God’s Purpose in a Variety of Testings: Conclusion

God's Purpose in a Variety of Testings: Conclusion

All right, let's take our Bibles again this evening. Please turn to Romans chapter 8. This is where we began in our, well, a number of weeks back when we started looking at God's purpose and the variety of testings that He brings to our lives. Romans chapter 8. And I just want to read the verse 28, how many times have we seen this for so many times? But what a powerful truth that we need to be always conscious of. I need to be always conscious of in my life. It's in Romans 8:28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

Let's pray, Father, take these moments together and bless them, Lord, may our hearts be challenged and strengthened. May we be edified through your Word that we may go out this week and make application as we draw aside and think back over things that we've learned from your Word and principles that we gain from how you tell us to think about and approach the trials that you bring to our lives. What is your purpose in it? What is on your mind for even putting it in our life in the first place? And so we pray that you'll get the glory through this time together. And in Jesus' name, Amen.

So we've taken the time to look at why does God take loved ones from us? We've taken the time to look at why does God allow disappointments in our lives? We thought in taking loved ones, Job certainly had loved ones taken from Him. We saw that in many examples, but Job is one that comes right to our minds as we think of loved ones; He took all of His children at one time. Think of the disappointments, and we learned in that message that disappointments, we must see them as His appointments. His ways are higher than our ways. His plans are—we must always make our plans in pencil, not in stone, right? We must pencil them in rather than engraving them in stone.

We saw that liberty can be a test, liberty testing. What are we going to do? How are we going to use the liberty that we have? We might have sort of a freedom to make choices in a number of things. What are you going to do with the choice? I think so many times what we do with matters of conscience even. Are we taking just the good enough? I want to live as close to the world as I can with this liberty that I have, or do we say, I want the best for the Lord, right? Do I take the highest road and not just enough to get by? If you've got Brother Kiki coming over and putting siding on your house, you don't want him cutting corners. You don't want him doing just enough to get by. You don't want Brother Ronni doing your electrical work just good enough to get by. We want to do the best, right? And so when we have liberty, that's really a test of our heart. You know, I get to make the choice like Lot did with his liberty. He chose, he didn't choose the best option. Did he choose what looked good to him, but not asking what will most glorify God in this situation? There are a lot of issues that I think about so many things. If we choose to glorify God with the right heart, He's pleased in that.

We could legalize, we could become realistic and say, you must give me your W2. Let me see how much you're giving or exactly pinpoint every little final minutia about what exactly you're supposed to wear or all these things. If your heart's right with the Lord, do you want to give the best to Him anyway? It doesn't need to be. Let's have this legal code because at the end of the day, if you're just following, checking boxes and following some kind of code, then your heart is not right about it anyway in the first place. We see that, so liberty, what do we do with that? Let's test that God gives us.

We saw financial loss, material loss. How do we handle that? How do we handle it when God takes, like Job, takes all those herds and flocks away from us? What do we do about it when someone lies to us or we're deceived in something? How do we handle that? Do we grow bitter as a result of what's been done, what's been said to us? The wool was pulled over our eyes, or we were, you know, there's some things we simply must not be deceived and be ignorant about things God has already told us. You're not ignorant of the devil's devices, but there are some things that we may be led on to believe this is a good thing, and yet the person's intentions may be other than what they said, and we need to even respond well when that happens.

There's physical sickness, there's pain, we said this morning weakness, right? There's weakness that comes to us in our bodies. There's things that, you know, we might say that my mind, like we said this morning, is just not as strong as it used to be. Somebody gets a sub-rotromatic injury where they have memory loss. I have some weakness in my life that is beyond my control, and yet what am I going to do with that? How am I going to view that?

We see transitions in life, there's transitions from one place, geography to another place, there's transitions from one stage of life to another stage of life, from one job to another job, there's so many different kinds of transitions. How do we—those are tests, aren't they? How are we going to handle the transitions of life? A lot of times people fail in transitions and lose ground because they don't handle the transition very well. I think about a pastor that's been pastoring a church many years. He needs great grace to step, to make that transition and not become a burden to the church moving forward as pastor emeritus or not to try to run the church via proxy or something like that. There's a lot of grace needed there. Transition into grandparenthood from parenthood, all those things, not that you'll never not be a parent but going into that new stage of life.

There are opportunities that are presented to us sometimes, like we saw with David where he had the opportunity, opportunity to get even with the man who had been chasing him, the man who had thrown javelins at him, Saul, and yet David had a right heart toward God. He knew that God must judge the situation. He only cut off, I guess was it the hem of Saul's garment, and did not take his life, even though he had the opportunity to do that because that was God's prerogative. It's not our place ultimately to do that. So he handled that opportunity to get even well.

