Greg Laurie - Why Does God Allow Trials in the Life of the Believer? (11/15/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie explains from James 1 why God permits trials for believers: they build spiritual maturity, produce perseverance, and conform us to Christ's image. He concludes that trials, though painful, are father-filtered for our good and God's glory, ultimately preparing us to comfort others and glorify Him.
Why Does God Allow Trials in the Life of the Believer?
Well, we are in the book of James tonight. The book of James and chapter one. And the title of my message is, "Why Does God Allow Trials on the Life of the Believer?" And this is from our series, "What Every Growing Christian Needs to Know." Let's pray together.
Father, tonight we don't want to just get information. We want to find hope. Especially for those that are here and those that are listening and watching. Who are feeling rather hopeless. Who are feeling quite despondent. They feel like they're just in a black hole. They don't know how to get out of it. They don't know why certain events are happening in their life. It makes no sense. Lord, as we go to Scripture, help us to get clarity. Help us to get perspective. And help us to be reminded that You are in control of our lives. And we don't have to be afraid. You have Your purposes. And You have Your reasons for trials in our life. As we will discover in this message. So speak to us as we open Your word. We ask this now in Jesus' name. Amen.
Foundational Truths Every Growing Christian Needs
Well, the theme of this series is What Every Growing Christian Needs to Know. And as I've said before, these are certain truths that every believer needs to have in play in their life. No matter if they're a brand new Christian or if they've known the Lord for decades. Certain things that you never move beyond. Certain things you never outgrow. If you want to make progress as a Christian.
So let's quickly review what we've seen. And then we'll dig into our topic before us. Number one. If you want to be a growing Christian, you must read, study, and love the Word of God. Again, if you want to be a growing Christian, you must read, study, and love God's Word. Joshua 1:8 says, This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth. You shall meditate in it day and night. That you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. And then you'll have good success.
The wise man of Psalm 1. The happy man. Of him it says, Happy is the man that doesn't walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Or stand in the way of sinners. Or sit in the seat of the scornful. His delight is in the law of the Lord. Or we could just as easily say, the Word of God. And in it does he meditate day and night.
Number two. If you want to be a growing Christian, you need to have a prayer life. The Bible tells us that we are to pray without ceasing. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. I mean it's great to have a time of prayer in your day somewhere. But it's also a great thing to understand that you can pray anywhere, anytime, in any posture. So we need to be in an attitude of prayer.
Number three. If you want to be a growing Christian, you must be actively involved in the church. You're just not going to make it as a solo Christian. I remember after I became a believer, I wasn't really sure if I wanted to go to church. And I said to a couple of my friends, You know, I think I'm just going to kind of do this all on my own. It's just like me and God, okay? But I found out pretty quickly that I needed other Christians in my life. And as you mature, you'll find that other Christians need you as well. Listen, you need the church. And the church needs you. And the Bible commands us to go to church. And not just to attend, but to be a functioning part of it.
Hebrews 10:25 says, Let's consider one another to stir each other up to love and good works. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but rather exhorting and encouraging one another. And so much more as we see the day of the Lord approaching.
Spiritual Growth Takes Time and Testing
So, let's say you're doing all of these things, but you don't see much change in your life. Well, listen, it takes time to grow spiritually. It doesn't happen overnight. If you were to pull up a chair in front of a peach tree and just fold your arms and stare at the peach, and you could sit there for a week and say, There has been no growth whatsoever. But if someone were to come and visit that tree one week and come back a week later or two weeks later, they would notice the growth. Sometimes when you're up close and personal, you don't see it.
Sometimes in your own life, you might say, You know, I don't really see that much growth in my life as a follower of Christ. I don't really think that I've changed that much, but sometimes the best way to find out if you're growing spiritually is, well, if you're married, ask your spouse. They'll tell you. Or even people that are close to you, they'll say, You know what? I've actually seen changes in you. You're not the same person you used to be. But it does take time. And some people grow faster than other people, or so it would seem, but just be patient. It takes time to grow spiritually.
But then, sometimes when you're doing all the right things, you may come to a moment in your life where you don't feel God's presence like you did at first. Some of the pastors from our church and I were out at lunch just the other day, and this server has waited on us another number of times. She's very nice, and we'll chit-chat with her, and usually just kind of like conversation. And so she brought our meal, and then she said, I have a serious question for you guys. We said, yes. She said, What are the service times of your church? And we said, Well, they're 8, 10, and 12 on Sunday. She said, Good, because I'm coming to church this Sunday, and I'm going to commit my life to Jesus.
And I said to her, No, you're not coming to do it Sunday. You're doing it right here, right now. And she slapped me across the face. No, she didn't. And I don't do that with just anyone, by the way, but I really felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to do that. And I said, You're doing it right here, right now. She says, Here? I said, Absolutely, right here. Let's pray. I'll lead you in a prayer. And she just bowed her head, and prayed, and committed her life to Christ. It was so fantastic. And after she prayed, she said, I feel better. I feel different. I said, So now come to church Sunday as a newly committed Christian.
But that's a wonderful thing that does happen when we come to Christ. There often are emotions connected to it. Quick poll. How many of you had kind of an emotional experience when you prayed and asked Jesus to come into your life? Raise your hand up. Okay. How many of you did not have an emotional experience? Raise your hand up. That's okay. By the way, you're not second class citizens. Category number two. Because to the point, I had no emotional response when I prayed and asked Christ in my life. And because of that, I concluded, it must not have worked for me. But of course, fortunately, I realized later that it wasn't about my emotions. It was about faith and what the Word of God says and so forth. But of course, over the months after, I started having wonderful emotional response.
And you would come to church and you would feel God's presence in such a tangible way. And I remember that some of the Christians said to me, Now, Greg, be careful. You're going to go through trials. And I said, What? I'm going to go on trial? No, no. You're going to go through trials. What are trials? You're going to go through times of testing where you may not feel the presence of God. And that's what I want to talk about in this message.
