Introduction

Maybe: I was met with a corporate recruiter for at a large corporation in Phoenix. When I spoke with the recruiter, he told me how wonderful the job was:

• Good Pay
• Good Benefits
• Flexible Hours
• Great working environment
• College paid for

….just to find out that he mislead me!

Transition – At Canyon Bible church, we don’t want be guilty of bait and switch… where we tell you of the benefits of following Christ and then leave your totally unprepared for the trials of life. It is true that following Jesus carries with it the promise of:

• Eternal life with God in heaven
• Purpose and hope
• Being right with God – forgiveness
• Real joy and real Peace

The benefits are incredible, but the Bible also says that Christianity is not an easy road.

• We don’t want you to be surprised when you face difficulty.
• We don’t want you to fall prey to easy-believism.

Jesus calls his followers to lose their lives to follow after Him and then he says the road will be hard.

Suffering should be expected.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ‘s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church Colossians 1:24

The apostle Paul says here that our flesh is filled up with the suffering of Christ. Paul does not mean here that there is a deficiency within the Sacrifice of Christ on the cross. The cross is sufficient payment for our sins and more than enough to establish our salvation. Hebrews 10:14 says, “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” What is lacking here is the future suffering for all who will endure affliction for the sake of the gospel – for all those who are to be “crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:20). The body of Christ – the church – now bears the blows intended for the head.

If Jesus (the head of the church) were alive today, in any culture, He would be persecuted, tried and killed. If Jesus came 100 times to 100 different people groups, His message would be so penetrating, so piercing and so startling that in every people group, some would follow and some would be violently opposed. Jesus did not, however, choose to come to die many times. He came just once. And now, the rage of a world deceived by the enemy continues to war against the Head, Jesus, by taking out their rage against the body of Christ, the church. On that way the church is filling up what is lacking in Christ‘s afflictions.”

Before we accept the commissioning as a representative of Christ, we must first understand what it entails to be a soldier for Christ. The soldier of Christ will have a hard battle.   Paul tells timothy in 2 Tim 2:23 to “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”   The life submitted to Christ is not supposed to be a life of luxury.

It is like serving on a battleship – not vacationing on a cruise ship. Battleships are not made to be comfortable, they are made to win wars. Christianity will not keep us from facing trouble. In fact, Christians often face many hardships. Those who have gone just a few steps forward in their discipleship quickly discover that the road they are on is a rough road. It is dangerous. It is uncomfortable. It is difficult. It is not a smooth road to heaven…

But…Although the road can be unpleasant in itself, it provides us with the best company of all. I’m not just talking about the saints in the church. We have the promise of Christ in us – the hope of glory (Col. 1:17) – through every bump and trial and difficulty that you and I face. If you are a Christian, you should have Biblical expectations. Peter was crucified for his faith in Jesus. Here are the expectations Peter laid out for us:

¹² Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:12-13

Jesus says:

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus says that his followers will face trouble, trials and tribulation. Paul agrees in his letter to Timothy “…all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Tim 3:12) When I see these kind of statements from God’s word, I draw a few conclusions.

• When I face a trials for the sake of the gospel, it’s proving that I’m a follower of Jesus.
• When I experience Christ walking with me through a difficult time, then I have assurance that I’m an heir and there is hope of a heavenly inheritance.

Paul expected persecution, danger and trials all the time. Paul expresses in 1 Corinthians 15:30 that he is in danger every hour for the sake of the gospel.

If I am in danger for even a single hour in my week, I try to fix it. We are the culture of seatbelts, car seats and airbags. We have insurance policies on everything. Safety and security is of tremendous value in America. However, when we examine God’s word, our expectation of the Christian life should include God using trials to transform us to the image of Christ.

Why is are trials so critical to the sanctification of you and I as believers? Let me give you 4 thoughts:

#1 God’s Perfection.

If we look heavenward, we see our heavenly Father as a perfectly pure and perfectly holy being. He is spotless and without blemish. Do you know that followers of Christ are to be with Him one day? Paul tells us that “^17… this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…” 2 Cor 4:17. Being conformed to the image of Christ is a difficult and painful task. You and I have a long way to go!

AXE AND SANDPAPER Sometimes God uses a hatchet and sometimes sand-paper. Some of us have huge areas of our lives that God is working to bring into submission to His will and it feels like he’s taking a hatchet and tearing out large chunks our lives. Other times, the pain comes in the polishing as God takes a life that is on the right track and wears away and polishes and shines so that every corner and every surface reflect perfectly the image of Christ. James tells us that “…that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:3-4)

#2 Satan’s Rage.  

Do you understand that “…Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”? (1 Peter 5:8) Hell and it’s lions are against you. Before you and I met Christ, we were servants of Satan and no king will willingly lose his subjects without a fight. Do you think that Satan is pleased that you chose to follow after Jesus?

I wander what it was like in Satan’s realm the day you and I decided to follow after Jesus? Charles Spurgeon believes that he may have gathered together his minions that day and said something like this to them:

“Sons of the pit, true heirs of darkness; you who once were clad in light, but who fell with me from high dignities, another of my servants has forsaken me; I have lost another of my family; he is gone over to the side of the Lord of Hosts. Oh…fellow-helpers of the powers of darkness, leave no stone unturned to destroy him. I bid you all hurl all your fiercest darts at him; plague him; let hell-dogs bark at him; let fiends besiege him; give him no rest, harrass him to the death; let the fumes of our corrupt and burning lake ever rise in his nostrils; persecute him; the man is a traitor; give him no peace… I bid you howl at him; until he crosses the river, afflict him, grieve him, torment him; for the wretch has turned against me, and become a servant of the Lord.”