How do we handle failures when we tried and failed? Well, what do we do with the failure? Do we learn from it? Or do we make excuses for ourselves and just live in continued failings and failure in that thing, or do we actually grow as a result of the thing that we had to learn? We said that trials not only reveal character, like hot water reveals what's in the tea bag, but trials and the heat of those trials also become like a blacksmith with the anvil, the heat and the anvil to shape us. Now that you're in the hot water, now that you're in the heat, it's the perfect time for God to shape and change things and remove things and purify things, whatever the case may be, to bring you through this and shape you into what He wants you to be through the difficulty.

I've been thinking back over some time ago, I also, we went through a study of lessons in specific lives, the testing of God's saints and what they learned through and what we can learn through those specific lives that went through. And of course, we've picked up on some lives. We obviously, my default, have looked at people's lives like we mentioned, Job and David, these different ones as we've gone through this study here recently. But God never takes something from us without intending to give us something better in its place. I don't mean that the second set of children Job got were better than the first, and they were speaking, but it's more so, I'm not just talking about so much the physical aspect of it, but He's wanting to bring us forth as gold, I guess is what I'm trying to say. We will always, if we go through the trial with the Lord first and foremost in our lives, we're going to always come out with good, there will be good in our lives.

You have, we've said things like a woman can explain what it's like to give childbirth to another woman, but you can never know until you give birth. You can explain to someone what it's like to have, whether Kiki this morning or after the service, we were talking about kidney stones, talking about Sister Brenda, but talking about kidney stones, and he can describe to me what it's like to have a kidney stone, but unless I have one myself, out and then I'll say I know exactly what you're talking about. I mean if that occurs and everything in life, while it's good for us to tell others and encourage others, there's a certain degree, our children, they can hear me preach it, they can hear momma teach it, they can hear us talk about it, but they have got to walk through their own trials, they've got to walk through their own test of faith so that they might grow closer to God themselves. That's the only way, that's the only way we can know God better, others can point us, but we ourselves must draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to us, humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, He will exalt us, He draws, He gives grace to the humble and He resists the proud, the scripture says. So it's a very personal relationship and a very, very unique set of things that God wants to teach each one of us as He puts us through those things.

We can sing hymns, but you know, have you ever noticed when we sing hymns, it's sometimes when we're going through certain tests in life that a hymn, spiritual song, psalm, just almost jumps off the page at you and you think, wait, did he see what I was going through? Did they know that person was going through something similar, the same test and trials, similar trials were being accomplished with those people? God's Word became so personal and precious to them as they were going through those tests, and now it means more to me. I can talk to, I mean I think about Rebecca, she's eight years behind me, I mean you know, and he's ahead of me, different ones of you, you could talk about, I know how I felt on the morning of 9/11 when I saw that on the news or something, you know, I know how I felt, maybe somebody will say when JFK was assassinated or I know, I can remember where I was and all of this when so and so happened, and it may not mean anything to the other person that wasn't there, like you say JFK to me, I wasn't alive, I mean I've seen the video of it, but you lived through, I mean that's sort of a big, you know, on television sort of thing, but there may be something you lived through, I think about those that lived through World War II, they can tell us about what the depression was like, but I didn't go through it, and yet things that individuals, the point is, things that God teaches us individually as we walk through different tests and different trials.

But whatever the tests, Romans 8:28, we know that all things, if all means all, every single thing that touches our lives, it is working together in God's plan for good, it may not seem good, it may not seem joyous, it may not seem pleasant, but it's good for those that love God who are the called according to His purpose, and His purpose is very much what Job said it was, when He tried me, I shall come forth as gold, He's wanting to purify our faith so that we, James says, have nothing doubting, not like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed, but nothing doubting, trusting Him, trusting Him completely in the various circumstances and trials of life. So as we walk through those trials, God solidifies truth in our hearts, He confirms it in our heart, so really now He wants us as we're going through the trials of life to just think the way He thinks about it. Not think about the way we feel in the moment, but think, think His thoughts after Him about this. He says this is how you need to view it, this is how I need to view it. I just know by faith this is what God is doing. I don't know every answer to exactly why this particular thing, but He knows the way that I take, and that's all that matters to me.

