Trials and Tribulation II

Last week, we began a short series on trials and tribulations. We learned that we grow through these trials, that our best lessons were learned through these trials and that we need to change the way we look at these trials – with joy instead of with negativity. This week, we continue the same discussion with scriptures that show us why God allows us to go through these difficult times and how we should be viewing these times.

Makes us more like Jesus
Romans 8:28-29
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Going through trials allows God to work in our lives. When we go through trials, we learn to focus on the good that God does instead of the tough situations. Like everything, the more we do it, the better we become at it. By going through many trials and learning to see God’s hand in them more and more, we learn to give up our difficult times to God and to depend on Him to get us through the hard times with Good things. By learning to do that, we are becoming more like Jesus. We become a witness to others and others look up to us.

Finishes the work – makes us complete
James 1:2-4
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

There are many kinds of trials we can go through. Each different trial works on different parts of our personality. We all have strong points and weak points. The trials, strengthen our weak points and makes us better. One of the most important aspects of going through trials is that we learn to hang tough, to persevere. Learning perseverance enables us to become better people, to iron out those areas that we are not as strong in. When we go through enough trials, it is like putting all the pieces of a puzzle together – we become more complete with each piece.

Builds Character
Romans 5: 3-4
3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Notice in both James and Romans, we are told to rejoice in our trials. Paul shows us that these trials build up our perseverance, just as James told us the same. However, we see that Paul continues the logical progression to show us that perseverance builds our character. Character is the combination of personality traits and qualities that distinguishes a person. Character is moral and ethical strength. Character is our reputation. Perseverance builds this character. It builds those personality traits that distinguish us. It builds our moral and ethical strength. It builds our reputation. And our character leads to hope. Our character is who we are. If we are people who are like Jesus, who have learned to lean on God during the hard times, who have learned that God takes all things and makes them for the good, that God will lead us through this trial into someplace better – then we will have hope during all our difficult times and even during our good times. We will have hope that God will care for us. We will have hope that God has a plan for our lives and that He will use us to leave our mark on this world.

When we persevere, we receive the crown of life
James 1:12
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him"

Revelations 2:10
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

When we persevere, we receive the crown of life. As we continue to persevere, we will gain the crown of life that Jesus has promised to all who love him. Revelations implies that this perseverance is even unto death! Imagine perseverance that continues through difficult times, through the worst trial and all the way to the threat of death. This is what the martyrs experienced. This is what the persecuted church today experiences. Why do these people continue to be faithful? Why do they still believe in a God that would put them through these trials? Wouldn’t it be easier to just give in and be done with the trial? Just say you don’t believe; that Jesus isn’t the savior of the world. Then the trial would be over and you can go on doing whatever it was you were doing before the persecution started. But they don’t. They recognize that there is something greater going on here. They realize that God is working in their lives and that part of that is the perseverance even to death! They may suffer. They may even arrive at death. But they have something greater than this life – they have the crown of life that marks them in eternity! James calls those people blessed and Jesus tells those people not to be afraid. These trials are temporary – our perseverance is eternal.

To attain the prize, we must press on
Phil 3:12-14
12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

To attain the prize, we must press on. It is this perseverance that allows us to attain the prize. The way to do this is to forget the negative things that have happened to us. We cannot dwell on the negative aspects of our trials. Yet, as we grow through our trials and become more like Jesus, as we think on the good and not on the bad, it allows us to move forward towards the goal. The goal being the work that God has planned for us since the beginning of time. We all have a plan that God has had for us since before we were born. God knows us, He knows every hair on our head, He knows every thought in our minds and He has a plan for us. If we want to be successful, we need to follow God’s plan for us. If we follow our own plans, we will fail – even if we think we are successful!

Jesus has overcome this world and our problems
John 16:33
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 has overcome this world and our problems. Jesus knew we would have to deal with troubles in our lives. He knew that we would be apt to give more attention to the bad than to the good. But Jesus tells us to take heart. He tells us to look above the troubles and understand the troubles. If we recognize the troubles as trials that God has allowed to come to us so that we can grow in our faith and build our character, then we can stop looking at the negative and start seeing the positive, seeing what God is doing in our lives and then these things don’t bother us anymore. We give them up to God. We allow God to have control over them. When we recognize that the God who created the Universe is now in charge of our tiny little problems, it gives us a peace. We gain the peace of Jesus. We understand that Jesus has overcome the world and that as we grow to be more like him, we are able to overcome the world because of him.

Our trials result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus is revealed (on the day of his return)
1 Peter 1:6-7
6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Our trials result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus is revealed (on the day of his return) – As we learn to lean on God and His work, as we learn to lean on Jesus and the work he has accomplished, we have faith that everything that is happening to us is going to be alright because God is in charge. Our faith in the work of God, in the work of Jesus, allows us to show others who Jesus is. What is that faith? It is the faith that no matter what is happening in our lives, that God is in charge and that He will make good things from all things and that He has a plan and that no matter what happens, He is going to make things right in the end. Even unto death, we are safe because we have our faith in Jesus. That faith that the things he has told us in the Bible are true – that he is the way, the truth and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through the son. The faith that Jesus is God and he came to Earth as a human, becoming the God-man, so that he could earn eternal life for us because we could not earn it ourselves. Our faith that his blood is sufficient for our forgiveness. That faith allows us to understand that, even should we die, God has a plan for us that will end in good. When Jesus returns to this Earth, we shall meet with him in the air. At that time, and at his Glorious Appearing, we will be with him and those who see us will present praise and glory and honor to him.

Because in the end, our battle is with Satan
Ephesians 6:12
12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Because in the end, our battle is with Satan. We have the choice – to allow the trials we go through to bring us down or to lift us up. It is our choice to allow our trials to bring victory to Satan or victory to God. In the end, all our battles are spiritual battles with the victory going to either Satan or God. And though we already know that God will be the victor in the end, that God will win the war, there are many battles between then and now and we are smack in the middle of them. Do we allow Satan to win these battles or do we give the victory to God? It is our choice and that choice is made by how we deal with our trials. If we dwell on the trials, dwell on the negatives, dwell on all the things that are going wrong, then we allow Satan the foothold he needs to be victorious. We find ourselves falling deeper in despair and finding fewer things to grasp onto. If we allow ourselves to grow through perseverance, character building, hope and faith, then we gradually come out of the trouble and find ourselves above the problems and depending on God to perform His work.

As we complete this discussion on Trials and Tribulation, let’s remember to dwell on the positives in all our trials. As James and Paul says, let’s rejoice in all things and consider it pure joy when we find ourselves in these trials because we know that it is through these trials that not only do we grow and become more like Jesus, but we bring victory in the spiritual battle which brings Satan to his knees as well as bringing in the kingdom of God.

Send mail to david@TheArkNY.org with questions about the church or comments about this site.
Last modified: March 5, 2006