The Biblical Perspective on Trials from James 1
Why does God allow Christians to go through trials and testings? I mean, it happens. To all of us, things are going along wonderfully and suddenly without warning or so would seem. One problem after another comes tumbling into our life. Things are looking bleak. And then the clouds just sort apart and the sun shines again and everything's better. Why do we go through those hard times? Why do we go through those emotional lows? Why do we go through those days of difficulty? Why do these things happen to us?
Answer, I have no idea. Good night and God bless. No. No. Well, the Bible has a lot to say about it. And that's what we're going to look at now. James chapter 1. We're going to talk about this from many verses, but this will be our anchor text. We're going to read verses 2 to 4. My brothers, writes James, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the test of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work in you that you may be mature, lacking nothing.
Okay, so we wonder, why is this happening? What have I done to deserve such a fate? I have a grandson, Christopher. He's three years old now. You know what his favorite word is? Why? Everything is why with him. Christopher, don't climb up there. Why? Well, because if you climbed up, you could fall. Why? Well, probably because you lost your grip and we don't want that to happen. Why? Well, because we love... Why? It's just why? Everything's why. You know, and we realize after a while, there's just no answer just because I said so. That's all. Why? And we say the same thing to God. Why? Why is this happening to me?
Point 1: Trials Help Us Grow Up Spiritually
Okay, point number one. If you're taking notes, you might write this down. God allows trials in our lives so we will grow up spiritually. You want to be a growing Christian, right? God will allow trials in your life so you will grow up spiritually. The J.B. Phillips translation of verse four says, let this process go on until you become men of mature character. You know, God wants to make sure we're learning the material, right?
Now, I remember when I was in school, I hated tests. And the reason I hated tests is I never studied for them. And I wasn't prepared. And there would be those days in class when the teacher would stand up and say, are we going to have a pop quiz today? And my stomach would sink and all the geeks and nerds would be like, yeah. And the reason the geeks and nerds are so excited was because they were prepared. By the way, we don't call them geeks and nerds anymore. Now we call them boss, right? Yeah. Think Bill Gates, right? It used to be kind of a critical thing to say, oh, you're a geek. Now it's a cool thing to be a geek, right? Especially if you're having any kind of computer problem.
But those people were prepared, but I never was. And because of that, I failed many a test. Though I did discover that an F can be turned into an A with one line. Just make sure you use the same color pen. It's a dead giveaway, right? So, yes, God will allow tests in our life. He rarely announces them ahead of time. He just lays them on us. And effectively, the Lord's saying, well, you know, you say you know this material. Let's test you and see how well you are doing.
Here's a classic example of this. In John chapter 6, we have a vivid account of a test that Jesus sprung on His disciples. By the way, that particular miracle that we're alluding to, the feeding of the 5,000, is the only miracle found in all four Gospels. I find that fascinating. You would think that maybe the resurrection of Lazarus might be on all four Gospels or some of the other traumatic miracles of Christ. No. The only miracle repeated four times is the feeding of the 5,000.
You remember that Jesus was speaking. A great multitude gathered, 5,000 plus women and children. So there may have been as many as 10,000. Lunchtime hit and stomachs were growling. I'm telling you, you can set a clock by my stomach. I mean, literally, I'm getting hungry at 10, 15, 10, 30, and then it's 11. I'm thinking, it's almost time. And actually, technically, maybe it is time. And I'll say to my wife, it's time for lunch. She'll say, lunch? We just had breakfast. No, we didn't. That was hours ago. Her metabolism is a little different than mine.
There are a lot of hungry people out there. So in John 6, we read, Jesus saw this great crowd of people climbing to the hills looking for Him. And He turned to Philip and He said, Philip, where can we buy bread to feed all of these people? Listen, He was testing Philip. For He already knew what He was going to do. Philip said, well, it would take a small fortune to feed all of them. Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, there's a little boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is this with this huge crowd?
So Jesus is trying to determine, have His boys learned anything? Had they learned how to trust Him yet? Hey, wow, there's a big crowd here. How are we going to feed all of these people? Now, did Jesus know the answer? He just wanted to know if they knew the answer. The test was really, do you believe God can take care of you even when the odds are not in your favor? Do you believe that God can provide for you?
Well, I know He can. I've been a Christian over 40 years, and I've always had the Lord come through for me. He's promised to provide all of my needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus. Oh, by the way, He didn't say all of my greeds, but He did say all of my needs. He gives you what you need, doesn't He? But this was a test so He could see if they were learning. And by the way, just because you've learned something doesn't mean you don't need to be retested again. Right?
I had to, I got a physical the other day, and I had to have everything tested. My hearing was tested. My vision was tested. And, you know, they'll do that to see if it's going downhill or not. And, you know, I always am hoping I'll do better than the time before, and I'm happy to report that actually there was some improvements. And I was happy to find out that my cholesterol was low and my blood pressure was down. I used to have higher blood pressure, and I would say to my doctor, the reason my blood pressure is high is I know you're going to take it and say something about it so it goes up when I see you. So you need to, like, sneak up on me and take my blood pressure. You stress me out, doc.
But, um, so we're retested. Oh, you've learned it. You've known it, but do you still know it?
Trials Produce Endurance and Spiritual Toughness
Here's what the Bible says about these things. Coming back to James 1, let me read on from a more modern translation. Listen to this. When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don't treat them as intruders, but friends. I love that translation. Don't treat them as intruders, but friends. Realize they come to test your faith and to produce in you a quality of endurance. Let that process go on until that endurance is fully developed. And you'll find you'll become men and women of mature character. Men and women of integrity with no weak spots.