Job is a great example for us in that He recognized the true source of every trial, and there's a lot. He recognized, He never blamed Satan. He said, you know Satan, He's the blame for these trials that are coming into my life. I never read that anywhere about Job. He never said anything to that effect that I remember reading, but He said when He had tried me, right? When He's done trying me, I'll come forth as gold was. I'll come forth as gold. I remember Frances Havergal, how she wrote in that hymn, every joy or trial falleth from above, traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love. How many times have I referenced that hymn, "Like a River Glorious"? Every one of those trials, the devil is instrumental. He's very much in the details, isn't He? He has His fingers in everything, and He has His desires for us to fail and for us not to learn what it is God wants us to learn. Of course, but God means it for good. Remember Joseph said that, wasn't it? Joseph said, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. So the purpose or the origin of the trial we might say is from God, the purpose of God in that trial is for good.

And as we walk through those trials, how do we need to think about Satan? How do we need to think about the enemy of our souls? We said, He has a purpose. Well, we don't need to get too focused on Satan, but we do need to be aware that He is working. We need to be aware that He has some devices and He has some schemes and He has some plans, and Peter tells us about that. Peter tells us not to be ignorant of the fact that, you know, He's very much involved in trying to turn what God means to be good into something that. In fact, in 1 Peter chapter 5, let's look over there in verse number 8. 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse number 8, it's in that verse that we read this, be sober, be vigilant because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion seeketh whom he may devour. So how are you supposed to confront him? How are you supposed to think about him? Well, we're supposed to resist him steadfast in the faith. Well, stand on the promises of God's words. Stand on God's word. Do not give an inch to the devil. We might say, for he will take a mile. Well, face the devil with God's word. Steadfast in the faith. 1 Peter chapter 5 here says this, resist him steadfast in the faith. We're told in James 4 as well, verse 7, we are to submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and He will flee from you. It's all in the light of what we see here in verse 8, draw nigh to God. He will draw nigh to you. As you draw nigh to God, part of resisting the devil is drawing nigh to God. Draw nigh to God and resist the devil. The devil cannot stand it when we draw nigh to God. He can't stand it when we quote God's word. One little word shall fell him, Martin Luther said, we tremble not for him. That prince of darkness grim. His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure. One little word shall fell him. Well, ultimately it will be by the word of God that he will be judged. He will be ultimately cast out into the lake of fire. But all he can do is try to distract us, deceive us, intimidate us. He has all kinds of ploys and tactics drawn out of God. He'll draw nigh to you. Whatever is, you know, lovely, good report. If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. Think on God's word. Draw nigh to Him and resist the devil with God's, the resistance step, passing the faith with God's word. Pastor Peacock used to say, stick the word of God in the devil's ear. Now that's not a verse of scripture, but he says, stick it. Just take God's word when the devil comes to you and quote it to him and say, I am not going to believe your lies. I believe God's word alone. Well, this is how the devil would defeat us. He would try to get our minds off of God's word. Wouldn't he? He would try to get us thinking selfishly, thinking foolishly, thinking, you know, how Job's wife thought. She said, Job said to her, you're speaking like one of the foolish women. You're not thinking right about this trial. You're thinking about it from a very selfish standpoint. God, I know God's behind this trial. I just don't know exactly why. I don't know what exactly He's doing in this.

Remember Noah, we talked about Noah and how he endured mocking. Well, he could have just folded it up and said, you know, I just give up. I give up. I have so much opposition. I feel like I'm the only one out here doing this. And the opposition is just overwhelming to me. But you know what Isaiah said, they that wait upon the Lord, shall, you know, run and not be weary, walk and not faint, right? And he continued. He was moved by the fear of the Lord to build that ark. And he did it because by faith, he feared God. He feared God more than men. We certainly should fear God more than we fear men. And even though men mocked and scoffed at him, he understood even before Jesus came and spoke of these words, but he understood that, well, the servant is not above his master. Really, he understood the concept that it's not really even me that they hate so much as it is God. No, have to answer to Him one day. They'll have to answer to God for what they've done with this warning. They've rejected it. That's not my responsibility. My responsibility, our responsibility is just to speak truth, right? Our responsibility is just to sow seed. Our responsibility is not to make people do anything because we can't, you'll be very, very frustrated if you try to make people do something that you want them to do because only God can change the heart. But God is going to prevail ultimately. God is going to get the last laugh. God is going to get the glory ultimately in all of it.

