The word “adversity” is used for the 1st time and it is used in the context of God’s “delivering grace in our time of trials.” God gives us grace to face our problems, not flee from them.
1. Adversity is a part of life.
2. How we deal with our troubles by day, will determine how you will sleep by night.
3. How we deal with adversity will determine how you will face life everyday.
4. Trials will make or break you.
5. The same sun that melts the ice hardens the clay.
6. Boiling water will soften potatoes and harden eggs.
7. Adversity will make your heart harder or softer.
8. History is full of examples of people who looked at adversity as an opportunity to go forward.
9. Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he became a success.
10. John Bunyan wrote the book “Pilgrim Progress” while in prison for his views on the Lord and religion.
11. James Earl Jones stuttered, today his is known for his public addresses, commercials, and voice of Darth Vader.
12. All of these men did not let adversity stop them.
Trials do come and there is no getting away from them, but thank God we have someone to lean upon in our time of trial.
Why does the Lord allow adversity in our life? What is the purpose of adversity?
I. Attention
1. Psalm 34:17
2. All are busy: schedules, programs, meetings, work, and appointments.
a. Many times, the Lord is left out of our schedule.
b. The cares of this world choke out the Lord in our life.
1) Matthew 13:22
3. The Lord allows adversity in our life to reveal what we really are.
a. Squeezing the lemon does not make it sour, it only brings out what was already there.
b. Trials reveal what we really are.
4. God allows adversity so we might seek relief from the pressure of the world.
a. Matthew 11:28
b. Romans 8:28-29
II. Assurance of God’s Love
1. The purpose of chastening is not to punish and to destroy but to build up spiritually and develop righteousness.
2. Job 5:17
3. Hebrews 12:6&11
III. To Audit our Life
1. Adversity causes us to examine our life and relationship with the Lord.
2. In adversity, I try to find answers:
a. Is it because of sin?
b. Is God growing me in this area?
3. We should find the answers to adversity in God’s Word. How God works.
a. Mark 6:45-52
b. Mark 8:14-21
IV. To Attack our Arrogance (Pride)
1. God works against the proud.
a. James 4:6-7
b. Proverbs 13:10
2. God uses destruction or failure in order to develop humility in our heart.
a. Proverbs 16:18
b. Proverbs 29:23
3. God’s own words. Deuteronomy 8:1-5
V. To Appraise our Friendships
1. Trouble will reveal who our friends really are.
a. True friends love at all times.
b. Proverbs 17:17
VI. For the Arrangement of the Future Ministry
1. God will use trials to develop future ministry work for us.
2. The lessons we learn from trials, we can use to help others.
a. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
VII. To Advance Us
1. God uses trials to develop character and will keep the pressure on us till we learn the lessons he wants us to learn.
2. God is trying to develop our spiritual growth in several areas.
3. To show or give more grace, God’s grace gives us the power and desire to do his will no matter what is in our path.
a. James 4:6
b. 2 Corinthians 12:9
4. To show new and deeper insights in the Bible.
a. Proverbs 1:23
b. Psalm 119:71
5. To develop character and maturity in our lives.
a. Job 23:10
b. Psalm 119:67
c. 2 Corinthians 4:17
d. Isaiah 48:10
6. One man said, “Every irritation is an invitation to elevation.”
7. God allows problems in our life because He is more concerned about our response to the problem than he is about removing them.
8. To develop fruit of blessing in our lives.
a. 1 Peter 1:7
b. John 15:2
