Gospel Treasure - 1 Peter 1:10-12 - April 11, 2021

These are the Sermon Notes for April 11, 2021. We are meeting at the church with specific procedures and protocols that need to be followed. Read our Covid-19 plan here. You can still watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

 1 Peter 1:10-12 Gospel Treasure

Good morning! We are picking up our study in 1 Peter again with chapter 1, verses 10-12, page 1014 in the pew Bibles.

Last week, if you remember, I asked the question: do you know what you’ve got? When it comes to salvation, when it comes to faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and adoption into God’s eternal family, do you truly understand and appreciate the great treasure you have in the gospel?

This is exactly Peter’s point in our text this morning.

Let’s pray.

Before we get to Peter, I’d like to look at two quick verses from the Gospels, specifically Matthew and John.

In Matthew 13:16, 17, Jesus is speaking to His disciples and explaining to them why He spoke in parables to the people and how the people were fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah by hearing and not hearing and seeing yet not seeing. He said to them, “…blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

Peter echoes this thought in our text.

But the other side of the coin is John 20:29 in response to the confession of Thomas the doubter, Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

This group of believers mentioned by Jesus includes people who believed in Him long before He came without seeing Him as well as those of us who believe after He came without seeing Him.

Those of us that believe are blessed, whether they believed looking forward to His first coming, or believed after Hi first coming and are looking forward to His second coming.

This is sounding complicated, let’s look at the text, it’s really quite simple.

Backing up to 1 Peter 1:8

8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

“This salvation,” has been Peter’s topic so far in this letter. And if Peter’s original intent in writing this letter was to encourage the church to stand up under trial, to be encouraged in the face of difficulties, then reminding them of the treasure that we have in the gospel, “this salvation,” is a great way to do it! It’s a reminder that we all need.

So let’s look at a few different aspects of this salvation through faith in Jesus that, I think, will deepen our appreciation for the great gift that we have been given.

The first aspect of this great salvation is that Christ Himself predicted it. I say, “Christ,” instead of Jesus because it was the Spirit of Christ that revealed it to the prophets long ago.

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.

It was Christ Himself, the Eternal Second Person of the Trinity, the Divine Son of God speaking to and through the prophets long ago about His suffering and the glories that followed. The plan was in place from eternity past and Christ Himself revealed it to the prophets, Christ was active long before Bethlehem, He is on every page of the Bible, in the Old Testament as well as the New, from Genesis to Revelation.

Do you understand the significance of this truth?

Simply put, you have been loved for endless ages!

Christ Himself predicted the grace that was to belong to the Church through His own sufferings and the glories that follow, and the prophets longed to see the day.

Imagine Isaiah writing the words of Isaiah 53:5-6,

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

 Imagine him writing those words, inspired by the Spirit of Christ, and wondering, who? When? How long, O Lord!?

“…blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

The prophets, “searched and inquired carefully,” these words literally mean that the prophets diligently mined the Word of God like miners digging for precious metals, they examined it from every angle, plumbing its depths. They longed to see how the salvation that had been spoken to them by Christ would work out, they longed to see it with their own eyes, but it would be over 400 years from the last words of any prophet before it would come to pass.

Verse 12 says, It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you,

The Word of God was given to the prophets by the Spirit of Christ not just for them but for us! 

The scholars differ but it is generally agreed that there are between 200-400 different predictions of the coming of Christ, His sufferings and subsequent glories. 200-400 different prophecies all fulfilled in Jesus!

It was revealed to the prophets that they were not serving themselves, but us.

John Calvin said about this thought, “What else then was this, but that they spread the table, that others might afterwards feed on the provisions laid on it.”

The prophets set the table but Christ Himself was the meal, and we, the church, are all eating at that table.

JP Lange asks, “Why were those things revealed to the prophets seeing as that they were not permitted to realize their fulfillment? It wasn’t done for their sake but for ours, and thus they minister to us.”

The patient endurance of the prophets as they looked forward to the deliverance of the grace of God in salvation through faith in Christ and their diligent search for the truth in the words that were given to them ought to serve as great examples and encouragement to us.

Calvin also said, “…if their patience was so great, surely we shall be twice and thrice ungrateful if the fruition of the grace denied to them will not sustain us under all the evils which are to be endured.”

The grace that is ours in Christ, our salvation, was predicted by the Spirit of Christ, longed for by the prophets, they served the church through their writings and study of it, and even the angels long to look into it.

12 It was revealed to [the prophets] that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Our salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, our redemption and justification, are things into which angels long to look.

“To look into” in Greek is literally, “to bend over so as to look deeply into and see to the bottom of a thing.”

