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हम होंगे कामयाब! – 1 योहन्ना 5:1-5
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We shall overcome! – 1 John 5:1-5
We shall overcome!
1 John 5:1-5
- Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.
- By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.
- For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
- For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
- Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Good morning, church! How are you all this morning? To be honest, even though most of us appear to be ok and say that we are doing good – many of us are going through periods of heaviness, trials, failures, loneliness, uncertainties and sicknesses. But I want to remind you dear brothers and sisters of a Saviour who keeps a watch over you and me when our boat rocks through a storm. Isaiah 43:1-2 reminds us – But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” Times like these have the ability to cripple the strongest among us but we hold on and persevere because He has promised – “Behold, I am with you even unto the end of the age. I will never leave you nor forsake you.” When we got Covid, we realised our family and our best friends couldn’t help us by coming over and then the verse in Psalm 46:1 makes sense – “God is our refuge and strength – a very present help in time of trouble.” Indeed he is a very present help amidst the situation that we are going through. In times like these, let’s hold onto His faithfulness and His sovereign authority.
For those who have been following us over the last few weeks, we have been going through a sermon series on 1 John called as “Faith filled friendships” and we continue today with 1 John 5:1-5. Let me read that for you once again –
- Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.
- By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.
- For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
- For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
- Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Shall we take a moment to ask God to enlighten our hearts through His word?
The epistles of John are perfumed with love. The word ‘love’ is continually occurring in almost every passage we read, while the Spirit of love enters into almost every sentence. Each letter is thoroughly soaked with this heavenly honey. When he speaks of God – he exclaims – “God is love”. When he talks about the brethren, his heart brims up with love. And even when he writes about the world – he writes, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.” From the opening to the conclusion, love is the manner, love the matter, love the motive, and love the aim. Therefore it is quite astonishing, to find in this passage – such war like words in so peaceful a writing, for in these words we hear a sound of war. It is not the voice of love, surely, that says, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.” Behold, here there is strife and battle. The word “overcomes” seems to have in it something of guns and warfare, of strife and contention, of agony and wrestling. So unlike the love which is smooth and gentle, which has no harsh words within its lips, and whose words are softer than butter – here we have war—war to the knife, for we read, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world”
Strife until death, battle throughout life, fighting with a certainty of victory. How is it that the same Gospel which always speaks of peace, here proclaims a warfare? How can it be? Simply because there is something in the world which is antagonistic to love. But I love the certainty of victory which John is boldly proclaiming – “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world”. He is certain – A born-again child of God shall overcome! And so I would like to title my sermon today morning – “We shall overcome!”
We shall look at 3 major themes in this text and that is –
- A great victory – “overcomes the world”
- A great birth – “Everyone who has been born of God”
- A great means to victory – “our faith”
A great victory – “Overcomes the world”
Here, the apostle John is boasting about a great victory that a child of God is entitled to. During the last two weeks, the world has been viewing a bloody battle between Palestine and Israel. After the ceasefire – both sides claimed victory and pictures and videos of the victory procession has been doing rounds in the media. Yet this celebration of victory seems very very shallow because this victory involves deaths, sorrow and blood. This celebration of victory makes each side look forward to selfishly fight against each other for conquering the world. The victory which anyone can claim today on any side may end tomorrow in hatred and more deaths. But the victory that John is boasting about is a much much greater victory – a victory that is worth talking about for ages – a victory that has value in this life and also in the age to come! You hear Paul in the last few days of his life talking about this victory in 2 Tim 4:7-8 – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” What a great victory that is, Beloved! Heaven celebrates it and others on earth are encouraged to fight this battle on earth!
