Triumph Over Trials
Selected Passages
August 28, 2005
Morning Service
Introduction
Chippie the parakeet was simply minding his own business and signing his song one day when his owner decided to clean out his cage with the vacuum cleaner. The phone rang and the lady went to answer it and that was when things began to go horribly wrong for little Chippie. Without the guidance of the woman the business end of the vacuum cleaner sucked up the bird and sent him to the dust bag.
Realizing what had happened the woman tore open the vacuum and ripped apart the bag to find Chippie, fearing the worst. However, Chippie was not dead but merely stunned and covered with dust.
The woman decided that he needed to be revived and ran to the bathroom sink. She turned the water on and stuck Chippie under the flow. Now Chippie is cold and wet from the sudden bath. So the owner decides to dry the bird off but not with a towel. She gets out her hair dryer and blows the bird off.
Chippies goes from being sucked up, to being nearly drowned to being blown over. The owner was asked by a friend a few weeks later about how Chippie was doing, she replied: “Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore, he just sits and stares.
Does this sound familiar? Life comes at us at an alarming rate and we are blind-sided just like poor Chippie. One moment we don’t have a care in the world and the next we are sucked up by trials, problems and difficulties. There are times when life is enough to suck the song right out of our hearts.
Life in this world has been corrupted by the effects and the power of sin. Life here is filled with trials and difficulties. I believe that each and every day we are reminded of the fact that life is just not fair.
Life is not fair - watch the news
• Children are horrible abused
• People are shot and killed for no reason
• Drug dealers continue to peddle their poison
• People across the globe are starving
• Hurricanes destroy homes and take lives
• Children are kidnaped
• Young men and women are fighting for our freedom while political activists absue their rights to criticize the military
Life is not fair - Suffering happens - My own family
• My sister Rebecca died shortly
after child birth
• My dad died of massive heart attack
• My brother Steve was killed in a car accident less than half a mile from our home
• My grandfather died following a sudden stroke
Life is not fair
I have seen people go through some of the worst experiences that life can offer. I have seen people endure hardships that would cause a common person to crumble. I have seen people stand in the midst of utter chaos of life. People live through the cruelty of life.
Life just isn’t fair! The lessons I have learned through life have taught me that life isn’t fair. Maybe you’ve had some lessons too. You learned them ...
• When your spouse walked out the door
• At the cemetary, near the grave of a loved one
• The night before your surgery took place
• The day when everything came unraveled
Maybe you have felt like the Psalmist who wrote these words: How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Life is not fair - look at the Bible
• Jospeh was sold into slavery by his brothers
• Job lost everything in a single day
• John the Baptist was executed for no good reason
• The apostles were beaten and tortured for preaching the gospel
Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 2 Corinthians 11:24-26
Anyone who says that the Christian life is a bed of roses is nothing more than a liar. The fact that life is not fair is still very real for people of faith. The rain falls on the just and the unjust.
Life is not fair
Jesus Himself came into this world and was rejected by His own people. Jesus was given a mockery of a trial and then sentenced to death. He was severely beaten and scourged. Roman soldiers mocked Him, beat Him some more and drove a crown of thorns into His scalp. Jesus was forced to carry His own cross through a jeering mob to the place where He would be executed. Jesus was nailed to the cross and died on a garbage heap. Life is not fair!
On the third day, the stone rolled away from the tomb, Jesus was raised from the dead and lives to show us a simple truth. Life is not fair but God is good.
Five Things to Remember about Trials
1. Trials are a short term reality 1 Peter 1:6-7
The difficulties that we face in life are short term realities because our existence is not mortal but eternal. This life is not the end but a stepping stone for eternity
2. Trials can lead us to greater blessings James 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Standing up for God in the midst of life’s heart aches and heart breaks leads us to a great reward. James says that those who persevere will gain the crown of life.
3. Trials give us proper perspective 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
If this life were nothing but good there would be no desire for heaven. Paul tells us that this life may be fading away but eternity is drawing closer. Each day we live, we get closer to the day we will stand before Jesus.
4. Trials can help us experience God’s presence Psalm 27:5-6
God gives us His divine presence in the midst of trials and difficulties to send us a clear message. When we go through hard times we never go through them alone.
5. Trials help us to look forward to heaven
Romans 8:18
One day we will reach the shores of heaven and see Jesus face to face. Every difficulty and trial will simply melt away in the light of eternity. We are not living for today but instead we are living for that day when we stand in the presence of Jesus.
Lessons about Trials
1. God is at work in all things Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Look again at the words of Paul and notice WHAT HE DOES NOT SAY. Paul does not say that God is at work in a few things, several things, many things or even most things. God works good in all things. There is absolutely nothing that escapes His attention or comes without His divine care
2. God gives strength in every situation
2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
God knows our every need and graciously supplies everything that we need to make it through the trials of life. There is no situation too hard, no time when He forgets and no problem too great that His grace cannot help you through.
3. Jesus has defeated the power of trials John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Jesus gives us security in an insecure world. He is the one who helps us overcome the troubles of the world. Jesus gives us His calm assurance in the midst of the world’s chaos. There is nothing that happens in this life that Jesus has not already overcome
4. One day the trials will be removed Revelation 21:3-4
"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
Conclusion
D.L. Moody - Better higher up
Today if you are experiencing a trail that is overwhelming you, come and find strength from Christ.
