Why Do We Have Trials and What Can We Learn From Them?

It was on Saturday, back in October 19th of 1991, that a small grass fire started in Berkeley Hills, California. And that fire spread just to about a little bit of a five-acre site, just kind of a steep hillside. It wasn't really... didn't really get too big. It didn't really get too much out of control. And the firefighters thought they had that fire under control. But then, that fire reignited the next day, on Sunday, about 11 o'clock in the morning.

It was a Sunday morning. Things were pretty quiet. And all of a sudden, it began. A few embers that were left, that they thought that were gone, were still there. And it reignited. It restarted as a brush fire, and it began to spread rapidly because the winds had really gusted. The winds had gusted up to 65 miles per hour. And it quickly got out of control. And it began to overwhelm not only the local firefighters, but eventually the regional firefighters, because they were beginning to call a lot of people in, versus this particular fire. And you know, as it began to spread and began to throw these embers up in the air, it began to actually throw embers up in the air that would cross an eight-lane freeway.

And began to start a fire on the other side. And then later on, it jumped a four-lane freeway. You know, normally those are kind of fire lines that wouldn't be a problem, but because of the conditions of what was happening, that's exactly what happened. And it was hot, and it was dry. And these northeasterly winds were just blowing at 65 miles per hour. And then this fire began to generate its own wind because of the heat. And it began to have these tornadic, and maybe you've seen these, these cyclonic firestorms.

And it was again just creating havoc as the embers were just flying in all directions. At the fire's peak, it began to destroy, well, hundreds of homes. In fact, at one point, it was destroying a home every 11 seconds. And there were hundreds of homes suddenly that were getting destroyed. In fact, within the first hour, it destroyed about 790 structures, both residential and business. And then the flames began to take out the electric lines.

And so the firefighters that weren't able to refill the reservoirs, the pumps were not operating to refill the reservoirs to send water to be able to address the fire. And you know, as it continued to burn, eventually it continued on. And at about 9 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22nd, the wind finally abruptly stopped. Here, it had been blowing like crazy, and it just stopped. And the firefighters finally had a chance to get control of this fire that had lasted about 72 hours.

But you know, by then, over 3,000 homes had been destroyed, and 150 people lost their lives. Excuse me, 25 people lost their lives, and there were 150 people that were injured. By Wednesday, October 23rd, at 8 o'clock in the morning, the fire was declared under control. And now the residents began to go back to their homes. You can imagine something like that happened to you. You're going back to the charred remains of what's left of your home, still smoldering.

And as the people began to go back to their homes, there was a common thing that was—there wasn't much left. But there was a common thing that they found, and many people compared notes on what they found, as they carefully went through the charred wood and the coals of their homes.

They found something in common, and they began to share their stories of what they found. And you know what it was that they found that was in common, that they all had, that they found? It was a treasured item for many—a keepsake, a porcelain figurine, a piece of pottery, a stoneware item that had been made of clay, and it was completely intact, and everything was fine with those types of items. Why did these items survive? Because they had been through the fire before. And, brethren, maybe that's something that we can begin to think of as a lesson here.

The porcelain or the earthenware that had been fired before in a kiln of up to 2,400 degrees, which of course leads to permanent changes within the clay, its hardness, its firmness, and its shape. You know, the end result was that the clay was strong. Brethren, in the same way, we are tested, aren't we? We're tested. You and I go through trials, and sometimes there are fiery trials.

There are difficult trials. There are persecutions. There are tribulations. There are things that we go through, and we all have them, brethren. It doesn't matter who we are. We all have trials. Let's take a look for our first verse today at Acts 14 and verse 21. Acts 14 and verse 21. And we may ask, why trials? What is the purpose of them? Why do we have them? Because we all do. It says in Acts 14 and verse 21, it says, when they had preached the gospel to that city, and they had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, and they were strengthening the souls of the disciples, and they were exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, We must, through many tribulations, enter the kingdom of God.

So there it is, brethren. It doesn't matter who we are. We're going to go through difficulties. We're going to go through trials. We're going to go through tribulations on our journey to the kingdom of God. You know, for time's sake, I'll refer to 2 Timothy 3 and verse 12. You may want to write that down. You may even want to look at it if you'd like.

2 Timothy 3 and verse 12 says, And yes, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. You know, I think most of us here do want to live godly in Christ Jesus, but it says we will suffer. All of us will suffer persecution. But you know, it almost doesn't matter who you are. There are people outside of Christianity. There are people outside of our faith. And you know, their lives are not going very well. There's a lot of difficulties out there. There's a lot of trials. So it's not unique just to those of us that profess Christianity. There are trials among many. Brethren, I'd like to address a few questions here in the time that we have together this morning.

Why do we have trials? Why tribulations? Why persecutions? Why sufferings? Why difficulties? And why problems? And also, what are we to learn from them? What lessons does God want us to learn from trials? So why trials? Well, there are three basic lessons or reasons, I guess, that I'd like to share with you. There's probably a lot more than that, but at least three that came to mind. Three reasons, basic reasons for trials. We suffer or have trials because of a result of our sin, or because of other people's sins, human sins.

Let's notice Genesis 3, verse 14, our first parents here. Genesis 3, verse 14. One of the reasons that we have trials is because of our own sins, or because of sins of others, human sins.

We'll notice what it says here in Genesis 3, and we'll begin here in verse 14. So the Lord said to the serpent, Because you've done this, and you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field, and on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. To the woman, He said, I'm going to greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception. In pain you shall bring forth children, your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.

And then to Adam, He said, And because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, saying you shall not eat of it, cursed is the ground for your sake. In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field, and in the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground. For out of it you were taken, for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.

So it was going to be a lot more difficult, wasn't it, for the human family? You know, after what happened, after their sin of our first parents, there was going to be some sorrow. There was going to be some difficulties. There was going to be some trials. Another basic reason for trials is that we are in Satan's world. He's presently the ruler of this age, the administrator, the leader, if you will, in some respects, the small gee-god of this world.

