he died during a fierce thunder storm. He was deaf, yet a magnificent musician.
We are vessels so that God might use us. We are earthen vessels so that we might depend on God's power and not our own.
We must focus on the treasure and not on the vessel. Paul was not afraid of suffering or trial, because he knew that God would guard the vessel so long as Paul was guarding the treasure. God permits trials, God controls trials, and God uses trials for His own glory. God is glorified through weak vessels.
Quote: James 1:2-5
“May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human enough hope to make you happy.” – Unknown
“Only if you’ve been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.” - Richard Nixon
When life hits you hard, don’t let it knock you down.
(2) Trials Display God’s Protection
8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
Doctor to patient: "I have bad news and worse news."
Patient: "So let's have it."
Doctor: "The bad news is that you only have 24 hours to live."
Patient: "I can't imagine what could be worse than that!"
Doctor: "I forgot to tell you yesterday."
1. Pressure will not defeat us.
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed” (v. 8a).
The word “pressed” was sometimes used for walking through a crowd where people surround you and literally press against you. Or we may think of grapes in a winepress. The pressures of life may squeeze us but we are not utterly crushed. Here are some ways this phrase has been translated or paraphrased:
“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed” (NLT).
“We catch it from every direction but we don’t let them squeeze the life out of us” (CP).
“Hard-pressed on every side, we are never hemmed in” (NEB).
2. Confusion will not discourage us.
We are “perplexed, but not in despair” (v. 8b).
Sometimes we just don’t know which way to go. Life has a way of throwing us into confusion. Sometimes we face circumstances that are so confusing that we honestly don’t know what we need or what we want or what would be best. There are moments when the pressure is so great and we are so tired and worn out and life has become so confusing that we honestly don’t know what to say to the Lord. Fatigue wears us all down eventually.
When we are confused, Jesus is not confused.
Sometimes we are puzzled and perplexed by life.
Sometimes we are bewildered and unsure.
That’s okay.
We are not driven to despair because life doesn’t depend on our knowledge of the big picture. When we are at our wit’s end, God is just getting started. Often he does his best work when we have given up completely.
3. Opposition will not deter us.
We are “persecuted, but not abandoned” (v. 9a).
The Greek word translated “persecuted” means “to pursue,” as a hunter pursues his game. The word conjures up movie scenes where the hero knows he’s being followed wherever he goes, but he can’t quite see his enemies. They’re out there, he knows they’re after him. When will they strike next?
Paul knew about this from personal experience. Everywhere he went his Jewish opponents followed him. They stayed on his trail, attacking his character, maligning his preaching, mocking his message, and stirring up opposition inside and outside the church. They never gave him a moment’s rest. That’s why the NLT translates this as “We are hunted down.” That’s how he felt, like an animal fleeing through the underbrush with the hounds hot on his trail.
If you set out to do anything good in this world, someone is bound to oppose you. And if you decide to devote yourself to the cause of Christ, you can expect that some people close to you will not appreciate your decision.
4. Hard hits will not destroy us.
We are “struck down, but not destroyed” (v. 9b).
J. B. Phillips offers us this memorable paraphrase: “We may be knocked down, but we are never knocked out!” The term “struck down” refers to the sudden emergency, the unforeseen incident, the late-night phone call, the crisis that seems to come out of nowhere, the catastrophe that overwhelms us, the earthquake of trouble that rocks our world.
Most of us feel like we can handle “moderate trouble.” We can handle a cranky boss or a sick child or an annoying neighbor. We know what to do when we have a broken “aircon” or when the electricity goes off. We can survive for a few days when the money is tight, and we know when we’re sick enough that we need to see the doctor. Because we know that “into each life some rain must fall,” we know where to find the umbrella when we see the dark clouds gathering.
But what will we do when the rain becomes a storm and the storm becomes a flood, like an Ondoy flood? What then?
More and more I am convinced that our best message to the world is not some clever argument we make to prove that Jesus really rose from the dead. Our friends will judge our Christianity mostly by how we respond when life hits us hard.
If Christians are truly the light of the world, when is the light most likely to be seen? In the bright sun of midday or in the darkness of the night? Our testimony given in the midst of hardship and sorrow will resonate more loudly because it comes at midnight.
Anyone can sing when the sun is shining.
If you can still sing at midnight, the world will hear you in a different way.
“To live greatly, we must develop the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and triumph with humility.”
? Thomas S. Monson, Pathways To Perfection
“The most beautiful people I've known are those who have known trials, have known struggles, have known loss, and have found their way out of the depths.”
? Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
When life hits you hard, don’t let it knock you down.
(3) Trials Reveal God’s Presence
10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
Paul here explains the painful side of ministry… that we will experience the sufferings and even the death that Jesus experienced. But do you notice the reward of our sacrifices? Paul says, “so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our body.” He is saying that all our sacrifices and trials are all worth it as long as the life, the presence, and the reality of Jesus Christ is modeled and is seen on how we live our lives.
Trials give us opportunities to live like Jesus Christ… to respond to suffering the way He did… to deal with pain and difficulties and weaknesses in such a way that reveals to the world who our God is.
The greatest masterpieces were once only pigments on a palette. - Henry Hoskins
Have you ever experienced those times when life hits you hard?
Have you ever felt so down you feel like giving up?
Financial difficulty. Physical disability. Impossible employer. Abusive relationship. Failed marriage. Deteriorating health. Problematic business. Rebellious child. Cheating spouse. Shattered dreams. Unanswered prayers. Unresolved conflict.
When life hits you hard, don’t let it knock you down.
Soichiro Honda
The billion-dollar business that is Honda began with a series of failures and fortunate turns of luck. Honda was turned down by Toyota Motor Corporation for a job after interviewing for a job as an engineer, leaving him jobless for quite some time. He started making scooters of his own at home, and spurred on by his neighbors, finally started his own business.
Akio Morita
You may not have heard of Morita but you've undoubtedly heard of his company, Sony. Sony's first product was a rice cooker that unfortunately didn't cook rice so much as burn it, selling less than 100 units. This first setback didn't stop Morita and his partners as they pushed forward to create a multi-billion dollar company.
When life hits you hard, don’t let it knock you down.
Summary:
Trials Show God’s Power
Trials Display God’s Protection
Trials Reveal God’s Presence
I’m reminded of the way God answers prayer by what someone wrote concerning what they prayed for and how God answered:
I asked for health that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked God for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn to obey.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power and the praise of men;
I was given weakness to sense my need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing I asked for but everything I hoped for;
In spite of myself, my prayers were answered—
I am among all men most richly blessed.
Closing Prayer…