It’s not that the angels are prevented from understanding our redemption but that they are onlookers. As ones that never sinned redemption is not necessary for them like it is for us. But they love to watch God’s plan of redemption play out, you’ve got to believe that they are rooting for us!

So in considering our salvation, Christ Himself predicted it, the prophets longed to see it, the prophets served the church in it, the angels love to look into it, and it is the Holy Spirit that brings it.

12 It was revealed to [the prophets] that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven

It is the Holy Spirit that brings the salvation through the preaching of the Good News.

He brought it through the Apostles, He brought it through the Evangelists, and He brings it through me and through you every time we share our faith and share the Good News that salvation is available through faith in Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Starke wrote in closing, “Would you give this consolation for an empire? If the hope be living, the inheritance is sure, the crown that never fades, the treasure that none can steal. Abide the heat. How short is suffering—how long the glittering eternity! Heavenly life God will give above, evermore my heart shall praise Him!”

Amen.

Easter 2021 - Romans 5:6-11 - April 4, 2021

These are the Sermon Notes for our Easter Service on April 4, 2021. We are meeting at the church with specific procedures and protocols that need to be followed. Read our Covid-19 plan here. You can still watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

 Easter 2021 Romans 5:6-11 

Good morning, He is risen!

Every year on Easter we participate in several traditions, we get up early for the sunrise-ish service, we usually have Easter breakfast, our regular service, and then a big lunch with family, maybe you do some egg hunts or Easter baskets in there somewhere too.

One of the traditions within all that is to focus on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Nate read that at sunrise and I’d like to read another version of it for you now.

Matthew 28:1-10

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Let’s pray

Today Christians all over the world are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and I think the celebration in its various forms is for at least two reasons.

Reason #1 that we are celebrating is that Jesus is no longer dead! We serve a Risen Savior, He is alive forevermore! Amen?!

Reason #2 that we are celebrating is that Jesus’ death and resurrection actually accomplished something wonderful for us, for the whole world! And that’s the reason for celebrating that I would like to focus on this morning.

We are going to pause our study on 1 Peter for today and look at Romans chapter 5, verses 6-11, that’s on page 942in the pew Bibles.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

There are a few words used in Scripture that can’t stand alone, they are words that signal that a thought is part of a larger context. I’ve said it before that the word “therefore” is one of those words, you can’t simply begin your study at a place that begins with a “therefore.” It’s a signal that you have to go back and read the text before that word to get a handle on the original author’s intent, what the original author was trying to say.

Another one of those words is the word: “for.” It’s a connecting word, a word that signals the connection between thoughts. So we cannot simply start our study this morning with verse 6 because it needs to stay connected to the whole argument that Paul is making.

Verses 6-11 have been used many times for evangelistic sermons and challenges to show people that God loves them and has made it possible for them to be saved from their sins by the death of Christ on the cross, that forgiveness and reconciliation are available by God’s grace.

All of that is true. It’s all true even though that was not the point that Paul was trying to make.

Verse 6 starts with the word “for,” a connecting word. So let’s go back and see what it’s connected to…

I would like to tell you that it’s quite simple, we just have to read two or three verses prior to these and we will get the larger context and be able to make sense of the whole thing. But that’s not how this letter works at all.

In fact, almost every paragraph in Paul’s letter to the Romans either begins with a “for,” or a “therefore” or a question. This may be a little tricky!

Up until now, in this letter to the Roman Christians, Paul has represented God as holy, righteous, and just. He has represented Him as a keeper of His promises and the justifier of the faithful. And all that is well and good and true but here in this section Paul reintroduces an old attribute of God, the idea that God is loving. Here in verse 5 is the first time in this letter that Paul mentions God’s love and I think that’s significant.

The idea that God is loving was not new. God’s “steadfast love” was mentioned almost 200 times in the Old Testament. But here in this context we can see that salvation AND suffering, like we talked about last week from 1 Peter, salvation and trials are both evidence of God’s love.

So let’s skip back to  verse one of Romans 5.

 5:1Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Last week we talked about about the purpose of our trials because when God is involved pain is productive, we are refined by our trials. Trials and pain produce patient endurance, and proven character, and confident hope and it is evidence that God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. God proves His love for us in our pain.

Through our pain God is making us into something more, making us more like Jesus, more loving, more patient, more dependent on Him.

Paul is saying that God uses pain to accomplish His purposes and His greatest proof of that is at the cross of Jesus Christ.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

When the timing was just right, when it had been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that mankind was powerless to save ourselves from the wrath of God, God stepped in Himself and died on the cross for the ungodly.

Jesus Christ died for those who were powerless to save themselves.

Jesus Christ died for those who had no regard for God, who had given God no place in their lives.