It's going to make you stronger. It's like going to the gym. How many of you like to go work out at the gym? Good. Not that many of you. Just seeing some of you. How many of you don't like to go? You don't like to go? Okay. There's sort of an in-between crowd I'm not seeing here. Okay. So some like to go, some don't like to go. What am I missing? How many of you just don't even think about it and don't go at all? Ah, that's... There they are. That's the missing group I wasn't able to identify. I'm probably more like you. You know, I do go. I hit the gym. I hate it. The whole time I watch the clock. You know, I watch it. Just watch, watch. It's almost over. It's almost... I hate all of it. I could walk away, never work out again, and be happy and just eat hamburgers every day. But that's not good for me, you see. And I will go and do these things, not because I enjoy it, but because it will help me.
You know, as you get older, sometimes, people will say, oh, I'm just so old. I'm just so lethargic. I'm so tired. I guess I'm just getting old. Could be you're getting fat too, but that's another subject. I mean, it's bad enough to be old. Don't be old and fat. I can't stop aging, but I can fight the battle of the bulge somewhat, at least have a passing thought about it. You're looking at me saying, Greg, you're not doing that well. I told you. This is, you know, it's a struggle.
I have a scale I got recently. It's a digital scale. I'll weigh myself in the morning. I forget that it talks to my email account. And so I put my email in, and it's a wireless thing, and I actually got an email. I'm not making this up. It's like from the name of the scale company. I go, what is this? I open it, and it was a big, bold headline. It says, Time to step up your game, Greg! Exclamation Mark. I'm like, Shut up. You inanimate, insulting object. But you know what? The scale is right.
But you see, when you work out, when you do weight lifting and cardiovascular things, you know, the objective is to get stronger, you're not weaker, and in effect, you break down muscle to build muscle up. Trials are like God's gym where you're broken down to be built up. So I don't like it. You know, I don't like it. But listen to this. You're going to like the results. Because I have to admit that after I've worked out, I'm pretty happy I did. But I make up so many excuses as to why I can't go, Oh, I have a sniffle. Oh, you know, whatever. But you discipline yourself.
God uses these trials. Trials take us from the realm of theory to reality so we can start living on our faith in the real world. Trials make us strong. And people need to understand this. Now, when these trials come in our life, we want to hang on to the Lord and learn the lessons He is seeking to teach us.
Look at verse 3. Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. That's really not the best translation, by the way. Patience. It comes from a Greek word, hupomone. I hope I'm pronouncing it right. If you're a Greek scholar, you can correct me later. I'll get a text from Don Stewart that wasn't the right pronunciation. I read Greek and you don't, Don Stewart. But I think it's hupomone. It's on the screen there. Or it should be. I guess it isn't. It's one of those invisible words. Anyway, but the word could better be translated perseverance. The testing of your faith will produce perseverance or steadfastness or staying power. Even another translation translates it as heroic endurance. I like that translation. Here's another translation. Spiritual toughness.
So the testing of your faith produces spiritual toughness. Heroic endurance. Staying power. God wants iron to enter your soul.
The Story of Joseph: Iron Entering the Soul
We all know the story of Joseph. That young man who loved the Lord and resisted sexual temptation and lived a life of integrity. We know how he was falsely accused by the wife of Potiphar, an older, attractive woman who was effectively preying on Joseph sexually. As I've said before, she was the original cougar. And one day she had all the servants leave the house and had it all set up to just basically pull Joseph down in that bed and go for it. And when she grabbed him, he ran like crazy. She screamed and falsely accused him of rape. He was arrested and sent to prison unjustly.
And it was while he was in prison that God was preparing him for a greater work that would take place later. In fact, we read an interesting passage. Psalm 105:18. They bruised his feet with fetters. That means they put his feet in stocks. And they also placed his neck in an iron collar. Can you imagine how hard that must have been? Iron collar. But there is an interesting twist on this particular verse that can also be translated this way. As he was laid in iron, iron entered his soul. Isn't that interesting? So as he was in irons, iron entered his soul.
You say, he toughened up. It means that he got steel, nerves of steel. You've heard that expression. He had a boldness and a courage and a strength he did not previously have. Frankly, he was a little bit of a pampered young man. His father favored him, gave him a really cool shirt while the other brothers had to have basic workout clothing. But a special shirt was given to Joseph and he'd kind of, you know, strut around and, hey guys, what's up? You know, and he had his fancy shirt on and if anyone wasn't working hard, he'd go back and tattle on them, right? And the brothers really began to resent him and that's why they sold him into slavery. Granted, it was an overreaction, but still.
He was a little bit pampered, perhaps spoiled, but man, God changed him from a young pampered boy into a heroic, strong man of God. That's what God wants to do with you.
Verse 4, let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. A modern translation puts it this way, so let it grow and don't try to squirm out of your problems for when your patience is in full bloom, you'll be ready for anything strong in character, full and complete. Don't try to dodge it. Don't try to get out of it. I mean, generally, we see a trial coming, I'm out of here, you know? I don't want to go through that, no.
Remember what James said, treat these things as, not as intruders, but as friends, because God's in control. Everything that we go through in life is father-filtered. I mean, it's either done by God or allowed by God. That's a phrase my friend Randy Alcorn coined, father-filtered. He knows what you can take. He knows how weak you are or how strong you are. And these things will be adjusted to where you're at in your life at this particular moment.
But you should count it all joy according to verse 2 when you fall into various trials. By the way, that can be translated many-colored, many-colored trials. Various trials, many-colored trials. In other words, no two trials are always exactly the same. You're gonna go through different variations of them. And notice it doesn't say if you go through trials. It says when you go through trials. You're going to be tested. The question is will you pass or will you fail?
All Things Work Together for Good and God's Glory
So number one, God allows trials so we will grow up spiritually. Here's number two. God allows trials in our lives and that's true. But even when things look bleak, all things work together for your good and God's glory. Again, even when things look bleak, all things work together for God's glory and your good. God is in control of all circumstances that surround the believer. There really are no accidents. There's just Providence. And that's a good thing to remember.