Let's notice Job 1, in verse 1. You know, he's the god of this world at this time, and mankind as a whole has had to suffer because of his rulership and his leadership. The human race as a whole really sits under the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Well, let's see what it says here.

I'm going to look at Job here. We'll pick it up here right in chapter 1 and verse 1. You may remember the story of this particular book. It says here that there was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless, and upright, and one who feared God, and he shunned evil, or he walked away, or he avoided evil.

That was the kind of man that he was. And let's jump over to verse 6. And it says, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, from where do you come from? And Satan answered the Lord and said, well, from going to and fro on the earth, from walking back and forth on it. And then the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God, and shuns evil.

So Satan answered the Lord and said, well, does Job fear God for nothing? Haven't you made a hedge around him, and around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You've blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out your hand, and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.

And the Lord said to Satan, behold, all that he has is in your power. Only do not lay a hand on his person. And so Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. And it goes on to say of all the things that happened to him. And so, Satan was allowed to afflict Job in this particular instance. Let's notice another example in Luke 13, verse 11. Luke 13, verse 11. We'll see here, brethren, that there was a woman, who was in pain, who had been in sorrow and difficulty for a long time.

And we'll find out that it was a woman that was bound by Satan himself. Luke 13, verse 11. It says, but when Jesus saw this woman, he called her to him and said to her, Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity. And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath.

And he said to the crowd, There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore, come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day. And then the Lord said, Hypocrite, does not each of you on the Sabbath lose his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, because being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, think of it, for eighteen years, he loosed from this bond on the Sabbath.

So, brethren, we see that in some cases, even Satan the devil has inflicted pain and difficulty on people. It's just the way that he is. And there's been a lot of sorrow and suffering under his regime and his administration. Spiritual suffering that's been caused by evil forces. And then there's the third basic reason, brethren, for trials. And that is, sometimes God wants to work directly with us.

As his son or as his daughter, he works directly with us. And it's always for our good. And especially his sons and daughters, Christians. Let's notice that briefly in Hebrews 12 and verse 5. Hebrews 12. And we'll pick it up in verse number 5.

Talking about God working with his sons and his daughters here. And Paul is the writer of Hebrews, which I personally think is Paul, is writing to us and saying, And have you forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons? My son, don't despise the chasing of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him.

For whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and he scourges every son that he receives. And if you endure chastening, God deals with you as sons, for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? So sometimes God has to chase in us, He has to spank, He has to deal with us, and He allows difficulties to come upon us, so that we'll learn certain lessons. It doesn't always necessarily mean that He Himself causes it, but sometimes He allows it. Further, and I think most of us would agree with one thing, we don't always know why we have trials. We don't always know the reason for why we have trials.

You know, we may not know until later. But God always knows. You know, there may be a specific lesson that God is trying to teach us. There are certain things He wants us to begin to learn, to grow in. And there may be reasons why God allows trials in our lives. Let's notice 1 Peter 1 and verse 6. 1 Peter 1 and verse 6. You know, just as the fire will give pottery strength, so our own trials can make us strong. They strengthen us and they refine us for the years ahead. Through our trials, we're taught important lessons that God wants us to learn.

Things that maybe we could not have learned any other way. Well, let's see what it says here in 1 Peter 1 and verse 6. It says, "...whereon you greatly rejoice, though now for a season..." So we're talking about a short time.

You know, in a way we don't have really a long time on this earth. You know, there are 70 to 80 years can go by really fast. But He says, "...whereon you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be you are in heaviness through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, may be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." You know, God is reminding you and He's reminding me that no matter what we go through, He wants us to remember that it's He that is refining us.

It's He that sometimes allows us to go through certain things, to learn certain lessons. You know, each day we get a little closer to the Kingdom of God, which is our ultimate destiny. It's the family of God. Each day we get a little bit closer to God's Kingdom. But now, for a season, for a little while, we must learn important and critical lessons that God wants us to learn. Our faith and our relationship with God are very important. The times, it seems like we learn the most valuable lessons, and sometimes the most difficult ones, are during the tough times.

It's during the tough times when we have to endure fiery trials. Those which seem the severest, the most trying, the most difficult, and the most challenging, it seems like during these painful times is that we learn lessons that we couldn't learn any other way. Because God is trying to purify us. He's trying to refine us in our hearts and in our attitudes. And, of course, He reminds us to stay humble, to be on our knees, and to seek God, and to deepen our relationship with Him when we go through those dark times and those difficult challenges.

Because really, what He's trying to do is to teach us. He's trying to teach us certain things. He's trying to teach us certain things to refine us so that we can be a servant of His, and our character can be changed, and it can be modified and grow. We don't always know the reasons for trials and tests in our life. But, ultimately, I think we will understand afterwards. In the time that I've got left, I'd like to cover at least seven points. There's probably more good reasons for trials, but I'm going to cover seven, what I think are good reasons for trials in our life.

It's not an all-inclusive, complete list, and you may have some things on your list that I won't mention today. But I'd like to cover seven good reasons for trials in our life. Now, are there bad reasons for trials? Well, as I move along in the sermon, hopefully that will become clear. But as I've touched on, sometimes we have difficulties in trials because of our own decisions, of our own provisions, of our own choices, of our own ignorance, our own disobedience, and our own, sometimes, rebellion.

And sometimes it's because we live in Satan's world and we're afflicted by him. But my emphasis and time that I have left in the message is the trials that God allows, or brings to us, so that we can learn and grow.

So I'm going to show you seven reasons. I think I call them good reasons because I think it's the goodness of God, and He's trying to work with us individually, of why we have trials in our lives. And sometimes good reasons that without these trials, we may not be in the kingdom of God. So let's begin with the first good reason for trials in our lives, that I've listed here. And the first one is to lead us to deeper repentance. To lead us to deeper repentance.

We'll look at a few Scriptures here that I think show this, and an example from the Scriptures that demonstrate it. But let's look at Romans 2 and verse 4. Romans 2 and verse 4. And I think when we get there, maybe a Scripture that you may recognize.

