THE BUMPS ARE WHAT YOU CLIMB ON
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. Doug Scattergood told how he was deployed with the Navy in the Red Sea for several months. Finally he got the chance to go ashore in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.
2. He went to a pay-phone on the pier, produced all the change he’d gotten together to make the international call home and fed the change into the phone.
3. At last his seven-year-old answered the phone and said, “Hi Dad! Where are you?” The dad answered, “Dubai.” And his son said, “Ok. Goodbye” and hung up! [Reader's Digest, 3/18]
B. TEXT
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” 2 Cor. 4:17.
C. THESIS
1. A “bump” is defined as “a light blow or a jolting collision” as of a “nasty bump on the head." Or it can mean a dip or bulge on a level surface, as of a "bump in the road."
2. We speak of difficulties and trials as being “bumps” on the road of life. We all have “rough patches.”
3. So tonight we’re talking about trials and difficulties. Normally these are the kinds of things that get us down, but tonight I want us to look at some positive aspects of trials.
4. I’m making the comparison of trials being like bumps, and the title of this message is “The Bumps Are What You Climb On!” There are four reasons:
I. THE BUMPS KEEP US FRESH AND ALERT
A. THE VALUE OF POTHOLES
1. I really can’t stand potholes. I always grind my teeth when I hit a bad one. There are many reasons.
2. Potholes are bumps that shake us. It’s terrible when you hit a deep pothole; they can even flatten your tire or bend your rim!
3. But in a spiritual sense, sometimes we need a good shaking! Many a sleeping person has had to be shaken awake. We can get so routine that we can expect nothing out of the ordinary. To keep us fresh, sometimes God has to allow a shaking.
4. HUMOR. An old farmer and his wife were driving down the road. He opined, “Honey, you have to admit that I have gotten you safely down all the roads of life.” She replied, “Yes, that’s true. But you sure didn’t miss many of the potholes!”
B. PUTTING YOU ON ALERT: RUMBLE STRIPS
1. Highway departments are very aware that the monotony of driving a long trip can lull drivers into not paying careful attention.
2. So when there a particular section of highway that needs special attention -- construction, road variation, school, plant entrance – transportation experts have developed a tool for getting a driver’s attention.
3. They’re called “Rumble strips.” They are a series of small bumps put on highways which cause the tires to make a loud rumble noise. Immediately drivers are alerted that something is unusual and focus on their driving.
4. We too can be lulled into lethargy by life’s monotony, so God sends us some “rumble strips” of trials, tests to help us rise above our doldrums to active faith and meet the challenge.
II. BUMPS TEST OUR LIVES
A. BUMPS REVEAL WHAT’S INSIDE
1. If you’re in a car and hit a bump, it throws your car around. It TESTS your shocks and suspension. You find out if you’ve gotten a lube job lately; if not, the frame won’t flex as it should.
2. Our Christianity is also “tested” when we get bumped. You’re late and you get behind a slow driver – you can get mad and fume! You’re in a line and a driver forces their way in ahead of you: will you still have your peace/ grace?
3. When temptation comes; when trouble comes – that’s when we’re TESTED. That’s when we see how much Christianity we have.
4. ILLUS. A man was in a restaurant. A waiter came out of the kitchen with a tray, carrying a bowl of soup. The man wondered what kind of soup it was. Just then, someone bumped the waiter and the man found out what kind of soup!
5. It’s the same with us; it’s when we get bumped that we find out what’s really in us!
B. BUMPS SLOW US DOWN
1. One street in my neighborhood has 4 sets of speed bumps. The purpose of those speed bumps is to make drivers slow down!
2. Sometimes that’s why God allows bumps in life to happen to us; we need to slow down! It’s easy to get going at such a breakneck pace that God can’t speak to us.
3. So sometimes He puts speed bumps in our way, so we’ll start spending more time with Him. He loves us that much!
C. SUMMARY
1. Ships are not tested in drydock, but out on the open seas. Trials and tests are designed by God. They don’t cause you to sin; they present you with a choice. A stoplight doesn’t cause you to get a ticket; you choose to run it or to stop!
2. Teachers who pass kids just to move them to the next grade are NOT doing them a favor, but a disservice! Many can’t read nor get a job later in life. Be glad God is allowing the tests and expecting us to improve.
III. BUMPS ARE ADVANTAGEOUS TO US!
A. PROBLEMS ARE GOOD FOR YOU
1. Normally when we have problems, it’s like the end of the world! Suddenly it seems like God has failed us. A dark cloud seems to be hanging over us. But the opposite may be true!