Job's Story: Satan Limited by God's Permission
Job's story shows us that the devil can do nothing in the life of the believer without the express permission of God. Well, remember the story of when the angels of the Lord went to present themselves before the Lord and Satan was among them because Satan is a fallen angel. And God started bragging on Job. You remember God said to the angels, Satan there as well, have you considered my servant Job a perfect and upright man, one that fears God and shuns evil.
And the devil began to challenge that assertion of the Lord. But we might ask the question, well, why would God allow Satan to hassle us? Because Satan went on to say, you know what, Job fears you because you bless him. Job follows you because you give him a lot of cool stuff. Loose paraphrase there. He lost his livelihood and certainly if he lost his health he would curse you to your face. And God actually allowed the devil to wreck havoc in Job's life with limitations.
You say, but why would God do that? If God loves someone why would he allow it? Even the devil can serve the purposes of God. Now, God will not allow me to be tested above which I am able, but with the temptation give me a way of escape that I may be able to bear it. Simple way to sum that up. God won't give me more than I can handle. But God will allow these things. Why? Because in a way the devil can sometimes do God's work.
It will be determined if I'm a wheat or a tare as Jesus mentioned in his parable. It will determine if I'm really a believer or not a believer. Trials will only make a believer stronger because they will cling more tightly to Christ. But that same trial may turn a non-believer away because they were never clinging tightly to Christ. So in a way these trials these testings can help determine if you're really a Christian.
Man Job's wife certainly wasn't supportive after all the calamity befell him and broke out in boils and he's lost everything she says so why don't you just curse God and die? Really? Job said you weren't saying that when you were driving the Mercedes. So it doesn't appear that she ever believed I don't know about her at all but he clung to the Lord.
Real-Life Examples of Trials Turning for Good
But listen God works these things out for good. Did you read that crazy story in the news about this man that was bitten by a shark? I mean that's about the worst case scenario I guess the only thing worse is being eaten and swallowed by a shark this man was bitten by a shark but the article pointed out that the shark saved his life. Did you hear about this? As it turns out when he was being treated for his shark bite it was discovered he had a tumor on his kidney and it was cancer. And apparently if he had not been bitten this would not have been discovered and by then it could have been too late he had the cancer removed and did not receive any radiation or chemotherapy and this man whose name is Eugene Finney said I'm thankful for the shark attack. He said the shark saved my life.
They wanted to give the shark that bit the man an award but he texted he was too busy biting other people. hoping for a positive outcome. No but this is true except the part I just said. I'm glad the shark bit me. And sometimes something will happen and you say this is the worst thing that could happen and then as time passes. suddenly you look back and you go actually that was kind of a good thing. Actually the Lord used that to make a very needed change in my life.
Of course coming back to Joseph there he is in prison in iron his iron is entering his soul and ultimately through God's direction he interprets dreams and ends up in the palace of the king and interprets the king's dream and next thing you know he is running Egypt under the king very powerful man and his brothers who had sold him for the silver were brought before him not knowing it was Joseph you know he didn't look like a Hebrew anymore his head would have been shaved and he would have dressed in the manner of the Egyptians he would walk like an Egyptian for sure. And all that. So they were looking at him, didn't even know who he was.
And then he ultimately revealed, I am Joseph. And they probably thought, and we are dead. But they weren't dead. Because Joseph made that amazing statement in Genesis 50:20 to his brothers. You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good. And He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. You meant it against me. God meant it for good.
That's what I mean when I say all things can work together for good. Again, we love that verse. Romans 8:28. All things work together for good to those who what? Love God. And are called according to His purpose.
God's Ultimate Purpose: Conformity to Christ
And that brings me to my next point. Point three. God's ultimate purpose for us in trials. And really in life. Is to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ. Let me say that again. God's ultimate purpose for us through trials. And really in life. Is to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ. And His usual method for this is heavenly pressure. Why? To produce a family like this.
Yes, we love Romans 8:28. But we forget that after that is Romans 8:29. And those two verses together give the big picture. Again, Romans 8:28. We know that all things work together for good to those that love God and are called according to His purpose. Verse 29. For whom He foreknew, He also did predestine that they might be conformed into the image of His own dear Son.
People will stand around and argue endlessly about predestination. And who is predestined and who is not. And they'll miss the point of why God predestined or chose us. What does predestination mean? It means God determined it before you were alive. You were predestined. Why? To be conformed into the image of His own dear Son. God's long-term goal for you is to become like Jesus.
When Bad Things Stay Bad but Still Work for Good
So, there are things we go through in life and it's bad. And then through a turn of events, like in the case of Joseph, it can actually turn into something good. But the bad thing can become a good thing, like the guy with the shark bite. But then there are things in life that are bad. They stay bad. And they're always bad. Am I right? They never are good. Tragedies? That wasn't good. Now, maybe good came out of it. But it never becomes a good thing.
And by the way, God doesn't say, a bad thing always will become a good thing. It says He'll cause all things to work together for good. But here's the bigger picture. Some of the things that God is doing in your life are not going to be discovered until we get to heaven. And you'll realize that all those things were designed to make you more like Jesus. So, some benefits of trials we will see in this life and other benefits of trials will not be seen until the afterlife.
Just know this. God is at work. It might be through irritating people. Oh, irritating people. Did you ever stop and think that you are maybe one of those irritating? No, not me. It's the other people, not me. Well, we're probably all irritating to someone, I'm sure. It might be an emotional low. It might even be a tragedy. Like the loss of a loved one. But we must remember this. These pains are temporary.
2 Corinthians 4:17 says, Our present troubles are small and they won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever. So we don't look at the troubles we see now. Rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone. But the things we cannot see will last forever. I love that verse.