Paul is speaking to our brothers and sisters in Rome here, in Romans 2 and verse 4. He says, So we know the Bible tells us here that it is God's goodness that does lead us to repentance. That He intervenes in our life at a certain point. And probably most everyone of us here had that happen to them. That God intervened in your life. That He began to have a direct relationship with you.

And you could tell that it was God Himself, the Father, that was beginning to work with you. And it doesn't matter whether you were raised in the church or whether you weren't. You know, whether you came from a different background or you were born into the church. You know, there will come a time when God will intervene. He'll begin to work with you and open up your mind and your heart to understand His truth. Now, I think most of us understand that it was God who makes that decision. And when it happens, it's up to Him. When He begins to open your heart and mind.

And maybe you can remember when it began to happen to you. And for me, it happened back in 1972. And I was one of six kids. And my mother was the first one that was called. And then my father began to be called. And sadly, of all the siblings, I gave my parents the most difficulty. I gave them the most trouble. But God began to work with me. And you know, for me, I can remember.

I was sitting down with the booklet, The Ten Commandments. Ten Commandments booklet. And I was going through the Ten Commandments booklet. And life wasn't going very well for me at that time. Because of some of the choices that I was making. And there were about three of those Ten Commandments that really hit me just right between the eye. And I was at the stage where God was beginning to work with me. And He was beginning to say, Dave, this is where you're falling short. And one of those was the Sabbath command. You know, I was beginning to understand that God was saying that, Hey, you know, one of my Ten Commandments is that I want you to rest and to worship me on the seventh day.

And I hadn't been doing that all my life. I'd been going to church on Sunday. Sunday morning was usually just a half day type of thing. And the other afternoon we had kind of as our own. And then, of course, another one that hit me in my particular situation, circumstance, was that I wasn't honoring God. I wasn't worshiping Him. I wasn't keeping the first commandment. But the one that probably hit me even harder than that, of the three that really stuck out in that particular reading, was I hadn't been honoring my father and my mother.

And as I'd already talked about, I wasn't the best of the siblings. I'd given them more difficulty and more trouble. And so God was beginning to work with me. And you know, that was the beginning. That was the beginning for me. I had to begin to change. I had to begin to repent of what I began to see in myself. That was wrong. And it's a process, though, brethren, isn't it?

Repentance is a process. You know, I think back then that I was sincere, and I repented of what I was doing wrong or understood to be wrong at that time. You know, of not keeping the Sabbath, of not honoring my God, or not honoring my father or my mother. But you know, I didn't know what I didn't know. And there was still more to learn. There was still more to repent of. There were still things, and God allowed certain trials, and has allowed them to come into my life, and most likely yours too. But God says we need more work. We need to learn things. There's still some things that we need to know before we're ready.

As He continues to be the Master Potter. Do you think that maybe God will bring or allow trials into your life, and situations that will help you to see yourself, that you haven't seen yourself so far? You know, I believe that in my life, very much so, that repentance is a process. It's a lifetime process. And I think back then of God's intervention in my life, and I think He's going to continue to have intervention in my life until the day that I die, or until the day that I'm changed. And Jesus Christ returns whatever comes first. Let's look at Job 1. We've already been there, but I want to bring out a little bit more information here. We talked about the fact that Job was a good man. Job 1, verse 1. We've seen that he was a blameless man, that he was upright, that he ran away from evil. He didn't even want to get close to it. He ran. And then, of course, he feared God, as it says. So we see all of these things, that he was a good man, that God saw him. He saw his characteristics, that he was a good man. And he was one of those men of the Old Testament that God was calling and working with, and actually had God's Spirit. Now, David was another one of those, that David, who's the midst of one of his trials, said, God, take not your Holy Spirit from me. And so we know, of course, David had sinned at that time. But Job was also one of those servants that God had called.

So he was a righteous man, a good man. And yet, God wasn't through with him yet. I think most of us know the story of how he was afflicted, and he lost almost everything. He lost all of his wealth. He lost his animals. There's agricultural disasters. He lost his children. And then eventually, even his own physical life was taken to the limit with pain and difficulty. And we know the story of how Satan said, well, yeah, he just does that. God, he obeys you because you have this hedge around, and you bless him so much.

So there's all of these things that are happening in Job, in this whole book, and all the conversations that go back and forth between God and between his friends. But I want to jump to chapter 42 here. Chapter 42 and verse 5.

We see after all the things that we know about this story, that this is what happens here in verse 5 of chapter 42.

He said, I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, and now my eye sees you. So here's this righteous man, here's this man, this good man, this God-fearing man. And now, all of a sudden, he has seen something more clearly than he's ever seen before.

More deeply, more clearly. And in verse 6, and when he comes to see himself more clearly because of this trial, he says, therefore I abhor myself, and I repent in dust and ashes.

What did Job do? He repented.

And he became even a more deeply converted man than he was because of some of the things that he went through here, because of this trial that he had.

So, brethren, it's important for us to realize that we are maybe not as deeply converted yet as God would have us to be. And, you know, God leads us, as it says in Romans 2 and verse 4, which we read, He leads us to a deeper repentance, maybe even as we've had before, and as the years go on.

And it's important for us to remember that not just because I think I've repented and baptized that that's it, that it's all over, because it's not. There are reasons for trials that the Bible brings out for us to continue to have our character formed and shaped as we go through our life.

Let's go to reason number two.

Second good reason for trials in our life that I've listed here is to stimulate our spiritual growth so that we can bear fruit.

To stimulate our spiritual growth so that we can bear fruit.

First, we have to come to the fact that we've had a repentant attitude, which we talked about in the first reason. And then we'll see that God allows and brings trials into our lives to stimulate our spiritual growth so that we can bear fruit spiritually.

I don't know about you, but on my own human nature, I don't know if I'd be able to design the types of trials that would help me to learn things that God wants me to learn.