I do want to remind you, dear brethren that this victory is a great victory because the battle that we fight is great as well. And this battle is not something which occurs occasionally – but this is a battle which we as children of God face daily – whether we acknowledge it or not. The Bible talks about this battle again and again. Paul admonishes Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:12 – “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” In 2 Timothy 2: 3-4, Paul writes – “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” Ephesians 6 talks about putting on the whole armour of God. And Paul disciplines himself as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 – “So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” Beloved, this victory is a great victory because the battle is a great battle. Do not forget the intensity of the battle, Beloved – till we reach home to the other shore – we have a fight to fight. Do not forget the words of the Lord to the church at Smyrna in Revelation 2:10 – “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
But there is yet another reason why this victory is a great victory – and that is because the enemy mentioned in this passage is a great enemy as well. The common enemies that a child of God fights against is the world, the flesh and the devil but in this passage – the singular enemy that is talked about is the “world”. ‘For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.’ The world! Who is the world? Everyone who is under the sway of the devil is of the world. Everyone who is not a child of God is of the world. And because the children of the devil are the majority all around us – the world entices us to go along with its whims and fancies. When a Christian decides to surrender his/her life to Jesus Christ, he/she puts the world behind and decides to swim against the tide. The world begins to be the Christian’s enemy going ahead. James 4:4 says, “You adulterers and adulteresses – do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God.” And what does the world try to do? It tries to make fun of you, persecute you, entice you and misguide you. I don’t know if you guys have read the book or seen the movie on the Pilgrim’s Progress. It shows the journey of a pilgrim from the city of Destruction to the Celestial City. And you will notice during the journey how the enemy disguises himself in many forms to pull back the pilgrim from his journey. He tries to come in the form of a worldly wise man giving some great advise to get rid of his sin but instead he cleverly tries to misguide the pilgrim from going to the cross. On the other hand, he tries to entice him with worldly riches and prosperity and sometimes tries to mock him along with all the people in the town. When those tricks fail, he tries to persecute him and fellow pilgrims by burning one of them alive. The world tries its best to seduce a Christian away from the love of God. It tries to convince the Christian that the commandments of God are burdensome and probably does not give you complete freedom and joy. It tells you that loving God and loving one another is impossible. It tells you that your broken relationships cannot be repaired. It tells you that your circumstances are pretty screwed up and there is no way of victory for you. It tells you that the pleasures on your phone are more enjoyable than His presence. It numbs you for the things of God and pleads with you to be drunk with netflix and instagram. It tells you that a girlfriend or a marriage is an answer to your problems. The world fights for your hearts’ affections. The world is a subtle enemy and that is pretty depressing but a child of God overcomes the world. Which brings me to my next point – and that is –
A great birth – “Everyone who has been born of God”
Here is a great hope which John tries to drive through this passage. You have a great battle against a great enemy but the victory is certain for those who are born of God. “Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.” The great victory isn’t possible without a great birth. And that is a work of God. No man can conquer the world without God having to work on a man’s heart and operating it and replacing the heart of stone with a heart of flesh. And that is a miracle. According to Leonard Ravenhill’s words – “The greatest miracle that God can do today is to take an unholy man out of an unholy world and make him holy, then put him back into that unholy world and keep him holy in it.” That is indeed a wondrous miracle of God.
What is it to be born again? Very briefly, to be born again is to undergo a change so mysterious that human words cannot speak of it. As we cannot describe our first birth, so it is impossible for us to describe the second just as John 3: 8 describes it – “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” But while it is so mysterious, it is a change which is known and felt. At the time of the new birth, the soul is in great pain—often drowned in seas of tears. I remember the days during which God was working on my heart to regenerate me – when I did think that there was no hope for me and my heart was sinking in despair. But praise God – He did call my name and I did look unto Him and was saved.
Let me tell you, also, that this change is a supernatural one. It is not one that a man performs upon himself just as John says in John 1:12-13 – But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. None of us were born again because of our decisions. Imagine dead Lazarus dead and disintegrating in the tomb – for 4 days! If you ask Lazarus to say the Lord’s prayer. He cannot. You ask him to atleast try – he cannot. He needed the Saviour coming along and calling out his name – “Lazarus, come forth”. Similarly – we were dead in our trespasses and sins. We had a physical body but our spirit was dead. We were under the sway of the wicked one. We were the ones who were “of” the world! But thank God – thank God – He called our name! He made us His own – He transferred us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His Son! He gave us a new heart – He gave us new desires – He led us to repentance and gave us faith to believe – He helped us to see the beauty of Jesus – heavens came down and glory filled my soul! Rebirth is supernatural and is a gift of God – so that no man can boast!
And so now we know that everyone who is born of God overcomes the world! But there are definitely other signs as well which is seen in a born again child’s life (and they are there in this passage) –
- They believe Jesus is the Christ
- They love God
- They love others who are born again (since through this new birth with God as Father – we become brothers and sisters of one an another)
- They obey his commandments (they begin to see the commandments of God as joyful and enjoyable. They don’t see it as a burden anymore. They see that through the new-birth, the Holy Spirit has been poured out in their heart to give them the power to do.)