So we will look a lot of times at the here and now and we don't think about the by and by. But God's looking at the bigger picture. You know, just like a kid. You know, a kid only thinks of the moment. I want this toy. I want to eat this candy. I want to eat this candy and have this toy simultaneously. And the parent looking out for the greater good of the child says, No, you can't have that candy before bed. No, you can't have that toy. And they're thinking of something that's better for you in general. And the kid doesn't understand it until the child gets older.
So maybe you're in one of these situations right now. You're backed up against a wall with no way to look but up. Good news. God is still in the miracle business. He's still in the miracle business. I love this statement from Bible commentator Warren Wiersbe. And I quote, When God permits His children to go to the furnace, He keeps an eye on the clock and a hand on the thermostat. If we rebel, He may have to reset the clock. But if we submit, He will not permit us to suffer one minute too long.
Isn't that good? I should have just said that and you would have thought I came up with it. But actually, that was from Warren Wiersbe and it's so right. If we rebel, He may have to reset the clock. Here's the problem. Some people are being tested, retested, tested again, and retested because they don't learn the material. So stinking, learn it. And move on. And graduate to the next grade. Don't stay in spiritual kindergarten forever.
How Suffering Brings Glory to God
Point number four. Suffering can bring glory to God. Suffering can bring glory to God. How so? Well, any fool can be happy when the sky is blue and the sun is shining and everything is going well. But when a storm is coming, it's a different matter. Back to Job again. Satan challenged God who was bragging on Job and said, You bless him and that's why he follows you. So the Lord allowed the calamities. But what did Job do? When the bottom of life dropped out, he worshiped God. Showing Satan was wrong. And all of God's confidence in Job was not misplaced at all.
Glory Through Miracles and Deliverance
And then there are those times when God can be glorified through just intervening and doing a miracle. I mean, maybe you're sick and you go to the doctor and they say, You have cancer. And there's nothing we can do. And you might as well get your affairs in order. because you may only have a few months to live. And then you go to church and you say, I need prayer. And the Bible says, If there's any sick among you, call for the elders of the church who will lay hands on that person and pray for them and anoint them with oil. And the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
You know? And so you go and you get prayer. And then you go and you get rechecked and suddenly the tests reveal the cancer is gone and the doctors can't figure it out. What happened? A miracle. God still does things like that today. We hear stories like this all the time. He intervenes. He does the miracle. He provides that sum of money that is needed. He comes through in some amazing way. He still does it.
So sometimes God is glorified by removing the problem and resolving the situation. How many of you have had what looked like an insurmountable problem that was overruled by God? He intervened. Okay, so that's most of you. That's fantastic. Thank God when that happens.
Glory Through Faithful Worship in Suffering
But then there are times when God will be glorified not by the removal of the problem but by leaving it there and having you worship Him just the same. And that's a powerful testimony. That's what happened to Paul and Silas who were thrown into a prison for preaching the gospel. And the Bible says at midnight they began to sing praises to God and the other prisoners were listening. And by the way that phrase listening means listening with pleasure. I don't think they'd ever heard singing in a hellhole like that before.
But Paul and Silas were able to give God glory at midnight and then of course you remember that they had been treated so badly by that Roman jailer who whipped them and had a hard heart. But then the earthquake came a miracle happened. All the prisoners could have run free if they wanted to and the jailer was about to kill himself because they knew if he lost his prisoners he would be executed by Rome and Paul said don't harm yourself we're all here.
And that jailer said sirs tell me what must I do to be saved? You see their testimony won him over because they gave God the glory not after the earthquake but before. And that's the time to give God the glory.
So let's say you're the person that gets the unfortunate diagnosis you're the person that has the tragedy befall you you're the person that hears the bad news you say well I'll give God the glory when he fixes it. No, no you give God the glory now. Right now you give him the glory. Because he's still in control he's going to work it ultimately together for his glory and your good he's going to make you more like Jesus again coming back to Job when he heard the horrible things that happened the loss of his possessions his livelihood and worst of all the loss of all of his children we read Job prayed and worshipped and said naked came I into this world naked go I out blessed be the name of the Lord and the Bible goes on to say in all of this Job did not blame God or charge him foolishly.
So that's important Paul and Silas gave glory to God before the earthquake before the answer sometimes God will allow the hardship listen to this God can be glorified even in disability a disability can become an ability when placed in the hands of God a disadvantage can actually become an advantage you say I don't I don't know I don't know what that means. Don't use these tricky words with me, preacher. What do you mean?
Nick Vujicic: Turning Disability into Ministry
Okay, let me illustrate. My friend, Nick Vujicic, you know who I'm talking about? If you don't, Nick was born in Australia without arms and legs. He's limbless. And he's one of the most joyful Christians I've ever met. And I'll tell you what, here's where his disability turns into an ability. They'll put him in front of a bunch of high school kids, many of them struggling with their own problems, some of them being bullied, some of them even feeling maybe life isn't worth living.
And Nick Vujicic is literally, and I mean no disrespect when I say this, he has to be picked up and placed on a table because he can't get there on his own. And there he stands and they look at this young man and he talks about how good God is and how God has helped him. All of a sudden, you look at your problems with a new perspective. Think, man, if he can rejoice, why am I not rejoicing? And though it's very hard for Nick and he's still, this is the most difficult challenge imaginable. He has chosen to not waste his pain and to leverage this problem into a way to bring glory to God. And the Lord's open up doors for Nick all around the world to bring hope and help. And most of all, to bring Jesus to so many people.
So that's a disability being turned into an ability. That's a disadvantage being turned into an advantage.
Joni Eareckson Tada: Honoring God in Chronic Pain
Another example is Joni Eareckson Tada. You've heard of her. Joni is a wonderful lady who many years ago, actually in 1967, she was a young teenager. She dove off a little dock and had a spinal cord injury that paralyzed her from the neck down. And just the worst thing that could happen to a young person.
