What The Recession Reveals About Your Confession

WHAT THE RECESSION REVEALS

ABOUT YOUR CONFESSION

James 1:1-4

Rev. Rick Mays, Pastor

Trinity Temple Assembly of God

Arkadelphia, AR 71923

There is nothing that reveals who a person is than when they face trying circumstances.

The real person surfaces when the pressure is turned up and the fire gets hot.

I assure you that each of us here this morning is living in trying times.

• The Dow Jones is down.

• The NASDAQ is down.

• Housing values are down.

• Venture capital is down.

• Consumer confidence is down.

• Employment is down.

• The Auto industry is down.

• Commercial real estate is down.

• Foreign markets are down.

• During these times, if it can go down - it seems like it is down and continuing to head that direction.

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However even when things are on the slide, we must ask ourselves is there anything that is going up?

I submit to you that there is…

• The opportunity to serve people in need is going up.

• The opportunity to trust God when trusting isn’t easy is going up.

• The opportunity to build a faith that will last when the storms of life hit it is going up.

• The opportunity to help our churches become communities where people love and support each other is going up.

• And allow me just to remind you that when Jesus comes the church is going up.

Jesus said, …And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh…

There may be a lot of things in this world going down - but as a follower of Jesus - you and I are not headed downward, we are on the rise and on our way up.

If you really believe that would you sound a faith filled "Praise the Lord".

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I want us to go to the book of James, chapter 1.

I want to preach from this title…

WHAT THE RECESSION REVEALS

ABOUT YOUR CONFESSION

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James 1:1-4

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Say those last 3 words with me …not lacking anything…

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The church has always faced hardship and crisis.

Maybe because our lives today are often so easy - we actually are more frightened of hardship than Christians at any time over the past few thousand years.

I wonder how many of the New Testament saints would handle today’s pressure and persecution?

Compared to the saints of the early church - we are what some would call - soft.

Once trouble arrive, must are looking for the exit rather than allowing their faith to develop perseverance.

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Psychologist Jonathon Haidt proposed this hypothetical situation with a group of parents.

Imagine that you have a child, and for five minutes you’re given a script of what will be that child’s life. You are handed an eraser. You can edit that script. You can take out whatever you want.

• You read that your child will have a learning disability in grade school. Reading, which comes easily for some kids, will be laborious for yours.

• In high school, your kid will have a great circle of friends; then one of them will die of cancer.

• After high school your child will actually get into the college they wanted to attend. While there, there will be a car crash, and your child will lose a leg and go through a difficult depression.

• A few years later, your child will get a great job, then lose that job in an economic downturn.

• Your child will get married, but then go through the heartache of the death of an infant.

You get this script for your child’s life and have five minutes to edit it. What do you erase?

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Wouldn’t you want to take out all the stuff that would cause them pain?

Can you imagine the grief you could save your child if you could take away every event that would cause their heart to hurt?

But in doing so - what kind of person would they turn out to be?

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I am part of a generation of adults called "helicoptor parents," because we’re constantly trying to swoop into our kid’s educational life, relational life, sports life, etc. to make sure no one is mistreating them or no one is disappointing them. We want them to just experience one unhindered success after another.