- And finally – they overcome the world
Beloved brothers and sisters – Do you really know of the experience of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God working on your heart – leading you to repentance and faith? If yes – you are a child of God! And if you are a child of God – here is a certainty of victory in this text – “Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world”
If you are hearing me today and you say – Brother – I do not know what you are talking about. I am alien to the concept of rebirth. I do not experientially see the work of God in my heart and in my life. My relationship with God is only when I come to church and then I forget all about it. I have never experienced Him as my Father. I have never experienced Jesus as my Saviour. But I do want this in my life. I don’t know what you are talking about but I want to know Him. I want to experience the joy which comes through Jesus Christ. Then let me help you today morning. Though I am sure that I can do nothing and only the Holy Spirit can. But I am sure He is working on your heart this morning. You didn’t venture out here into this zoom meeting as an accident. He is drawing you to Him but your heart says – you are a sinner – you cannot go now. That is a lie. Jesus said, “Whoever comes to Me, I will in no-wise cast out.” Jesus said – Come to Me – you who are weary and heavy laden – I will give you rest! He calls you this morning to turn away from the world and look unto the cross! Just one look at the Saviour – who died for you – who died for your sins. He died so that you and I can have new life! So, that you and I can be a conqueror!
And if you are a child of God this morning – with joy in your hearts and great hope – let us cry the song of victory! Why? Because “Whoever is born of God overcomes the world”. We have a sure shot assurance that we shall overcome! We shall overcome! We shall overcome! We shall overcome the despairs and the despondencies of life. We shall overcome over sin and its desires. We shall overcome over the world! Oh yes – we are walking upon broken glasses and we do not have the world snaring and pulling us back – but we shall overcome! “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us”. “I am no longer a slave to fear because I am a child of God!” What a day that will be when our fight shall end and when we see the Saviour giving us a crown of life. Until then – my dear brothers and sisters – fight on – Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. “Be faithful until death and God will give you the crown of life.”
But let me quickly end my discourse reminding you of a great means of Grace which God has given you and me in this battle and that is – our faith!
A great means to victory – Our faith
He that is born of God – believes that Jesus is the Christ. It is not a belief which says – yeah I know Jesus. I do pray to him once in a while. No no no. This belief is a complete reliance on the person and work of Jesus Christ daily. This belief is knowing deep within that I am a great sinner and Jesus Christ is a great Saviour. This faith is knowing that I can overcome the world because He who is in me is greater than He who is in the world! Do you have this faith in your hearts, Beloved. It is a gift of God. Would you turn your eyes upon Jesus this morning and say – “Lord I trust in you. The battle that I fight daily is beyond my strength – but I trust in you. The enemy is great but I trust in You. Some trust in chariots and some in horses but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. Lord, we have no strength. Lord, we do not know what to do. Lord, but our eyes are on you. Because the battle is yours. And since you have overcome – I shall overcome through you. I shall overcome the world because I am a child of God.” Use this means of Grace daily Beloved! – Faith!
Can we bow our heads and pray this morning!
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Bless in the Mess
I, am a slave to Jesus Christ and brother to James, writing to those loved by God the Father, called and kept safe by Jesus Christ. Relax, everything’s going to be all right; rest, everything’s coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way!- Jude 1:1-2
Currently, we are living in such uncertain times. However, it is beautiful to see God’s works especially during trying times.
When a problem arises in our life, that’s when we pause and lift our heads up from our self-centred lifestyle.
In trying times we often say, “Now we can only pray”. It is a mentality which is nurtured that praying is the last option after trying all possible options for resolution by our own strength and now we give it to God.
Jesus gave his life for us, not for us to go to him last but first. We are called to relax and trust in him, that by His strength everything is going to be all right.
What does relax and trust in him mean?
When we are relaxed, we rest it out, it is a state of rest. It is either because of something good that has happened that we are at peace or most of the times we are expectant of a favourable outcome.
God wants us to rest in him, being expectant of an outcome which is favourable. It might not be an instant gratification which is self-pleasing but it will be one which will impart glory to him.
I want to highlight a short personal story here. Recently, my father slipped in the bathroom. Generally, a super anxious me would have panicked. But that very moment, I could trust in God because I know He’s there and nothing is a surprise to Jesus.
I prayed and sought God. I felt restful amidst the chaos. It was only because I could open my heart to Jesus; trusting in his promise that all things work together for good. I was expectant that He would use this situation to glorify Him.