And yet, Joni, despite the severe disability, has brought hope to millions of people. They made a movie about her life and she's written many books. But she still deals with pain. In fact, recently, if it wasn't hard enough to be in her condition, she got breast cancer. And she was interviewed by a magazine. And in this magazine, she said these words. She said she was in a battle against principalities and powers that want us to despair, she said. And her emotions take her dark, dark, dark, dark, grim paths. And she said, so I have to actively participate. And she takes as her theme, Hebrews 10:38, where God says, my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.
Joni says, I don't want to be one of those who shrink back. I don't want to tarnish his name. Wow. Now here's a lady who is a quadriplegic and has breast cancer. And she says, I don't want to bring shame to his name. I want to honor the Lord. I don't want to shrink back. And thankfully, they did surgery and the cancer was removed. But what a shining example she is. She said, I'm on this battlefield. And my question is, how can I glorify God?
Okay, so you've got your problems. And I don't want to diminish what you're going through because you say, okay, my problems aren't that bad, but there's still problems, Greg. Okay? I'll give you that. Yeah, problem's a problem. A trial's a trial. Whatever it is. Big, small, somewhere in the middle. Okay, but now here's the question. Can you somehow give glory to God through that? Can you find a way to remember that God is still in control of your life and He's going to work it out for His glory and your good ultimately? Can you use it as an opportunity to proclaim Christ to others?
Yes, sometimes He will remove the affliction and sometimes He'll be glorified in the affliction. Coming back to Job for the last time, you know, when his whole world fell apart, he didn't say, I understand it. He just said, blessed be the name of the Lord. He just called out to the Lord. And that's what we need to do as well.
Trials Prepare Us for God's Special Purposes
Number five. And lastly, trials and suffering can be used by God to prepare us for a special task. Trials, suffering, can be used by God to prepare us for a special task. God's getting you ready for something. Again, that was the case with Joseph. God was preparing him to be a great world leader, as he said, to save many people alive. God can use these experiences of life to transform us.
Comforting Others with the Comfort We've Received
You know, when you've gone through something and survived it, you can be a great comfort to someone else who is going through it. Now, when the Lord called our son Christopher home to heaven, I reached out immediately to people who had lost children. And I knew a few. One of those people was John Courson, pastor and a friend for years. And I just said, John, help me. And, you know, oh, I'm not some big pastor with all the answers. I'm a father who lost his son. And I'm in pain like any other father would be. And, you know, John was such a comfort. I think just to see someone that survives such a thing, functioning brings a measure of hope.
Okay? So, when you've gone through something and you say, why did God allow me to go through this? The answer may be, well, we don't know. But I know this. You're going to sure bring a lot of hope to somebody else that's going through it. Because when that crisis hits you, when that doctor says you have cancer, when the loved one dies and it looks like your world just ended, to have someone say, you're going to get through this. Because I've gone through the same thing. And let me share with you what the Lord has shown me. So, you have a message like nobody else has. So, you don't ever want to waste your pain. God allowed it. Now God wants to use it.
Over in 2 Corinthians 1, Paul says, He comforts us in all of our troubles. Listen to this. He comforts us in all of our troubles. Why? So we can comfort others. When they're troubled, we'll be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. We can be sure the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with His comfort through Christ.
See, you comfort with the comfort that you have been comforted with. So perhaps the hardships of today are preparing you for greater opportunities tomorrow. Warren Wiersbe, to quote him again, quotes a professor of history who said, If Columbus had turned back, nobody would have blamed him, but nobody would have remembered him either. Wiersbe concludes, If you want to be memorable, sometimes you have to be miserable. I like that.
You know, yeah, you may be going through this hardship. Why did God allow it? Well, I can always answer that. Nor can you. God's in control. You might say, Man, I don't know this stuff. This message is like so depressing. Like, why do you have to talk about things like this? Can't you tell us something that's more positive? I actually think it's kind of positive to think that God can take the worst things and work through them. This is real life.
You say, Well, I could never have handled the things that Job had to face. In fact, I can't handle suffering at all. In fact, I don't do suffering. Well, then you're not going to do life. Or you're going to live in a state of basic denial. Listen, denial is not just a river in Egypt, okay? To quote Stuart Smalley, and I don't want to explain that. But reality is, hardship is going to come your way. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. Trials are going to come.
Now, some of you are young and you're saying, Well, I haven't faced them yet. That's because you're young. But you will. Some of you are older and you say, I've faced quite a few already. In fact, I'm in one right now. Okay. Here's what we need to remember so we don't get freaked out when we hear about hardship and the lives of others. God gives you what you need when you need it. God gives you what you need when you need it. Not necessarily before, listen, but never after. Not necessarily before, but never after.
He will give you the strength. He will give you the words. He will give you the power to do what you need to do when you need to do it.
Corrie ten Boom: Strength Given Just in Time
Corrie ten Boom. You ever heard of her? Amazing lady. If you've never read her book, go find it, The Hiding Place. Amazing story of the ten Boom family, a Dutch family living in Holland during World War II. The Nazis were, of course, persecuting the Jews. They were hunting them down, arresting them, putting them in boxcars, and sending them to concentration camps to be executed.
And so this ten Boom family, they're a bunch of strong Christians, and they believe that God's people, the Jews, should be cared for, looked out for. In fact, Father ten Boom, his name was Casper, said that these are God's chosen people, and they've touched the apple of God's eye. So they took their home that was above a watch shop in Haarlem. That was a city there in Holland. And I've actually gone and visited this place. It still stands today.