If God said to me, Dave, you go ahead and you make a list of trials that you think that you need in order for your character to be developed so that you can be a part of my family in the kingdom of God.

You go ahead, you list them, and then I'll bring them on.

You know, I don't think I'd pick the right trials, brethren. I don't think I'd have the concept to understand the way a father understands his child, to be able to pick the right trials.

You know, maybe think about that in your own life. If you were to design your own trials, that's not the way that it seems to work, brethren. I don't think I'd come up with the right ones.

Well, let's look at John 15, verse 1, looking at this point here of a second good reason for trials in our lives is to stimulate spiritual growth that we might bear fruit.

John 15, verse 1, and we're going to see here that there are good reasons for trials in our lives that they're not necessarily bad things.

They are good things, even though they can be painful and difficult and hard.

Let's take a look at what it says here in John 15, verse 1.

Jesus says, I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser.

Every branch in me, and that means a lot of us here, that doesn't bear fruit, He takes away. And every branch that bears fruit, He prunes.

I think the old King James says He purges it.

And the new King James that says, prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.

So we know that God is in the job of pruning. We know our elder brother Jesus Christ is involved with that as well, to cut out those withered areas that aren't bearing any fruit, and be able to cut away those dried up parts so that we can bear fruit.

He's going to do that, so that He can bear fruit in our lives.

I think we all realize that that is the hard times.

It's the difficult times.

It's the trying times that sometimes accelerate our growth. Isn't it, brethren?

That causes us to dig deep spiritually, and to look at ourselves, and examine ourselves to see where God would have us to change.

I can say that in my life.

When things are going easy and well, and you're certainly still studying and praying, but it doesn't seem like you pray with quite as much fervency.

When things are going well, and things are going easy.

It's not with the same intensity or fervency that we have when we're having difficulty, when we're having pain, when things aren't going well.

And we feel sometimes like we're not going to make it.

God allows a trial in our life, or a pressure, or a problem, to try to begin to influence us, to help us to learn certain lessons, to hang in there.

And He wants us, of course, to respond in the right way.

And of course, no matter what trial that we're in, He promises that He will never, ever leave us or forsake us.

That He's there, despite the difficulty, even though it may not seem like it. You know, you're in that tunnel, and there is light at the end of the tunnel, but sometimes it's a little further travel in that tunnel than what we think it's going to be. But God is there with us. That's His promise, and He doesn't lie.

Let's go to Hebrews 12 and verse 5. We've covered this Scripture too, but I want to bring out a little bit more, and read a little bit further into the context here.

Hebrews 12 and verse 5.

We'll see here that God alone knows us. He knows our potential. He knows our abilities. He knows our talents. He knows what we're capable of and our gifts and our abilities. And He alone also knows how to develop us as the Master Pottery, in a way really that no one else does.

Hebrews 12 and verse 5.

He says, And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons. He wants to remind us, Hey, if you're one of my sons, if you're one of my daughters, don't forget this exhortation.

My son, don't despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him.

So God will correct us.

He will rebuke us.

That's what this Bible says here, doesn't it? But He always does it as a loving Father.

He always does it with our best interests in mind. He doesn't do it in anger. He's not against us. He's for us in this whole process.

Verse 6, For whomever the Lord loves, He chastens.

And He scourges every son whom He receives. Now, that's a powerful term, scourging.

That's a powerful... Scourging hurts, brethren. We're talking about a Father that's going to address us in a very sometimes painful way.

Let's drop down to verse number 10.

For they indeed, for a few days... Now, He's referring to physical Fathers here in this context. For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seen best to them.

But He, referring to God for our prophet, that we may be partakers of His holiness.

So we see where God is leading us. It's for our benefit. He's creating in us a holy creation.

As a son or daughter of His.

Verse number 11.

Now, no chastening seems to be joyful for the present.

It doesn't feel good at the time. That's what He's saying. When we're going through something that hurts, it doesn't feel good at the time.

No chastening seems joyful for the present. But grievous!

It's painful.

Nevertheless, afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Further, to those that know that God is working in their lives, and you know we've just read here that unless God is working with you, you won't be chastised. You won't be scourged.

If God isn't working with you, that's what He does with His sons and daughters. And that's what, of course, a loving parent does as well, is to try to lovingly correct and guide and to teach.

So a very good reason for trials in our lives is to stimulate our spiritual growth.

And I doubt if any of us would be reaching our potential, our ultimate potential, if we didn't have God working with us and chastising us and bringing the things to our lives and putting pressure on us in a certain way to help us to learn and to grow.

And we can thank God He knows how to do it. He knows exactly how to do it as a Father. We can thank Him for that.

Let's move on to a third reason for trials, a good reason for trials in our lives.

And God is involved in all of these.

We can call this one to teach us obedience from the heart and not just the head.

To teach us obedience from the heart and not just the head.

I think many of us who have been around for a long time, were around maybe back in 1995, know why this is so important, that God's law, that His way of life, has to really be written deep down in our hearts.

It can't just be an intellectual knowledge of understanding and being able to share that.

It has to really be from the heart and that it guides us from the heart.

You know, we can take a look at a lot of Scriptures and we'll look at a few here that only God knows how to lead people to the point where God's law is a part of them, a part of their heart.

You know, it's going through trials sometimes and going to have to go through, I suppose, the people that have left God's laws and feel that it's been done away and feel that it no longer needs to be obeyed. They're probably going to have to go through a few trials, things that they're going to have to learn, that hopefully God in His way that He can will begin to work with them, maybe to bring them back to an understanding of God's law and what He wants us to do.

Now let's look at a few Scriptures of how David talked about this in Psalm 119, verse 71.

Psalm 119, verse 71.

And only God knows how to lead all of us back to repentance and lead them and us to believe in the obedience of God's law from the heart, not just from the head.

Psalm 119, verse 71.

David is writing here, and he says this, It is good for me that I have been afflicted.

There's that word, good again. You know, there are good reasons for trials. There are good trials because of what they produce. He says, It's good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes.