Praise God that my father was all fine and did not have a scratch on his body or any fractured bones – all his reports were clean. Furthermore, I got a chance to share a bible verse with him and tell him how the church family prayed for him. It gave me the courage to tell him about how good God is. I could proclaim my Christian faith so boldly to my father who is a non-believer.
This was a much-needed reminder.
We are “Called”, this refers not to a general invitation to salvation, but to God’s irresistible, elective call to salvation. This call yields:
(1) Fellowship with Christ (1 Cor. 1:9);
(2) Peace (1 Cor. 7:15);
(3) Freedom (Gal. 5:13);
(4) A worthy walk (Eph. 4:1);
(5) Hope (Eph. 4:4);
(6) Holiness (1 Peter 1:15);
(7) Blessing (1 Peter 3:9);
(8) Eternal glory (1 Peter 5:10);
(9) Grace of our God (verse 4).
When we get a call we need to answer the telephone. Similarly, it is important to answer to God’s call; we are 21st Century temples of God who need to be visible.
We need to be expectant of Christ favoured outcome. Bible mentions us to be anxious for nothing but let our hearts be praying unceasingly, knowing that our Lord is not distant but an everlasting, living God who hears our prayers and is so close to us.
It is only when our hearts are opened and expectant of Jesus to be present and working in our everyday lives that we will be filled with hope which is everlasting.
Jesus, I pray for humility and a restful heart. Let me be expectant of everything to work together in love according to your will and glory.
Amen
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?- Romans 8:31
In Christ, we are a new creation. We need to let go of our old do-it-yourself life. The best thing to do is to give it a decent burial.
We wrestle with our emotions during times of struggle and despair. Jesus never told us that we wouldn’t have problems. However, he has promised us that He will be right with us in the midst of all the despair and take us through it.
The same Spirit that rose Jesus from the dead is in us when we put our faith in his life and resurrection. This resurrected life which we received from God is not a timid, grave tending life. It is an adventure, greeting God with a childlike, ” What’s next Papa?”.
There is no comparison between the present hard time and coming good times. Even when we do not know what to pray, the Spirit intercedes for us. Jesus knows our deepest longing.
God proved his love for us when he put everything on the line for us by giving his only Son so that he can embrace us. In that case, will he not bring you out of a difficult situation? Nothing is impossible with God.
I request you if there is anything which is a burden to you, start over this time with God.
This means to let go of the do-it-yourself project and give it to Jesus. Surrender. Relinquish control and acknowledge Jesus to take over, depending on His strength.
His Word reminds us that He works all things for our good.
Jesus, we are weak. But we know that in our weakness you are strong. We do not have control over the situation. We relinquish the reigns of our life and surrender to you. Lord, you have made us new. Thank you that you are for us and we can trust in your goodness. Love you Jesus.
Amen.
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Noise cancellation
Proverbs 4:21-
“Let [my words] not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.”
The fan in my living room was making a squeaky noise this entire day. It was very irritating at first but then I got used it. However, while putting myself to sleep in the night, the noise became so clear that it induced irritation and anxiety in me, especially as I am a light sleeper.
When it got too much to handle, I stumbled upon the earphone besides me. Surprisingly when I put the earphones I couldn’t hear the squeaky sound of the fan. I heaved a sigh of relief.
I didn’t move somewhere else nor did the fan squeaking stop. I just did some noise cancellation.
God’s words are the earphones we need to cancel the unnecessary babble of everyday life. We don’t need to move.
Psalm 46:10 says ” Be still and know that I am God.” Jesus brought heaven down.
When our sin was great, His love was greater. When we fill ourselves with God’s word, we will be able to counter the lies which the devil speaks in our ears. The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy and he does this a lot of times by instilling fear in us.
However, we serve the Lord, whose name itself is so powerful. The Word empowers us to detect error; it sets us free from sin (John 8:32-34).
It grows us up spiritually (1 Peter 2:2), equips us for ministry and enables us to pray according to the will of God.
Therefore, be full of God’s word.
Lord, thank you for reminding us time and again of your unchanging love. Fill us with your Word. Help us, with the power of the Holy Spirit, to hear you with our spiritual ears, meditate on your Word with our hearts, obey your Word and finally bear fruit unto you.
Amen
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God Prepares the Called
Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” John 21:22
In this busy and short-sighted world, we live in, we think that we always fall short of something. We look at the new car our neighbour bought, or the promotion our colleague received, right from the colour of our skin to the money in the bank account, we compare ourselves with our peers, friends and social media friends. This often leads to self-doubt which spirals into all kinds of emotions, stirring a mental battle within our minds.