Job and Job's, when we looked at Job, we saw that some of the most difficult things we'll face in life, the greatest disappointments will come from people that are close to us. They'll come from people that maybe we thought we could trust or we thought more highly of them, and yet don't put your hope in man. We'll all disappoint each other at some point in time, maybe not to the, perhaps hopefully not to the degree that Job's friends did, nonetheless, even in that he learned what, he learned to pray for his friends. He learned to pray for them. We've disappointed our own family members. We disappoint one another at times, and yet this is God's purpose, and this is to what, is to strengthen our hope in Him. Our hope is not in one another. God can use us to be a blessing to one another, but our hope is ultimately in Him. Our hope is not in our leaders in Washington. Our hope is not in our local leaders. We pray for them and thankfully, among ourselves as brothers and sisters, we have a closer relationship. Thank God for Christian politicians, those who are Christian in politics. But even no man, we can't put our full confidence in, but we certainly can pray one for another and seek to be a blessing one to another. But trust in God.

So as we go through these tests, as we go through these trials of life, God has a plan once again. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purposes, purposes to empty us of all self-confidence, any and all self-confidence. You know, I think I've got this. You know, I think I can handle this. You know, you can't. Sometimes we say, you know, God will not put on us more than we can bear. But He will, that is with the understanding, not more than we can bear in our own strength, right? Or the we can bear because He will always give us with the trial. He will always give us the grace if we'll call out to Him. Lord, help me. Lord, help me. I remember Pastor Peacock would say when he had that stroke, all he could think was, you know, he couldn't really speak. Help. Help. And the Lord is very near unto those that call upon Him. That weakness, that dependence, but the Lord is always there. You know, the Lord touched Jacob's thigh, isn't He? He put it out of joint, so to speak. He touched the sinew in his thigh too, and so that he would hobble even on that thigh when the angel of the Lord wrestled in there. And he clung to. He held on tightly. I will not let thee go until thou bless me. Help me. I'm afraid of my brother. I'm afraid of Esau. I'm gonna have to, I'm gonna have to meet him tomorrow. I can't do this. And the Lord blessed him there. The Lord blessed him.

The Lord, you know, the Lord put Moses up against the Red Sea. The enemy behind him closing in and the vast sea in front of him. Where are we gonna go? We gotta look up. Gonna look up to the Lord because there's nothing we can do. The Lord very well may put us before we die in a situation that is, and then we've all gone through a variety of different situations, but He may put us in a situation where there's absolutely no help. Not at all maybe from the medical world, from our own governments, from people perhaps we thought, you know, were our friends, they turn on us or something to that. And they got to put us in some very precarious situations where there's no help in earthly love. There's no help. Now, where can I turn but up to the Lord in this dire strait that you've put me in. Talked about this, the Crickmore family and the things they're going through. Yes, God, God can use doctors, but He's the ultimate healer. He alone can bring us, bring us through. And it's in those moments where our testimony is forged. Sister Vicki, you mentioned that four and a half year old, that young one being a prayer warrior. You know things that she's learning now about trials, they're gonna help her and how she thinks about things she faces even down the road in her life. And certainly, it sounds like she has a great example in her grandmother. I don't know those people personally, Donna, you do, and they can, you know them as well. So thank the Lord. What seems to be a curse, God turns it into a blessing. God turns it into something that is actually good. We know that all things work together for good.

And look in Second Corinthians, chapter one, please. Second Corinthians, chapter one, verse three. Verse three says, blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comforts, who comforted us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. God never moves without purpose or plan when trying a servant and molding a man. He wants us to do what? He wants us to pray without ceasing to Him, in everything He wants us to give thanks. This is His will for us in Christ Jesus. He wants us, as we're going through trials, to be emptied of all self-confidence, even confidence in anyone else. But He wants us to lift up the sacrifices of praise to Him continually, as He tells us, the fruit of our lips, giving praise to His name. Thank you, Lord, not only for saving my soul, but thank you for what you're doing because I would not have chosen this path of difficulty. I would not have chosen this sickness. I would not have chosen this, but I know that you're working it out for good. I can't see it right now. That's called faith, right? I can't see why you're bringing this into my life. But Lord, thank you. I praise your name for doing what's best.

There's moments when people are going through that. I know Sister Donna was speaking about Donna's quick warning, and this could be said of many, but at times it just seems like so much. I don't doubt you, but give me the strength to get through this. Well, that is what the Lord wants. That confidence in Him, that praise. And may we, as we go through these trials, not, as William Cowper says, judge not the Lord by feeble sense, nor scan His work in vain, I'm sorry, but trust Him for His grace rather. Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face. Don't attribute any wrong to the Lord as you're going through this, knowing weeping may endure for a night, but joy will come in the morning. There's always hope for us as Christians. I think that word, that truth, hope, hope in the Lord. He is the health of the Lord. Don't hope in man, don't hope in merely tomorrow, but hope in the God of tomorrow. Hope in the One who holds the future in His hands. And as we go through these trials, I think it's God's plan for it is that we will not come out the same person we were last year or the year before, 10 years ago. He wants to change us, as we said. He wants to shape us. He wants to purify us. That is His plan.