And let's jump over to verse number 75.

He says, I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.

So because God is faithful to us, He says He's going to afflict us. That seems like an oxymoron, doesn't it?

You know? It's not something that we like, is to be afflicted. But because God is faithful, it says He's going to afflict us. That's how David saw it, that in faithfulness You afflicted me.

It's through his love, though, that he's going to do it.

As it says, and he loves his sons and daughters, and he will afflict, he will scourge, he will chastise, and unless we are his sons and daughters, he won't.

Something to think about.

Let's go over to verse 97 here, in this same chapter.

We know this verse well, where David says, Oh, how love I, thy law. We sang a couple of songs with him though about it.

Love it, he says.

I love God's law.

You know, and I think back to 95 and all the things that were going on, and there were all these things that were being written about that were very scholarly, for those of you that were around, very scholarly, very intellectual that were telling us that we did not need to obey the Sabbath command, that we did not have to obey some of God's laws, and talking about the nature of God and all of that.

David says that he loves God's law.

He came to grow into it, to love it with all of his heart.

Let's notice that in verse 111 and verse 112.

Now, it wasn't always that way with David. He was called a man after God's own heart. But don't forget, he had to become converted too.

He had to repent along the way too. There were certain things that he had to learn along the way. He made a lot of mistakes. And it was a process in his life as well.

But my point here is that trials and afflictions teach us obedience to God's law from the heart.

Whether it's from the heart or from the head, God needs to know.

Verse 111.

Your testimonies, I have taken a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart.

Wow, what an attitude there!

Your testimonies, I have taken a heritage. They're my heritage from you.

And they are a rejoicing of my heart. You know, he talked about it. I love it. He's now talking about, I rejoice in your ways.

And he rejoices in his heart. Verse 112. I have inclined my heart to perform your statutes forever.

To the very end.

So David had become totally 100% convinced about God's law that it was the right way to live.

The only way.

The good way to live.

A way that brings happiness and joy to our life.

And he learned to live by the laws of God. Not just in the letter only. Not just in the head.

But joyfully from the heart. And you know when God's ways are right, when you have joy in them and you're keeping them from the heart. No amount of theological persuasion is going to sidetrack you from God's laws and His way of life.

Regardless of how intellectual it may be.

It's not going to persuade you because you know deep down inside that it's right.

And how it changes your life.

So this is another good reason for trials in our lives.

Because sometimes we have to learn the hard way.

Don't we, brethren?

That honesty and truthfulness, whether it's tithing or whether it's keeping God's laws or other commands that He gives to us, sometimes we learn through afflictions. We decide to go our own way and things don't work out so well.

We learn through afflictions about God's way. That it's the right way. A good way.

You know, there's a profound Scripture that I'd like to cover here in Hebrews 5 and verse 7. It's a Scripture that's got a lot of meaning. And I'd like you to turn there with me, if you would, to Hebrews 5 and verse 7.

It speaks about Jesus Christ here.

About Jesus Christ. Someone who'd never sinned.

It says that He learned something.

Something He didn't know before.

That He learned something.

And this is a fascinating thing because a lot of times I think we think about that well, Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. He knew everything.

He knew all that there was to know.

But there was something here that even Jesus Christ learned. A man who'd never sinned, never did anything wrong, God in the flesh, and yet it says He learned something. Let's see what it says here.

Hebrews 5 and verse 7.

Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with behemoth cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death. He was going through trials, wasn't He?

He was going through some very severe trials.

It says He was heard because of His godly fear.

And though He was a son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.

You know, the Living Bible in verse 8 has an interesting translation here. I'll just read it to you.

It puts it this way. That He learned from experience what it was like to obey when obeying meant suffering.

You know, Jesus never suffered because of His own mistakes, not like me or maybe not like you.

You know, that's not why He suffered because of His own mistakes or His own shortcomings or His own sins or His own problems or imperfections. Not like us.

Because of the mistakes that we make.

But not Christ.

And yet, He learned obedience by the things that He suffered.

So how much more than can we, brethren, how much more can we learn by the trials that we go through?

So that's a very, very good reason, isn't it?

To learn. It's not an easy thing to learn at the time, is it?

The trials and the lessons that God has for us. It's difficult.

It's difficult.

But it yields something.

It yields righteousness.

You know, it's a very good reason, isn't it?

For trials in our lives, sometimes to cry out to God, I don't know if you've ever done this, but to ask God in mercy for a trial that will help us to learn something that God says that we need to learn.

You know?

To say, God, teach me whatever it takes.

Give me the trials in Your mercy of whatever it takes for me to begin to learn the things that You know that I need to learn in order to become one of Your sons and daughters to be part of the God family.

So that's why this is one of the good reasons, brethren, that we need trials in our lives.

And I think most of you are here because of this and understanding it and are doing this.

Let's go on to reason number 4.

Another good reason for trials in our lives, and the Bible brings this out, I think, very well, is to teach us to have compassion for others.

To teach us to have compassion for others.

Brethren, this is becoming a lost art among the human race, is to have compassion for others.

We're going to take a look at that and we'll have a few examples here. And maybe you were already thinking of people that you know that have gone through some really tough times, maybe some physical issues.

You know, I know there are some of you that have had trials with medical issues and are still maybe facing some of those.

And you know, I can think of a few people that have gone through tremendously difficult ones.

Trials. Think of a lady up in the Twin Cities that's hunched over. Can't think of her name right now. Helen. I can't think of her last name. It'll forget. It'll come to me. But anyhow, some of you may know her.

She has severe osteoporosis and is very, very bent over. And life is not going very well for her right now.

And I remember when we were there about a year ago that she asked to be anointed Mr. Luca was in the area.

And there were several of the men that came in. Mr. Brian Shaw and myself and Mr. Luca and some of the elders came. We prayed for her.

And she's had a very, very difficult, long trial, brethren.

And so, you know, in some of these cases, these are very, very long trials and very painful ones.