Does Satan love you more now that you’ve committed your life to Christ? It’s a silly question, right?! Is he pleased that you are growing in your affections for Christ? No Way! He will always be your enemy. He will always be lurking and prowling around like a roaring lion trying to devour you in your moment of weakness. When we consider Satan’s rage, we can expect trouble.

#3 This Fallen World.

Look around you. Be watchful. Open your eyes to the world you and I live in. Are we surrounded by friends of Christ? No. We live in an enemy’s country. 2 Tim 2:26 tells us that we are surrounded by people who have been captured by Satan to do his will. Our world is growing increasingly dark.

The latest research from Barna still has 80% of American’s population claiming to be Christians, but only 7% of all Americans are committed, Born-again, evangelical, biblically-minded disciples of Jesus. In a recent Christianity Today article, research is suggesting that America is rapidly growing as a post-Christian nation. The Christian Examiner says that most Americans hold few convictions about their faith and “have one foot in the biblical camp and one foot outside it.”

Most people in America are not followers of Christ. As we consider our community, there are some really good people here. People who are loving, full of conviction and strong in their faith. However, for every one sincere person you meet, there could be twenty who are captives of the enemy. For every one man who would point you to heaven and help you grow in your faith, there could easily be twenty other that would try to push you right back down into Hell.

James 4:4 says “…whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” Our hope can never lie in the things of this world. This is a land of enemies, not friends. This world is a battlefield and the Lord commands us to be watchful and to be alert.

#4 Our Own Flesh.

If God’s perfection, Satan’s rage and this fallen world is not enough to bring about trials, trouble and tribulation, then we must still contend with our own flesh. Do you realize that there is an enemy inside of each one of us that wars against our souls? 1 Peter 2:11 says, “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”

There is a little world that revolves around me – with me at the center – that is quite enough to give me a great deal of trouble. If I did not have Satan to tempt me, then I would certainly tempt myself! I can be my own worst enemy. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” I carry within me a bomb ready to go off at the slightest hint of temptation. In my heart, I chase after my own desire – and my American desire for comfort – rather than pursuing the much more satisfying things of Christ.

Life Application – The Hope in Trials

So there is really no hope to escape trouble. There is no chance for us to take up our cross and follow after Jesus without it being painful. So what do we do with the trouble we face? Can we overcome it?

The good news is that through Christ, we can face all kinds of trouble victoriously. Remember Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33b You probably fall into one of these 3 categories: Expecting trials, in trials or driven to despair. Let me talk to each of those 3 people groups.

You who are expecting trials

If you are afraid of trials, take heart that no trial can overtake the Child of God. Don’t try to predict the future because you don’t know what the future will hold. God will give you the grace you need to handle the trials as they arrive. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Cross the bridge when you get to it. Spurgeon says, “never bring your troubles nearer than they are, for they will be sure to come down upon you soon enough.”

Are you afraid of trials? In Christ, you are dead to sin and alive to God (Rom 6:11) In Christ, you are free from the Law of sin and death (Rom 8:2). In Christ, you are inseparable from the Love of God (Rom 8:39). Christ in you gives you the hope of Glory.

And then every trial we face, God will use ultimately for our good and his glory. Romans 8:28 says “…we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

The promise we have here is that the child of God will never be overtaken by trials. We can live confidently in the face of tribulation because we know that Christ is for us and Christ is with us and Christ will give us the strength to weather every storm.

When trouble come, stand up and fight. 1 Corinthians 16:13 tells us to “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

Handle:

• Don’t fear the storm before it comes.
• Christ will give you more than enough grace to handle every trial you face.

You who are in trials

Maybe you are in trouble. You may be going through the most difficult time you’ve ever faced. It might feel like you wake up in the morning with a deadweight around your neck. You might dread the beginning of every day.

Let me encourage you with the truth I tell myself when I face trouble: as the troubles grow in a believer’s life, so does the comfort from God. 2 Cor 1:3-4 proclaims, “³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

The times when we face trials are often the times when we deal closest with God. We never have such close interaction with God as the times that we are in tribulation. “For as we share abundantly in Christ‘s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” 2 Corinthians 1:5 We see this with our own children. If I was out on the hiking trail with my children, they may run ¼ mile ahead of me. However, if they came upon a rattlesnake or a mountain lion, how fast do you think they’d come running back to me for protection.

Trials bring us running back to the God of all comfort so we may find again that living close to God is a joyful place to dwell. When we experience the closeness and comfort of God in trials, we begin to understand Paul when tells us to “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Rom 12:12

Handle

• If you’re in a trial, don’t try to face it on your own.
• Run to God.
• Spend time in prayer.
• Read his Word.
• Fellowship with believers who will points you back to Christ.
• Let the God of all Comfort be your source of Comfort

You who are driven to despair

Maybe you are so deep in a trial that it feel like you are not only in a storm, but you’ve fallen off the main deck and into the raging sea. All hope seems lost. The waves are overwhelming you. You don’t know what to do.

I know that during those kind of trials, we can try to kick and struggle and cry out. However, that may just drive us all the deeper into the sea of tribulation. The Psalmist put it very simply when he told us to “Be Still.” Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Handle

• Be still. Trust in who God is and the principles of his Word. You are God and I’m not. . His word is always true and I can trust it, even when my circumstances don’t make sense. God is always good and He always makes right decisions even when I don’t understand them
• Keep focussed on the promise you have of eternal life forever with Him in Heaven. For those who follow Jesus as Lord, there will be a better day… A day with no more sin, no more tears, no more hurt and no more pain. SO, HOLD FAST TO CHRIST

Finally we have this hope that for the Child of God, no matter how bad thigs get, Jesus will “never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb 13:5)