And up above, they built sort of false walls in front of other walls that created small little cubicles or rooms, hence the name The Hiding Place. They hid Jewish people in their home from the Nazis and did so very successfully for quite a long time. But then the Nazis figured it out and came and warned this ten Boom family, if you don't stop hiding these Jews, we're going to arrest you. And then the ten Boom family would not have been arrested otherwise. But they refused to stop helping the Jewish folks.
And so one day the Gestapo shows up, they arrest all of the ten Booms, and they send them to concentration camps. Casper ten Boom, the father, was an elderly man. He died quickly. Corrie and her sister Betsy... See, you don't have to read the book. I'm telling you the whole story right now. I won't tell it all to you. But Corrie and her sister Betsy were sent to a concentration camp known as Ravensbrück. And there they sought to honor the Lord, and they started Bible studies, and led many of those other female prisoners to the Lord.
And then sadly, Betsy died in that concentration camp. And through a clerical error, Corrie was released. It was a mistake, but it was really God's Providence. And she was released from the camp and spent the rest of her life as a self-described tramp for the Lord, bringing hope to people.
Well, anyway, she used to tell this story, and I quote from her book. When I was a little girl, I would go to my father and say, Daddy, I'm afraid that I'll never be strong enough to be a martyr for Jesus Christ. Tell me, said Father, when you take a train trip to Amsterdam, when do I give you the money for the ticket? Three weeks before? No, Daddy, said Corrie. You give me the money for the ticket just before we get on the train.
That's right, my father said, Corrie speaking now. And so it is with God's strength. Our Father in heaven knows when you will need the strength to be a martyr for Jesus Christ. He'll supply all that you need just in time. End quote.
Now that doesn't mean we're all going to be martyrs for Jesus. But what it means is this. That whatever you're going to face, God will give you what you need when you need it. So don't panic. It's not organic. That has nothing to do with what I'm saying. I just like it because it rhymes. And I want to see if you're listening. So don't panic. God's in control. He's going to work it out for His good. He'll give you what you need when you need it.
A Final Call to Those Without Christ
Now, final thoughts. Everything I've said is for only a follower of Jesus. You're not a Christian. You're listening to this message. Actually, this doesn't really apply to you. Romans 8:28 again, all things work together for good to those who love God. And are called according to His purpose. For the man or woman who doesn't love God or doesn't believe in God or doesn't want God, all things are not working together for good.
Let me take it a step further. All things are kind of working together for bad. Because not only is your own life going to have troubles. Every life does. You know, the rain falls on the just and the unjust, the Bible says. Everyone is going to have calamity. Everyone is going to face hardship. Everyone is going to lose loved ones. The Christian can hang on to God knowing that the Lord is in control and will accomplish His purposes. But the non-Christian, what are they going to hang on to? There's nothing. There's no person that can fix it. There's no way to resolve it. And that is why you need Jesus.
Listen to this. Sometimes God allows hardship in our life to wake us up to our spiritual need. The psalmist said, Before I was afflicted, I went astray. But now I have kept Your word. And maybe it's something that has happened to you recently. It has been like your wake up call. A close brush with death yourself. Maybe someone close to you died. Or maybe something dramatic happened. Your wife or your husband walked out on you. Or Starbucks closed before you got there. I don't know. I'm joking about that, of course.
But here's the thing. Whatever has happened, maybe it's got you to start looking up saying, maybe I need God. Maybe I need to start thinking about my life spiritually. Yeah. That's what you should be doing. You need to think about Him. And how much He loves you. And how you can run to Him.
Just, you know, when a little child falls and hurts himself, what do they do? They run to their parents. Let's get specific. They run to Mommy. If Daddy is around, they will accept Him. But they really want Mommy. Right? And Mom takes a little one into her arms and hugs them and kisses them and reassures them and maybe kisses their hand or wherever they were hurt or whatever it was or their knee and tells them it will be all right.
Well, listen. We fall. We are hurting. You can run into the arms of your Father who is just ready to receive you. He will. He'll receive you. You say, well, what if I've made a mess of my life and all these things that are happening to me are because I've made wrong decisions. Would God still receive me? Yeah, He would. He would receive you. And say, let me help you. Now, first of all, let's get you right with me. First He'll forgive you of your sin. And now He'll start changing you from the inside. And you can go back to what looks like a tangled mess that could never be resolved. And you watch what God will do.
I don't know what state your life is in right now. But I know what the answer to your problems are. It's not an it. It's a who. It's Jesus Christ. You need to come to Him. He'll throw His arms around you. He'll forgive you. But you must say, God, I'm sorry for my sin. You must turn from it. You must put your faith in Him. In Him alone. No. And He will help you.
Jesus showed us how much He loved us when He went to the cross 2,000 years ago and died there in our place and spilled His own blood so we could have our sin forgiven and come into a right relationship with God. If you don't know God in a personal way, if Jesus is not living inside of you, if you don't have the assurance that you will go to heaven when you die, if you feel as though you're all alone in life, listen, Christ will come into your life tonight. Just like that girl. She said, you know, I'm going to go to church Sunday and commit my life to Jesus. No, you aren't. You're going to do it right now.
And that's what I'm saying to you. Well, you know, I'm coming back Sunday. Fine. Come back as a new Christian. Let's get this solved right now. You can come to Christ. Right now.
So we're going to pray and I'm going to give you an opportunity to ask Jesus Christ to come into your life if you need to do that. And there might be some that, well, you're a believer, but you've been running from God and it's brought a lot of added drama into your life. It's brought a lot of problems you didn't have and you wouldn't have had otherwise, but you kind of brought this on yourself. You're reaping what you sow. Maybe you need to come back to the Lord. It's like old Jonah, you know, he was told to go preach to Nineveh. He said, no, went the opposite direction and a storm came. Maybe you're running from God and a storm has come. But remember that the Lord was there for him even in the storm. He'll be there for you.
So if you need to come to Christ or come back to him, here's an opportunity to do it as we close in prayer.
Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for your love. Thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross in our place and then to rise again from the dead. Now, Lord Jesus, we pray that you will speak to hearts here. Help people know that are present, that are listening, that are watching, that there's forgiveness, that there's a second chance in life, no matter what they've done wrong, that you will accept them and forgive them, help them to come to you. Right now, we pray in Jesus' name.
Now, while our heads are bowed and while our eyes are closed and we're praying, maybe some of you would say, you know what, Greg, I want Jesus Christ in my life. I want my sin forgiven. I want to know that when I die, I will go to heaven. I want my guilt taken away. I want Jesus right now. If that's your desire, if you want Jesus to come into your life, if you want him to forgive you of your sin, if you want to go to heaven when you die, wherever you're sitting, would you raise your hand up? And let me pray for you.
Wherever you're sitting, God bless you. God bless you. Raise your hand up higher. I can see it. God bless you. Anybody else? You want his forgiveness tonight? God bless you. A few of you sitting together over here, young ladies. God bless you. Anybody else? Raise your hand up. You need God's forgiveness. You want your guilt taken away? God bless you. Anybody else? God bless you here on the. God bless you. Anybody else? If you haven't raised your hand yet, lift it now. Let me pray for you. God bless you. One final moment. Raise your hand up now. God bless you, and God bless you too.
Now while our heads are still bowed, maybe some would say, man, I've been like Jonah. I've been running from God, and I've brought a lot of drama I didn't need, and I'm in sort of that storm, but I'm ready to call out to the Lord and change my direction and return to Him. Pray for me. If you're sort of the prodigal son or daughter, and you need to return to Christ tonight, would you raise your hand up, and let me pray for you. Just raise your hand up. Let me pray for you. God bless you. Anybody else? God bless. Anybody else? Raise your hand now.
Father, thank you for every one of these folks. Give them the strength to stand up and follow you. We commit them to you now. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Hey, listen to this. Everyone that Jesus calls, He calls openly and publicly. And we're going to do the same tonight. In a moment, our worship group is going to lead us in a song of invitation. I'm going to ask if you raise your hand with me during that last moment of prayer, saying that you want Jesus Christ to come into your life. Saying you want your sin forgiven. You want to go to heaven when you die. I'm going to ask that when this song is sung that you would get up out of your seat, step into the nearest aisle, and come down to the front and stand here. And when you all get here, I'll lead you in a prayer of commitment.
For you that need to come back to the Lord, you prodigal sons and daughters, you can come back to the Lord. Even if you did not raise your hand, you can do it tonight. You say, but Greg, I really don't feel comfortable walking down and standing there. Okay, I understand that, but this is a way to say, I mean it. You know, you could like pray a prayer silently and never act on it. When you come down here and stand saying, I mean this, it shows you're serious. You're marking it in time.
Jesus said, if you will acknowledge me before people, I'll acknowledge you before my Father and the angels in heaven. But then he added, if you deny me before people, I'll deny you before the Father and the angels. This is a way to acknowledge him before people.
So if you raise your hand, even if you did not, but you want your sin forgiven, you want your guilt taken away, you want to know that you'll go to heaven when you die. Have you fallen away from the Lord? Do you want to come back to Him? Right now as the group sings, get up, out of your seat, come on down here, stand here in the front, and we'll pray together. Get up and come now. God bless you. Come on.
My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood and righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest frame But wholly trust in Jesus' name My hope is built on nothing less... than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest friend... but only trust in Jesus' name... Christ alone... Cornerstone... Weak made strong... In the Savior's love... And through the storm... He is Lord... He is Lord of all...
There might be a few more of you... and your heart's just beating away right now. You know you should be doing this. I remember when an invitation was given... at my high school campus... just 10 years ago... plus a few more. And I saw people walk forward... just like these folks walk forward. And I thought, oh man... I'd like to do that actually... but... it won't work for me. Because I'm not the religious type. You know what I found out? God wasn't looking for the religious type. And you won't become a religious type. You'll become a Christian type. You see? Because everybody needs Jesus. That's all. Everybody does.
God can change you. God can forgive you. God can transform you. But He's not going to force it down your throat. It's an offer like a gift. You accept a gift... or you reject a gift. But let me emphasize... To not accept is to reject. To not say yes is to say no. Jesus said... If you're for me... or against me. We like to think... Well I'm neutral. I'm an independent. Well you're against Him then.
So make a decision. Do you want to be for Him? If there's anybody else... So sing this through again. You get up and join these folks up here. Saying I need Jesus in my life. And then we'll pray together. Anybody else? Come now.
My anchor holds within the veil. My anchor holds within the veil. Christ alone, cornerstone. Weak made strong in the Savior's love. And through the storm, He is Lord of all.
She was just going back to her seat and she faked everybody out. That's all right. All right, you folks that have come up here tonight, I want to lead you in a prayer. And this is a prayer where you're just saying to God, I'm sorry for my sin. And I need Jesus. You know, the Bible says, God speaking, that whoever would call upon His name, He would save them. He'll hear your prayer and He'll answer your prayer. Come on up. God bless you. Come pastor. Is there anybody else that wants to do what this young lady just did? Because you are more than welcome right now. Anybody else? You want to make this commitment to Christ? You sure? Is that your final answer?
All right then. So, I'm going to lead you in this simple prayer. And I'll ask that you'll pray it out loud after me. And this is where you're asking Christ to come into your life. And He will. So, let's all bow our heads. And if you would, please pray this out loud after me. Pray this after me.
Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. But I know that you are the Savior. Who died on a cross. And you shed your blood. For every sin. I have ever committed. I'm sorry for my sin. I turn from my sin. And I choose to follow you, Jesus. From this night forward. Thank you for loving me. And calling me. And forgiving me. Thank you that I'm now a child of God. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.