We are in spiritual warfare. Comparison is a joy killer. Satan uses it to get us away from God and doubt His love for us.
Here is a reminder.
You are called to be You. God has made you with so much detail, not so that you would be like someone else but yourself. You are called and chosen by the One who bore your transgressions on the cross of Calvary, Jesus Christ. He died for you because He loves you. He was the ransom which was paid for our sins. When you compare his work, you doubt his creation and his plan.
God already has a plan for our lives. He has gifted us with the privilege to reflect Him through all that we say and do. God doesn’t call the ’prepared’ but prepares the ’called’.
We don’t have to do what others are doing, we have to do what God has called us to do. We got to trust him with His plan and surrender ourselves.
We are custom designed by God for fulfilling His purpose and calling over our lives.
Jesus died to make us “free indeed” (John 8:36), and this includes freedom from the tyranny of sinful comparison.
Prayer: Jesus, we humble ourselves under your mighty hand, trusting you to redeem us from all our suffering. Let us exalt you in the way that will bring you glory and help us find joy in you.
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Why does God allow trials?: James 1:2-4
Good morning, dearest brothers and sisters. How are you all doing today? It’s been more than 4 months since we last met and we do not know how long we will be meeting like this but we pray that God would do a miracle in bringing the situation under control.
Brothers and sisters, I believe each one of us have been going through a very trying season – in one way or the other – and now, much more than ever, we long and yearn for one another’s prayers and support.
Let me assure you, my Beloved Brethren – He who cares for the birds of the air – how much more will He care for you and me – His children.
The Psalmist declares –
Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Let not your faith bog down during this period of anxiety and uncertainty and pain and sickness and sorrow and fear –
He who fed the prophet Elijah during the famine – sending the ravens with food to eat and provided for the widow to feed him daily –
That same God cares for you too! Let not your anxiety draw you away from the plan and purpose that God has for your life – through this period of trial.
Brothers and sisters, as you all know – lately – we concluded a series on “Abiding faith” from 1 Thessalonians and began a series on “Faith in action” from the book of James. Let us look at our passage for today:
James 1:2-4 – Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Let us pray.
I read of an incident written by a man named Dr. Parnell Bailey – “I once visited an orange grove where an irrigation pump had broken down. The season was unusually dry and some of the trees were beginning to die for lack of water.
The man giving the tour then took me to his own orchard where irrigation was used sparingly. “These trees could go without rain for another 2 weeks,” he said.
“You see, when they were young, I frequently kept water from them. This hardship caused them to send their roots deeper into the soil in search of moisture.
Now, mine are the deepest-rooted trees in the area. While others are being scorched by the sun, these are finding moisture at a greater depth.”
Beloved, James begins his epistle with a rather strange command – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds”.
He felt no need to start with an introduction – because probably the recipients of this letter – who were dispersed across different parts of the world – were all going through some tough times – not just for their faith in Jesus Christ – but also “trials of various kinds” as mentioned by James.
Is it not the same with many of us today – the children of God in this world are indeed going through “trials of various kinds”.
The Psalmist says in Psalm 34:19 –
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers Him out of them all.” Note that the trials of the righteous are not just one or two – but “many” – of “various” kinds.
And James doesn’t say “if you meet trials of various kinds” but he says – “when you meet trials of various kinds” – thus emphasising that each of us would go through trials of various kinds.
But he adds this small phrase – “Count it all joy” – when you go through trials of various trials. That’s where it gets tough.
You are going through a painful trial in your life and the Bible commands us – to count it all joy – not because it is a joyful experience – no
it is painful – it is excruciating – it is taking away all your energy – physically, emotionally and spiritually – yet even through that – the Bible commands us to count it all joy!
Why?
Why should I rejoice and be joyful when I am going through a painful experience?
That doesn’t make sense at all to the natural man. For the natural man – moments of joy are only when something nice happens like – getting high grades, getting a good job, having a great house, having a good spouse, getting a kid, buying a good car, getting lots of money, having a relaxed lifestyle.
Well, though these are nice happy things to have – the spiritual man’s joy is not dependent on any of these. That is why he is told to count it all joy when he meets trials of various kinds.
So, why should he count it as joy? –
Let us try understanding that through the passage and if you haven’t been able to count your trials as all joy –
I pray that God would open your spiritual eyes this morning to see His love in allowing us to go through various trials.