7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

It’s rare that a person would die for his friend. Though exceptions can be found it is still rare. And rare as it is, it is a demonstration of a person’s character and love to lay down one’s life for a friend. 

Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

But God does one better. We were not His friends. We were not the chosen few who were good enough to earn His favor. 

We were His enemies.

While we were powerless to save ourselves, while we had given no place for God in our lives, while we stood opposed to Him and His principles… Jesus Christ died for us.

9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 

Through the blood of Christ we are no longer what we once were, we are no longer weak, ungodly sinners who are enemies of God who are under His looming wrath! Our identity has completely changed!

Do you know what you’ve got? Do you know who you are? Don’t you know that through your pain God is working to make you more like Him?

God had a purpose in Christ’s pain, to reconcile you to Himself, and Christ’s pain ended in death!

Even if your pain ends in death, like Christ, you will be resurrected to live eternally!

We are saved from the wrath of God through the blood of Christ, so whatever you’re going through it has nothing to do with His wrath, and everything to do with His love! Through faith in Jesus Christ, God is no longer angry with you.

10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

We were once weak, ungodly, sinners, and enemies of God but through faith in Jesus we aren’t anymore!

Because of Christ’s death on the cross in our place we are now no longer weak but powerful, not because of any power that comes from us but from the Holy Spirit living and working in us.

Because of Christ’s death on the cross in our place we are no longer ungodly, but we give God the place He deserves in our hearts, the throne, He is our King!

Because of Christ’s death on the cross in our place we are no longer sinners but saints! Our lives are marked by the fruit of the Spirit, by love and joy and peace not by sin and shameful behavior. Our lives are lived for His glory not ours!

Because of Christ’s death on the cross in our place we are no longer enemies of God but we are His adopted children. We are reconciled and made His own! We are His and He is ours!

John Calvin wrote: “[Paul] now ascends into the highest strains of glorying; for when we glory that God is ours, whatever blessings can be imagined or wished, ensue and flow from this fountain; for God is not only the chief of all good things, but also possesses in Himself the sum and substance of all blessings; and He becomes ours in Christ.”

That’s what the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead accomplished for us, we are Christ’s and He is ours, We are the Father’s and He is ours.

Our pain, Christ’s pain, is all evidence of God’s love. By faith in Him we are adopted as His own, no longer enemies but His beloved children.

As Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:8-9, “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

Amen. May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Testing... - 1 Peter 1:6-9 - March 28, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for March 28, 2021. We are meeting at the church with specific procedures and protocols that need to be followed. Read our Covid-19 plan here. You can still watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

 1 Peter 1:6-9 Testing…

Good morning, we are back in 1 Peter chapter 1 today, page 1014 in the pew Bibles. Not that it really matters, but I’m not sure how you’re going to feel about this. I hope, in the end, you’ll be encouraged, but it’s going to take a little work, I think, to get there. We’re going to have to wade through the pricker bushes to get there.

Last week we looked at the first few verses of this paragraph in 1 Peter 1, and this week I’m hoping to get through the rest of it. So let’s read that entire text just to refresh our memories together.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Let’s pray

So our text here this morning is a little bit like an Oreo cookie, it’s a little sandwich with tasty cookies on the outside but in the middle instead of creamy filling it’s more like liver and onions… Blech!

But we need the first cookie to get us through the liver and onions to the cookie on the other side. Last week we looked at the first cookie, verses 3-5…

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

We can be encouraged by the worship of God, the reminder of His mercy towards us in our rebirth, rebirth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus, the living hope of an imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance kept in heaven for us. We can be encouraged by the promise that God Himself guards and shields us through faith and He will continue to do so until the return of Christ and the inauguration of His heavenly, eternal kingdom.

These are very encouraging words and thoughts, but the warm fuzzies is not the point. We need to be able to lean on these encouraging thoughts because of the liver and onions on the horizon of our text.

We need verses 3-5 to make it through verses to make it through verse 6-7 to verses 8-9, and that’s exactly how verse 6 starts…

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials

In our living hope of our heavenly inheritance through faith in Jesus, in our living hope of being guarded by God the Father, we rejoice.

This rejoicing is not a theoretical joy either. The word Peter used means to be extremely joyful, often involving verbal expression and appropriate body movement, to exult and be glad! Our living hope should fill us with exceeding joy so that we can face the various trials that we are or will be grieved with.

Though the idea of being grieved by various trials is troubling, the words that Peter uses here, if properly understood, should bring us joy as well. (even though they may taste like liver and onions.)

The main idea is the church being grieved by various trials.

The word translated, “to be grieved,” literally means to cause someone to be distressed, sorrowful or sad.