We turn to Psalm 100, verse 3, please. Psalm 100, verse number 3. Someone told me recently that, you know, whether even talking about a pastor, leadership of a ministry, we must not view the ministry as ours. We must not view it as ownership, like we own it. No, it's, we're stewards. Each one of us are stewards. This is not our, my ministry. This is not my life. This is not your life. We're just stewards of everything we have, and we're just here for a time. But David acknowledges this, Psalm 100, verse 3. Know ye that the Lord, He is God. It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves, and we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. I belong to Him. My life is not my own. I am just the steward. I'm not the owner. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:20, ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit, which are God's, which are His. Frances Havergal said, take my life, let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee. Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise, and you know the song well. It's not my life to live.

Esther had to come to that realization. You know, I can hold my peace. But God may put me aside and raise up deliverance from another place. It's not God's putting me in this position, not so I can say, look how great I, Queen Esther, am, but what is it God wants to use me to do. That's stewardship. That's what God puts us in these positions for. He didn't cause us to be born in the year we were born and live in the time we live in by accident. We're here for such a time as this, aren't we? God has a specific plan for us where He's put us, in the time frame He's put us in. And so He wants to use us. But really, the way that He can use us, we said tonight, God uses the most unassuming and sometimes the most unusual means. We might say, why would God use little Mary from little Nazareth to bear the Savior of mankind? Because that's how God works. We might say, I don't know how God could ever use me. I'm just a nobody. I just feel like I'm not educated enough, or I'm not strong enough, or I'm not, you know, whatever enough. That doesn't matter to God. He wants a willing heart, a teachable heart, a meek and lowly heart. How God can use that so greatly. And what He wants all of us to become is like little children, doesn't He? He wants us to all be, well, frankly, with that heart and spirit of someone like little Presley, right? Well, little, what do you say, except ye be converted and become as little children? That's what He's looking for. The faith of a little child. That's why He took that child and set them in the midst of the disciples. Be like this little child. Be like this little one. And just have that, shouldn't have a tendency just to naturally trust, right? They trust. They are curious. But they are thankful many times for so many things that they are given.

But God is shaping us so He can use us, and He's shaping us. He's trying us. He's purging us so He can use us. Have you considered my servant Job? Have you considered my servants Daniel, Esther, and Hannah? You know that, have you considered my servant? God is wanting to get the glory through our faith, simple faith in Him, not our strength, not our wisdom, not, you know, he's just a really special, better than everybody else kind of servant, no. It's a humble, trusting child. That's what He wants. Paul said, I have learned whatsoever state I am in, and whatsoever state I am, to be content. I had to learn it. I didn't naturally think that way. But God is teaching me to think His thoughts after Him. He's teaching me to trust and to know that when I face these things, He's fully in control of it, and He's behind it, and not to be given to fear and, you know, the emotional vacillation of life. And this is the confidence that we need to have. The ultimate purpose of the trials of life is that we might come not to rely on ourselves, but 100% rely on God. Have the faith of a little child. Praise the Lord. Give thanks to Him. Praise in everything by prayer, casting our care on Him, knowing He cares for us.

That's the thing we see running through all these different trials: taking a loved one, disappointment, being lied to, transitions in life. All of these different things. God is shaping us. Very simply put, these things we've talked about, they're just the currency that God uses to change us. They're just the currency that God uses, the expendables that God is using. And you know, when you're doing a job, you know, you're painting, you might have to throw away a, you know, you might have to throw away a paint tray. You might have to throw away, you know, tools for the tray that you use eventually. But the work is being accomplished through those things, and that's what God's doing in our lives, shaping us to be what He wants us to be.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for what you're doing. Thank you for your sovereign wisdom in all the tests and appointments for our lives. We pray, Lord, that we would respond better. I would respond better to the tests and the trials that you bring. Help us to remember we're stewards. We're children. We're to be like little children in our faith toward the Lord. Purify our hearts. Cleanse the inmost part. Grace and truth impart, Lord, we pray. Help us to be filled with praise, with thanksgiving, as we go forward, knowing that you're in control. Help us to realize we're here for such a time as this, not to think highly of ourselves, but to think highly of our Savior who appoints these things with purpose and with plan. We pray and ask this now in Jesus' name. Amen.