I would like to title my sermon as “Why does God allow trials?” And I want to show you through the text how God allows trials in our lives so as to accomplish 3 things:
- God allows trials in our lives so that He may test our faith
- God allows trials in our lives so that through the testing of faith – we may be steadfast
- God allows trials in our lives so that through steadfastness – we may be perfect
And these 3 come – one after the other.
This is the chronology –
Testing our faith -> steadfastness -> perfection
And when we understand the why – we will be able to count it all joy – when we meet trials of various kinds
1. God allows trials in our lives so that He may test our faith
James says – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” When I meet trials of various kinds, God is testing my faith.
When I first read this – I started thinking – Doesn’t God really know me already – doesn’t he know my faith? Yes. Then why does He need to test my faith? And that thought came to me because I had a wrong understanding of spiritual “testing”.
We have a test or an interview (in the natural sense) – to evaluate the other person. But spiritual testing is not for God to evaluate you or to understand how much is your faith.
No.
God knows it already. But spiritual testing is for you to know yourself – your faith? Beloved, we as human beings – even after being children of God – we have a high view of ourselves and our faith.
We think we are strong in faith just like Peter when he told Jesus – “Even if everyone else falls away, I will not fall away.
I am ready to go with you even to prison and to death” – and what did Jesus reply – “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me thrice”.
Well, Jesus knew Peter very well and the depth of his faith but Peter didn’t know himself and God allowed Peter to go through the trial of temptation so that Peter could see his own frailty. Brothers and sisters – “God’s will for us is our sanctification”.
And Sanctification can truly happen only when you understand how inadequate you are and how weak your faith is. Without knowing your own wretchedness, you will not be able to depend upon God – who is our source of sanctification and holiness.
And how does God make you understand your frailty – by testing your faith. And how does he test your faith – by allowing you to meet trials of various kinds.
When you go through persecution for Christ’s name sake – you see your own fear and anxiety and depend on God for boldness. When you get a sickness – you see your own need for depending on God for strength.
When you get a tough boss – you see how much your heart hates to submit to authority and how restless you become. When your work gets too pressurizing – you see how you lose all your rest and peace.
When you lose your job – you see how dependent you were on your job instead of God – who takes care of your future and your career. When you lose money – you see how much you loved money.
When you meet a difficult brother or sister – you see the lack of love for him/her in your own heart. When your partner does a mistake or your kids do something wrong – you see how easily you get angry.
When Jesus and his disciples went in a boat to cross over from one side to another – there was a storm and the boat seemed to be toppling. Jesus was fast asleep. But his disciples became black and blue.
They frantically called Jesus to wake up. He woke up and silenced the storm and then turned to the disciples and asked –
“Why were you so fearful? Where is your faith?”
That was a test – to show them their own hearts that even though they had the creator of the seas and the storms with them on the boat – yet their faiths were so shallow and fear ruled their hearts during trying times.
Beloved, God allows trials to show how weak and fragile and sinful you are in yourselves and how much you need to depend on God and His faithfulness.
Let me add one more thing here – testing of your faith is not just to show you how much your faith is lacking – but also to show you how much your God is faithful when you cling to Him.
Think about the same storm in which the disciples were so fearful – in the midst of their helplessness and hopelessness and fear – they saw that Jesus with one word silenced the storms and that the storms and seas were subject to Him.
There is a beautiful song which I love to sing time and time again – “Through every trial – each test and temptation – one thing is sure every time – Over and over – again and again – God is faithful!” God allows trials in your life so that through the testing of your faith – you would grow in your knowledge of the faithfulness of God! Now does it make sense why James says – Count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds? But let me go on to my next point –
2. God allows trials in our lives so that through the testing of faith – we may be steadfast
James says in verse 3 – “for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness”.
Beloved, through the testing of our faith – a wonderful nature is developed in the heart of a Christian maturing through trials – steadfastness. When you google steadfastness – it gives you this meaning – resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering.
This again gives a wrong picture of Biblical steadfastness. This dictionary meaning of steadfastness makes us imagine a huge giant like man – who is firm and unwavering and ready to take every fight in the face.
Sadly – such giants fall off in this spiritual battle like Goliath who fell down on his face. The true picture of spiritual steadfastness is a weak man hidden behind a huge fort or a refuge.