There is a beauty in this though, I think. The beauty is in the idea that though we rejoice in our living hope, that doesn’t mean that we cannot be distressed or sad when times are tough and when things that we perceive are bad happen to us or those we love. To grin and bear it is lost in this thought. Nowhere in Scripture are we instructed to smile despite the pain, you don’t want to look sad because the Lord doesn’t like frowny faces. There is no faking it, being what the old song calls, “happy plastic people, under shiny plastic steeples.”

Peter is describing the reality of the effects of various trials upon us: grief, sadness, and distress, but yet we still rejoice.

We rejoice, not only in the promise of our living hope, but also in how Peter describes the various trials. Notice the two things that he says about our being grieved by various trials: “for a little while,” and “If necessary.”

The phrase, “For a little while,” should give us hope because we can confidently expect the trials to be temporary. There is no more explaining to do here, the Greek doesn’t hold any secrets here, our trials, no matter how severe, are temporary.

Perhaps our ideas about what is temporary need some adjustment though.

Let me ask you this, because we are all experts at experiencing trials in our lives, if a trial lasts your whole life, is it still temporary? If you’ve dealt with a birth defect or degenerative condition, or some other health challenge that won’t ever just go away, is that trial temporary?

If you have a living hope of a heavenly inheritance and protection by God through faith in Jesus Christ, the simple answer is: yes, that trial is temporary, the trial itself will not follow you into your eternal, heavenly inheritance. 

What will follow you into eternity are the effects of the trial, how that trial shaped you.

The second phrase Peter uses to describe the various trials builds on that thought, the phrase, “if necessary.”

The scholars say that the phrase, “if necessary,” supposes that the trials are temporary as well, and that their lengths and severity have been declared by God. They won’t last one minute more than is necessary.

The phrase, “if necessary,” also points to one major idea, that, if we think about it, we all probably hate: Our trials are necessary. But there is also comfort in that thought, that our trials serve a purpose.

Water, if left alone, will lie perfectly still, but the slightest tremor disturbs the surface. And when a stream flows, every rock or branch in the water directs the path that it flows. Trials function in the same way, sometimes, we experience trials to alter our path.

Growing up, I remember that my Pastor, George Waterman used to say, problems are guidelines not stop signs. This is the same idea, sometimes our trials are necessary. Though they can be difficult, there is still comfort available to us in that idea.

So, being encouraged by our living hope of an eternal, heavenly inheritance, and that God the Father is shielding us, knowing that our trials are temporary, and from time to time necessary, I think it’s time we talked about what Peter meant by, “trials.”

When I think of what a trial is, I immediately think of some random problem or thing that goes sideways that appears just to make my life more difficult and irritate me, like having your hands full and your keys are in the wrong pocket, then catching your pocket on a doorknob when you’re already irritated about your keys, just to walk into your house to find that the cat threw up, and you knocked the stupid empty egg cartons off the shelf as you walked in for the thousandth time…

Well, that might qualify, but the word Peter used that is translated, “trial,” doesn’t mean, just some random difficulty or minor irritation. In fact, in my opinion, the word, “trial,” is a poor translation considering what the Greek word actually means, especially in the light of the purpose of them described in verse 7.

The word should really be: tests.

The words, “various trials,” literally mean, diverse attempts to learn the nature or character of someone or something by submitting such to thorough and extensive testing.

James uses the same word in James chapter one, verses two and three, when he says, “2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials [tests] of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

Even there, the word, “dokimion,” is translated both “trial” and “testing.”

In the Old Testament, Job, who was the king of enduring trials said in Job 23:10, But [God] knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.

So the difficulties that we face are not just random occurrences of things that we think are bad, but they actually have purpose.

James says that they produce steadfastness, the ability to stand firm in hard times, Hebrews 12:11 says that trials and testing are for our discipline and produce fruit, 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

We’ve sung the song over the last few weeks, “Refiner’s Fire.” Purify my heart, let me be as gold, and precious silver, purify my heart, let me as gold, pure gold.

As gold is refined by fire, so is our faith. The heat of the fire separates the dross and alloys from gold, all the impurities rise to the top to be removed. The heat of testing exposes and separates from us the impurities of pride, self-reliance, and worldly wisdom, among a host of other impurities within our hearts. 

Our trials, our tests, tend to discourage us because we don’t see the purpose, and perhaps we never will, but if we can recognize that God is in the process of refining our faith we can rejoice in the face of trials like James said, we can rejoice in the face of discipline like Hebrews said because our testing will produce the fruit of righteousness and steadfastness, our precious faith will be refined as gold.

6 In [your heavenly, eternal inheritance] you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Amen