2. “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” James 1:2-4.
3. God actually intends for our trials and tests to have a positive outcome; so OUR TRIALS WORKING FOR US! “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is WORKING FOR US a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” 2 Cor. 4:17.
4. A natural example of bumps being advantageous: on stairs and handicap ramps they now put “grit.” Why? The bumpy texture helps people not to slip. It creates traction and helps people to walk on slopes safely. So, in this case, the bumps are helpful. God also gives us bumpy grit so we won’t slide on spiritual slopes!
B. THE ADVERSITY PRINCIPLE
1. Biologists recognize a principle at work among plants and animals. This natural wonder is called "the adversity principle."
2. As strange as it seems, habitual well-being is not advantageous to a species. An existence without challenge takes its toll on virtually every living thing. I recently told how in the Biosphere II experiment, the trees couldn’t stand being bumped!
3. Instead of life’s bad events being detrimental, a recent survey where 87% of the people surveyed said "a painful event
(death, illness, break up, divorce, etc.) caused them to find a more positive meaning in life."
4. Jesus said, "In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" John 16:33. Ironically, adversity can be therapeutic. (In Other Words, #17).
IV. BUMPS ARE MEANT TO CLIMB ON!
A. THEY LOOK BAD, BUT THEY’RE GOOD
1. There’s a strange toy at the Elkin’s Lake playground – an upside down slide with “bumps” on it. My grandson Ezra fell off of it onto his back a few weeks ago and knocked the wind out of himself. But the next week he scampered up it like a pro!
2. The toy is supposed to challenge those who are already accomplished climbers. And the bumps on it are what the kids are meant to climb on!
3. Trials, instead of being things which set us back, are actually designed by God to be opportunities to grow. Just as physical exertion (lifting weights, etc.) develops muscle, so spiritual exertions cause growth of spiritual muscles.
B. EXAMPLES: HOW TRIALS BRING STRENGTH
1. ISRAEL IN EGYPT
a. When Pharaoh set out to destroy them, he instead multiplied them. Trouble and adversity had the opposite effect: Ex. 1:12, “the more they afflicted them the more they multiplied and grew.”
b. Israel entered Egypt numbering around 70 but left Egypt numbering in the millions. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” What Satan intended for evil, God used for good!
2. PATRIARCH JOB. Satan attempted to force Job to give up his faith, but in the end Job emerged from his trial stronger with God and more blessed than he’d ever been before.
3. EARLY CHURCH
a. The Jewish leadership thought they would crush the church with persecution.
b. But instead they compelled the church to fulfill the great commission as they were scattered all over Palestine and beyond.
4. PATRIARCH JACOB.
a. Jacob’s life was littered with difficulties and trials, yet God gave Jacob a new name, Israel, which meant "you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome” Gen. 32:28.
b. The challenges and adversities he faced actually enhanced and strengthened the overcoming nature that had been latent within him.
5. We are forced closer to God by testing, because only if we turn to him and appropriate his grace will we be able to overcome. A life untested by positive and negative experiences, becomes static and stagnant.
6. Trials and suffering bring a dynamic quality to life. Just as drought drives the roots of a tree deeper to find water, so trials and suffering can drive us beyond superficial acceptance to dependence on God.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: WHAT ARE YOU FOCUSING ON?
1. Kim Reichelm is the “extreme skiing” world champion.
2. The Nov. 1999 issue of Outside magazine had an article which told of the favorite extremes of skiers -- running through a stand of trees after a fresh, deep snow.
3. It is extremely dangerous, as Sonny Bono and Michael Kennedy found out. They were both killed after crashing into trees while skiing.
4. What you focus your eyes on becomes critical in the woods. Look at the spaces between the trees — the exits where you hope to be traveling.” Kim Reichelm says, “The secret is not to stare at what you don’t want to hit.”
5. FOCUS: The extreme skier who focuses on the trees is more likely to hit the trees. The one who is looking for the spaces, or the exits, between the trees is going to miss the obstacles.
6. But it is hard not to look at the trees because you are so afraid of crashing into them. (Rodney J. Buchanan)
7. The point is, we have to get our eyes off our troubles and onto the Lord. When you’re focused on God, your faith will be intact; if on your troubles, you will feel overwhelmed.
B. THE CALL
1. Does it seem like you’re having more trials? Hallelujah! Then God must have something grand planned for your life.
2. Don’t let the devil make you think he has the upper hand. God is in charge of your life!
3. “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” Rom. 8:28.
4. All who are experiencing trials and problems, come to the front. We want to pray for you. PRAYER.