People that have had some of these things for many years, the woman that we read about in the Scriptures, 18 years to have that infirmity.

You know, I can tell you, and if you've been through some of those types of things, that you'll have compassion on those that have not been, that are going through those things if you've had it.

I'd like to read you a story. This comes from a book entitled The Gift of Honor. It's written by a couple of men by the name of Gary Smalley and John Trent.

It's a true story about someone who had been over in Vietnam and some of the things that happened to him.

His name was David. Just a coincidence, same name as mine.

It says, for years, David viewed trials as something that affected only his external world.

And any blow to what he owned or how he looked would discourage him and leave him feeling cheated.

But today, David travels around the world talking with people about how he discovered that no matter what happens to you on the outside, it's what's happening inside a person's life.

That trials really touch.

The bigger the trial, the more potential to see God's power and peace at work in the inner person.

I'd like to read what he went through. It was a very extremely difficult trial.

Here's what happened to him. It was during the Vietnam War, and he had gone through some rigorous training to become one of the ultra-elite special forces of the Navy that would go on special fort battles and special nighttime raids and those types of things.

And he experienced at that time the greatest trial of his life. He and his men were being pinned down by the enemy. He got up to throw a phosphorus grenade, and as he got up to throw it, a bullet pierced the grenade and exploded right near his face.

And it was a phosphorus grenade. I didn't know much about these, but this is how this works. I'll read on here.

It says, he exploded in his ear, and lying on his side, on the bank of a muddy river, he watched part of his face float by.

His entire face and shoulder alternately smoldered and caught fire as the phosphorus that had embedded itself in his body comes in contact with the air begins to burn.

David knew that he was going to die.

And yet, miraculously, he did not die. He was pulled from the water by a fellow soldier, flown directly to Saigon, and then he began to go taken by a waiting plane to Hawaii, where he began to be treated for his medical issues, but his problems were just beginning.

It says he went into his first surgery, the first of what was going to become dozens of operations. The surgical team had a major problem during the operation.

As they began to cut away the tissue that had been burned or torn by the grenade, the phosphorus would hit the oxygen in the operating room and begin to ignite again.

Several times, the doctors and nurses ran out of the room, leaving him alone, because they were afraid that the oxygen used in the surgery was going to explode. Incredibly, this man survived. He survived the operation. He was taken to a ward that held the most severe burn and injury cases from the entire war.

So it wasn't a pretty sight with what was happening to him or what was happening to others that were in this area.

Lying on his bed, his head the size of a basketball, David knew he presented a grotesque picture.

Although he had once been a handsome man, he knew that he had nothing to offer his wife or anyone else because of his appearance.

He felt more alone and more worthless than he'd ever felt in his life.

But David wasn't alone in this room. There was another man who'd been wounded in Vietnam, and he too was a nightmarish sight.

He had lost an arm and a leg, and his face was badly torn and scarred.

As David was recovering from this surgery, this man's wife arrived from the States, so she flew into Hawaii to see her husband.

When she walked into the room, she took one look at her husband and became nauseated. She took off the wedding ring, put it on the nightstand next to him, and said, I'm sorry, but there's no way that I can live with you looking like that.

And with that, she walked out the door.

He could barely make any sound, this man, because his throat had been torn, his face had been disfigured. He couldn't hardly make a sound, he couldn't talk, but all he did was whimper and cry for hours. He shook for hours, and two days later, he died.

The woman's attitude represents, I think, many respects, this is in the book here, I'm quoting still, of the way the world views a victim of accident or injury.

If a trial emotionally or physically scars someone or causes him to lose his attractiveness, the world says ugly is bad, and consequently, any value that that person has has been drained away.

For this poor wounded soldier, knowing that his wife saw no value in him, was terrible, more terrible than the wounds that he'd suffered. He didn't last long, he had really no hope and no future. It was blown away. His last hope was blown away, for anyone could find any worth in him.

Well, three days later, David's wife arrived, and after watching what had happened with the other soldier, David had no idea of what reaction his wife would give to him. And he'd actually dreaded her coming. But she was a strong Christian. She took one look at him, came over, and kissed him on the only part of his face that wasn't wrapped with some kind of bandage. And she said to him in a gentle voice, honey, I love you, I'll always love you, and I want you to know that whatever it takes, whatever the odds, we can make it together. She hugged him where she could to avoid disturbing his injuries and stayed with him for the next several days. And watching what had happened with the other man's wife and seeing his own wife's love for him gave David tremendous strength, gave him hope, and more than that, her understanding and accepting him greatly reinforced his own relationship with God. In the weeks and months that followed, David's wounds slowly but steadily healed, and miraculously, David could still see, and he could still hear. And over the months and dozens of operations and agonizing recovery, today, miraculously, he has not fully recovered, but he's made great strides. And even on national television, David made an incredible statement. He said this, he said, I am twice the person that I was before I went to Vietnam. I am twice the person that I was. For one thing, God has used my suffering to help me to feel other people's pain and to have an incredible burden to reach people for Him. The Lord has led me on a worldwide tours to have a positive effect on people's lives because of what I have gone through, and I wouldn't trade anything that I have gone through because of the opportunity that I've had to help other people over the years. That's a pretty powerful story, isn't it? It's a pretty powerful example, I think, of what God is trying to deal with us, and we haven't gone through anything quite like that. And yet, God allows us to go through certain things so that we can have compassion on others. Let's notice Hebrews 4 and verse 14. Hebrews 4 and verse 14.

We can thank God that we have a Savior, Jesus Christ, who understands this. Who is alive, who is with God, who is sitting at His right hand, who was tested in every possible way on this earth, and yet without sin. He never gave in to Satan the devil, when we think about that. You know, all the things that He went through. Hebrews 4 and verse 14.

Seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession, or profession, I think as it says in the Old King James. For we don't have a high priest who can't sympathize with our weaknesses. He does sympathize with our weaknesses. But was in all points tempted as we are, and yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, which we all need, brethren, that we may obtain mercy, which we all need, and find grace to help in time of need. Jesus was tried and tested in almost every possible way by Satan the devil. And He didn't give in, brethren. He didn't. He learned from it. He prayed. He fasted. He stayed close to God. And God was there with Him. He would never forsake His Son. And we can thank God that we have a compassionate and merciful high priest that we have. He understands what it's like to suffer. He understands what it's like to be human. He has been through so many things, was tested, went through more pain and trials than probably any human being that's ever lived. So a good reason for us, brethren, to have trials is to develop compassion. Let's look at 2 Corinthians 1 and verse 3. 2 Corinthians 1 and verse 3.

We need compassion. We need compassion for others, too, don't we, brethren?

Sometimes people with problems and sins and faults and mistakes, sometimes things that even abhor you, or me, they may need it the most. But compassion is for everyone, no matter what their struggle or problem or battle. Let's look at what it says here. 2 Corinthians 1 and verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. So God is a comforter, and He's creating sons and daughters that receive comfort from their Father and will comfort others as well. We've all had trials. We've all had them, and a lot of things, brethren, we go through are similar. Now, we may think that we're unique, but we're all struggling. We all have times of difficulties in trial. Let's go to reason number five. Reason number five, a good reason for trials. I think it ties in with the others, but it's a separate point as well.

To strengthen our faith and to teach us to trust God completely. We heard a lot about that in the first message about trusting God. To strengthen our faith and to teach us to trust God completely.

I think we have to add that one, don't we, brethren? Because growing in faith and learning to trust God completely no matter what the physical circumstances that we may face in this life, it is a process, isn't it? It's like the first trial many of us had in stepping out to keep the Sabbath, the command, or to honor Father and Mother, or whatever it is that God began to deal with us and bring to our attention when He began to deal with us. Sometimes it had to do with, you know, we had trials in obeying God. Some of us had to change jobs. Some of us couldn't find a job because of the Sabbath. Or we had to have faith to obey God's laws when it came to tithing, because we didn't think maybe we could afford to tithe. And so, there are things that we've had to face and deal with. There are so many examples like that, aren't there, brethren, in our lives? Where we were, we think back of where we were, some of the things that we had to deal with back then, that God has been continuing to work with us in bringing trials or allowing trials to come to our life to take us to another level. Let's go to James chapter 1 and verse 2. James chapter 1 verse 2. God wants to hone us. He wants to grow our character and to refine us. And, you know, don't think just because we're ministers that we don't go through some of the things that you do, brethren, we do. We've been pushed to the brink a lot of times in different areas of our lives, as far as sticking to the faith. I think you know, just like Satan wants to eliminate you, he wants to eliminate God's ministry as well. James chapter 1 and verse 2. And I think this thing of faith is a very good reason why we need trials in our lives and that trials are good.

James chapter 1 verse 2. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance or perseverance, as I think is, patience is what some of the translations have. I think it's patience in the New King James. But endurance or perseverance in other translations, they all have a pretty good lock on what the meaning is here, brethren, that we have to be patient, we have to endure, we have to persevere. Now, when your faith is tested, you learn to persevere and endure through the trials. You learn to hang on. You learn to trust God in what He's trying to do. And you wait for God to solve the problem or to intervene as we look to Him. It's something that He's working with us and working with all of us in that way. Verse number 4, but let that patience or that as it could be endurance or perseverance have its perfect work, that you may be mature. I think it says, mature in my margin here in the New King James, rather than perfect, because we're not perfect in the flesh, never will be. But mature, becoming more mature spiritually, that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. So one of the great and important lessons for our faith to be tested so that we can keep growing in our faith. We've seen so many trials over the years and over the decades, and that our faith will be able to stand whatever trial comes our way, whatever our last trial may be in our life. You know, we don't know what that'll be, you know, but it seems like we're going to be faced with them throughout our lives, up to the very last one of our life. And I don't know what my final trial will be. I don't know if you've thought about that. You know, in a way, I hope it's not like my parents. Both of them had dementia. My mother was diagnosed with full-blown Alzheimer's. You know, I kind of sometimes wish I could be there until Jesus Christ returns, but you know, there's some very difficult times they're going to happen before Jesus Christ returns, too, for those of us that maybe happen to live that long.

But the end result, brethren, that God wants with these trials is that our faith is strengthened.

You know, as you read some of the prayer requests, even the ones that were here today, you know, some of those are pretty severe trials those people are going through with lung cancer in one case, and you know, it may be their last trial unless God intervenes. 1 Peter 1 and verse 6, 1 Peter 1 and verse 6.

I don't have to tell most of you how important this one is. Faith and trust in God. Trust in Him always and believing in Him.

We touched on this, but I'll read a little further into the context here, as it says here in 1 Peter 1 and verse 6, In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, in the flesh, brethren, and we're here, if need be, and yes, sometimes it seems it needs to be, that you have been grieved by various trials, as the margin of my new King James says, distressed by various trials. Why? Verse 7, that the genuineness of your faith, which is much more precious than gold that perishes, brethren, it's much more valuable commodity, much more valuable than any money that we make, or any money that we've saved, or any assets that we have, that's what it comes down to in the end, is how valuable faith is. And so God wants to know the genuineness of our faith.

You know, those other things can perish so quickly and be lost, but faith and trust in God, you can't put a price on that, because that's what we'll take with us into the next life.

That's what matters. Though it be tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation or appearing of Jesus Christ. Verse 9, receiving the end of your faith. I like the new international version. It says, receiving the goal of your faith.

In other words, the end result of your faith, which is what? The salvation of our souls, of our lives, is the end result of our faith. So that's why it's so important. The end result of our faith is eternal life in the kingdom of God, through every trial, no matter how difficult, no matter how hard, no matter how tough, brethren, we need to trust in God. We need to trust in God.