His strength is not in Himself but in that which he takes refuge in. He is steadfast – firm and unwavering – because he has learnt through his tests and trials and temptations to rely not on the arm of flesh but on the arm of the Almighty God.
Hallelujah! God tests us time and time again – and when we think we won’t fall – He allows us to fall on our faces and then He picks us up and dusts us and cleanses us and then says – “Try again – but this time – trust in Me.”
Beloved, that is true steadfastness – learning through each trial, each test and temptation – to rely on God and draw strength from Him. Think about that little boy David when he came to fight against Goliath – David had no trust in sword and shield but his trust was in the name of the Lord.
He says in Psalm 91:2 – I will say to the Lord “You are my refuge and fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” And indeed, such a man or a woman – will be firm like a mountain – steadfast – even when trials rock and roll – even when storms beat all around – His heart abides in the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, we need more such steadfast men and women in our midst. Men and women – who trust God unconditionally! Those who don’t run away after a failure!
Those who don’t give up after a string of failures in their sanctification journey! Those whose roots keep growing deeper and deeper into God – until God is all that they have!
Their joy no longer stems from the things of this world – the temporal blessings of this life – but their joy is from Him – rooted and grounded in Him – madly in love with the person of Jesus Christ.
Ah! How will we get such steadfast men and women? Only through trials and tests!
Much before our marriage, I fell in love with Abiah – my wife – and I felt nobody in the whole world could love her as much as I could. And I felt there was no greater love than that which I experienced for her before my marriage.
We have now completed 3.5 years and I now feel that that love before marriage was very shallow. Today – that love seems like nothing. Because that love was untested! It hadn’t faced the day by day trials and failures that every relationship and marriage goes through.
But through every trial and failure, God helped us to love each other and trust each other more and more and even understand each other even in silence and storms.
The trials and struggles we went through led us into greater steadfastness and dependence on God. But the point that I wish to emphasize is that our love 3.5 years ago was an untested love – and that untested love is very shallow – even if it has a lot of words and show and pomp.
Similarly an untested Christian is an unstable Christian even if he sings the best songs and preaches the best sermons. That is why in the verses that follow – James talks about an unstable man – who doubts and wavers like the waves of the sea – such is the condition of an untested man – whose roots have not gone in deep and hence there is no steadfastness.
Therefore my dear brothers and sisters – count it all joy – when you go through trials of various kinds – for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness – a resolutely firm and unwavering steadfastness in God. Let me hurry on to my last point –
3. God allows trials in our lives so that through steadfastness – we may be perfect
James doesn’t stop with steadfastness – rather he says in verse 4 – “And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Through testing of our faith – we understand our frailty and God’s faithfulness. It then leads to steadfastness in trusting God and depending on Him. But steadfastness can have its full effect when we become perfect and complete – lacking nothing.
What is this perfection and completeness that James is talking about? It is that perfection which God brings about in our lives through the trials that He allows us to meet with.
And that perfection doesn’t mean absolute perfection but perfection in that which the trial was intended to test. When a student passes a test in the 3rd grade – he is perfected according to the standards of a 3rd grade child.
He then goes to 4th grade and will face a bigger test according to 4th Grade. Hence, let us not assume this as absolute perfection but a perfection in that which we were tested in.
And this perfection which James is talking about – I believe – refers to spiritual maturity. The maturity that comes when we meet with various trials. Beloved, God perfects his people in holiness and purity and spiritual maturity through the trials that we meet – day by day.
And it is so very amazing to see fellow brothers and sisters who have come out of a time of extreme trying. We think they will be frustrated and discouraged. No. Not at all. They would be the ones who through their trials have their roots gone deeper into God.
Those who – through their brokenness and constant struggles – have learned to trust in God. And they are the ones whom God can work through. Think about Moses in the Old Testament – you would think that the best time for God to work through Him for His people’s deliverance was when Moses was the Prince in Pharaoh’s house.
And Moses himself thought the same. He went out and killed an Egyptian who was trying to beat a fellow Israelite. But that led to more problem. He had to run away from Egypt. He finally landed up in the house of Jethro and fed sheep for 40 years until he became an old man – broken and bruised through His trials and struggles.
When God meets him at the burning bush – he is a man who is so aware of his weaknesses – “I am a man of stammering lips. Why will people believe me now? Can you not send someone else instead of me”.
And God looks at him and goes – “Ah, here is my perfect candidate – a broken man – who has no trust on himself – now I can show him My power.”
Isn’t that the same case with all the men and women of God whom we know throughout history – the apostle Paul said that he asked God 3 times to take away the thorn which was there in his flesh? But God said – “No, Paul – My Grace is sufficient for you.
My strength is perfected in your weakness.” Beloved, the world’s definition of strength and maturity is warped and unproductive. In God’s eyes, a perfect man or a perfect woman is one who has had his/her faith tested so much so that he/she is now steadfast in the Lord and through steadfastness is now being perfected in God.
And that is why dear brothers and sisters, even though our trials seem painful – James encourages us to count it all joy knowing that through the testing of our faith we may become steadfast and perfect.
Beloved, I am sure many of those who are hearing me are going through various trials and I know not what are you going through this morning – but I want to plead with you – to ask God to make you steadfast in Him and perfected in Him – through what you are going through.
When you suffer, remember this – you suffer trials in the presence of God – He knows exactly what you are going through – He is there in your boat – apparently sleeping while you struggle – but that’s not true.
He is the 4th man who enters the fire when 3 of God’s servants were being burnt. He allowed that trial in your life – because He loves you!
Oh – how I wish I could scream that out to you – He allowed that trial in your life – because He loves you – and whom He loves – He chastens – not to destroy you but to make you steadfast and to perfect you.
Beloved – count it all joy! Rejoice! You are suffering before the face of God orchestrated by the purpose of God for the purpose of your sanctification and perfection.
Amen!
Categories
Loving Difficult People
“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” – Matthew 5:46
It is so difficult to practise love; a love which doesn’t keep a record of the wrongs. God loves us even when we fail Him. He waits for us to repent. But what if we don’t repent? Does he abandon us? No. He still waits. He speaks to us in different ways and brings circumstances together for us to come to him. He disciplines us because He loves us just as an earthly father would discipline his child.
Similarly, when someone doesn’t behave with us in the best way, how do we respond? Do we speak to them bitterly and take revenge? Or do we honour God by taking the first step to reconcile remembering that Christ has done the same with us
When Jesus bore all our sins on the cross, he didn’t keep a record of our wrongs. If He, being the Son of Man can choose to forgive us from all our sins, we can choose to let go of our grudge and also forgive the one who has wronged us. How easy it is to love someone who is easy to love. The real challenge is to love someone who is difficult.
We can ask God for grace to not run away, but to keep displaying love towards that difficult-to-love person. Remember God’s grace over your sins. Ask God to give you the same grace to deal with the person. Find ways to bless them. Maybe by dropping in a text or catching up over coffee.
To respond to others in grace is not possible certainly by our own strength. We need to pray to God to help us show grace to difficult people in our lives. Pray to God to soften their hearts and work in them.
It is certainly difficult to love difficult people. But what is the reward in loving people who love us back? Love should not be based on our feelings rather it should flow from our heart, and in obedience to God’s command?
Lord, thank you for the grace you showered on us when we were still walking in the dark. Help us by your grace and intervention, to love people the way you loved us even when we were your enemies.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” – James 1:5
God waits for us to come to him.
It is so rewarding when after an entire struggle of figuring things out for yourself, you are so tired and can still go back to God.
At times it is difficult, but when it is tough we need to ask God to give us the courage to pray.
Recently at work, I was going through this really difficult time. Right from the environment, culture, co-workers, persistently everything was getting on my nerves.
Every time this happened, I acknowledged that I was trying to gain control and rely on my own capacity and strength.
However, God is always good. Even when I was being bitter and sinful, God had mercy on me. He showed me ways I can change the tinted glasses I was looking at the world with. I was convicted that it was not for my glory I was created but for His.
We need to rely on his plans. We are the chosen daughters and sons of this amazing Father in Heaven who is longing for us. The question here is what are we longing for?
Prayer is a very intricate path to having a relationship with Jesus. We grow any relationship when we invest in it. It is definitely not because of our works, that God loves us. If that was the case, we would have perished long back. But it is by his grace that we have been saved.
Let us ask Jesus to teach us how to pray during our quiet time with Him. Even the Apostles who were with Jesus asked Him how they should pray and Jesus helped them then.
As the word says, He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The same Jesus who was with the Apostles on the boat is with you on your lifeboat. Have faith; even faith as much as a mustard seed can move mountains. May we ask God to show ways to be used for His Kingdom purposes and to reveal his plans for us.
Jesus, help us spend more intimate time with you daily. Help us know you more and trust in you at all times. Amen.