We need to have more of that trust, don't we? Because sometimes we're willing to throw in the towel, and maybe you've felt that way about your faith, about your walk or your journey. Sometimes it'd just be easier, wouldn't it? To walk away, not have to face the difficulties. God says, I've got something I want you to learn through this. I'm going to allow this because there's something that I want you to learn or I to learn. Let's go to reason number six, good reason for trials. To build godly character in the attitude of Christ within us. To build the character of God and the attitude of Jesus Christ in us. Wow. I guess that's not a surprise, is it?

God would allow us to go through some of these trials. He allowed His Son to go through some of these trials as well, so He could learn. That's why we must have them. That's why we need them.

Let's look at Romans 5 and verse 3. Romans 5 and verse 3. And not only that, but we also glory or rejoice in tribulations. Wow. I don't know if I do that as much as God would have me to.

To glory or rejoice in tribulations. Just like Paul wrote about, just like Peter wrote about, just like James wrote about, that we rejoice or glory in trials. Knowing why, because we know that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character.

Character. And character, hope. That's what the Bible says. That's what we need to rely on here. The Greek word, character, dokaim, d-o-k-i-m-e, is what it means. It's the same word that is used, I'll just refer to it for time in Philippians chapter 11 and verse 22, where Paul is referring to Timothy and says that he is with me and he's proven his character. Paul, speaking of Timothy, that his character had been proven. I think we all know that building godly character, it takes work. It's not something that's easy for God. He has to prove us to have our character proven. What is godly character? It means strength of mind, strength of heart. God knows how to help us to build godly character, and he can allow just enough stress, just enough pressure. Or sometimes it seems like it's more than what we're able to handle. He knows how far he can take us. But if you've been in a severe trial, you know, you say, God, help me. Help me to learn what you want me to learn in this trial, because this is really hard. Help me to build the kind of attitude and the character that you want me to have. Let's turn over to Philippians chapter 2 and verse 5.

Most of us understand that Jesus Christ is our example, that His character and His attitude is our model, the word to become like Him. I think a lot of us know this verse pretty well.

Philippians chapter 2 and verse 5 says, to let this mind, or some translations say attitude, let this attitude be in you, or this mind be in you, which was also in Jesus Christ.

So we know that God's trying to develop the same mind and attitude in us that He had in Jesus Christ. He's saying that through Paul here, speaking to the Philippians. We know God's trying to develop within each one of us that same attitude that Christ had. For we can sometime in the future, when it's all over, that we can stand before Jesus Christ at the judgment seat and say, I gave it my best. No matter what I was going through, I trusted in you, I tried to learn the lessons that you were wanting me to learn, and I gave it my best. I think that's what God would hope, hopefully that's what we can say, brethren. And we'll have to give our best, because it's not going to be easy. There are going to be times in our lives when we have that severe trial, or more than one. We say we gave it our best. And then God hopefully will say to each one of us, well done, well done. We built character of a Son of God. The final reason I want to give to you, brethren, to share with you today's number seven, seven good trials here, reasons for trials in our lives, is to prepare us for rulership and service in God's Kingdom. To prepare us for rulership and service in God's Kingdom. Have you ever asked God to bring you the type of trial or allow the type of trial that will help you to be a better servant or a ruler in His Kingdom? Know so that we can make a difference. We can make a difference for others in the future. You know, we'll be rewarded according to our works in this life. That is what the Scripture says. We're saved by grace, we know that.

But we know also that we'll be rewarded according to our works. Salvation itself is a gift of God. We can't earn that. That goes to those who repent and do accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.

But there is a reward for our efforts. And someday, we're going to be given a crown, hopefully, that reward, that job, that God says this is the job that you have as a family member of God in the Kingdom of God. There will be a time, rather, won't there, when He will say to someone, you're over 10 cities or someone else you're over five or whatever, as we heard about in the first message. And I hope, brethren, that we'll realize that that is a job that is exactly a perfect fit for everyone where the God puts them in. We'll all hopefully, well, we won't be there unless we'll be converted. So we'll be converted then, or we wouldn't be there. But there may be some surprises.

In that Kingdom. Let's turn over to 2 Thessalonians 1 and 3.

Maybe some surprises, but we'll realize that God knows what He's doing.

He's tried each of us to prepare us for that particular job.

Let's look at the Scripture here in 2 Thessalonians 1 and 3.

We all need to be really praying and thanking God. He knows who we are. He knows what we're capable of. He knows our potential. He knows what He wants us to do. He knows why He's called us. He knows why He's put us in the body now, in the church now. He knows where He wants to get us. He knows where He wants us to be. He knows what He wants us to do. 2 Thessalonians 1 and 3.

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly and the love of every one of you abounds towards each other.

So that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure. Which is, referring to the trials here and the tribulations, persecutions, manifest evidence or clear evidence, in other words, that their trials and their tests and their sufferings that they were going through, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you also suffer.

Further, it is through much tribulation that we do enter the kingdom of God.

Do you want to be counted worthy of the kingdom of God? I know I do. Do you want to be something that something like this is said about you? You know that you were willing to go through the trials and the difficulties and the persecutions and the righteous judgment of God that you may be counted worthy of that kingdom for which you also suffer. Further, I know humanly we don't want to bear more than we have to. I know that we don't want to go through any more stress than we have to and suffering and tribulations, but I hope that I will pray that God, allow me to go through the things that I need to go through to learn the lessons that I need to learn in order to be a complete spiritual being that you have foreseen. Further, I hope you'll think about that as well.

You know, He knows how to design the trials better than you or I. He knows how to prepare us.

So when that day comes, He won't be ashamed of you or He won't be ashamed of me. And that depends on our trials and our tests, brethren. So we all need God's help with them. We all need His mercy and His grace as we go through them.

I've given you today seven good reasons for trials in our lives.

I'm sure that there are many more that we could come up with, and maybe you've already thought about some besides the ones that I've mentioned today. But let's look for the good in trials. Let's look for what God is trying to do as He allows them or brings them to us, because there's something that we can learn from every single one.

So let's look for the good in trials that we're going through, and let's trust God along the journey.