How Can Trials Be Worth More Than Gold?

1Peter 1:1-8

Oct 7, 2012 AM

Pastor Craig Ledbetter

Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland

www.biblebc.com

 

I.       Introduction (1Peter 1:7)

 

A.    The Trials and Troubles of a Christian’s Life. What a fun subject! Yet THIS is the theme this whole month! Why?

B.     Because Peter says in verse 7 that ANY TRIAL a Christian experiences is worth more than GOLD itself!

C.     But HOW can that be a good thing? Because the result of our trials produces something worth more than all the gold in the world!

 

1.      FACT: Gold doesn’t decay or grow dim with time. It is not like silver that needs polishing. YET, the Bible plainly declares that one day, way out in the future, even gold, as durable as it is, will perish. But not our faith!!!

2.      What a thought!

 

D.    This morning, let’s learn…

 

1.      What IS Your Faith?

2.      What is a Trial of Your Faith?

3.      What is The Refining Process that God Uses?

4.      What are the Benefits of Troubles to the Believer?

5.      What are the amazing Results of our Troubles?

6.      Finally, HOW to Endure Troubles as a Christian

 

II.    Background – all this is amazing!

 

A.    Peter’s Audience – The Strangers (1Peter 1:1,2)

 

1.      He is writing to believers – not to everyone in the world – not hardly anyone else would be interested in what he is about to say

2.      He describes WHO we are as believers

 

a.       Strangers to the world

b.      Scattered throughout the world

c.       Elect – chosen, special to God – not rejects, but accepted in the beloved!

d.      Sanctified – cleansed, ready to be used of God

e.       By obedience, and the blood of Jesus Christ

 

3.      Remember, this is who we are as Christians!

 

B.     Peter’s Joy (1Peter 1:3-5)

 

1.      This is why we get excited and rejoice about things!

 

a.       A Christian rejoices IN the God and Father of Jesus Christ!

b.      We revel in God’s Mercy

c.       Our joy has such hope – a lively hope

d.      We rejoice in the resurrection!

e.       In our security

f.       And in our perfect salvation!

 

2.      Remember, all that is WHY we can rejoice! Every born again believer HAS all these things from the moment they asked Jesus Christ to save them!

 

C.     Peter’s Challenge to Us (1Peter 1:6-8) – this is the hard part!

 

1.      A believer… a born again child of almighty God has all the above (think about it), and should be able to shout and praise God and rejoice about it all, no matter what…

2.      But there are times when there is great heaviness – Peter knows it well!

 

a.       Seasons of temptations

b.      Layers upon layers of temptations – manifold (many-folded) temptations

c.       Times where your very faith and confidence is on trial!

 

3.      It truly is easy to enjoy the promises and blessings of God

4.      It is much harder to enjoy and praise God during troubles, and problems, and heartaches that we all experience

5.      So Peter sets out to write this letter, under the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit, to encourage believers

 

a.       First, he PREPARES us for troubles – by letting us know we are not immune!

b.      Then he shows us the PURPOSE of our troubles

c.       And then he finishes by showing us HOW to endure troubles as a Christian

 

6.      Believe me, he KNOWS what he is writing about – because he has experienced everything he is about to say!

 

III. Message – Let’s Understand the Trial of Our Faith

 

A.    What IS Your Faith?

 

1.      Your faith is what you say you believe - what we think we believe from the Bible

 

a.       We may accept something as true or real

 

1)      that God exists

2)      that there is a heaven

3)      That God will take care of us

 

b.      We may even be sure of what we believe

 

1)      Because we read about it in the Bible

2)      Because someone religious told us so

 

c.       But if our faith stops there and never takes deep root in our life… if it never survives troubles and attacks and disasters, then, it ain’t faith at all!

 

1)      In other words, an untested faith is an unreliable faith – and that ain’t faith!

2)      Real, living, working faith affects more than just your brain – it affects your hands, your feet, your thoughts, your words, your goals, your purpose, your will,… your entire life!

3)      But if it doesn’t affect any of that, then it is only words that you have read but don’t really believe, and the devil will make sure you end up throwing such “rubbish” away as fast as possible (Heb 10:35,36) – that’s why people “quit” Christianity – what they thought they believed had no reality in them!

4)      Same as like someone bragging they are so strong… until arm-wrestling proves they are a wimp!

 

2.      We all can probably say we have faith in God, a confidence in Him… but when tested, how does our faith stand up?

 

a.       Do we crumble at the first sign of affliction?

b.      Or, does our faith remain strong, even when our friends are saying that we're crazy?

c.       Where do you flee when your faith is tested? To "your mountain of success"? Or to your prayer closet?

 

3.      David lived a life full of faith-testings.

 

a.       As a shepherd, he and his little flock of sheep were attacked by lions and bears (1 Sam. 17:37) – that would be scary!

b.      He, in faith, battled Goliath, alone (1 Sam. 17:45-f) – he had no one encouraging him that day

c.       He was pursued to the death by the king Saul (1 Sam. 19-31) – for 7 years – no let up either

d.      He was presented with the temptation to kill-off his arch enemy, king Saul on TWO different occasions and yet he wisely backed down (1 Sam. 24; 1 Sam. 26).

e.       As king, David faced civil wars (2 Sam. 3), angry Philistines (2 Sam. 5), and a rebellious son bent on killing him (2 Sam. 13).

f.       David's faith in his God was not an easy faith – it was a constantly tested faith. Just as yours and mine is!

 

4.      What good would an untested faith be, anyway? As good as an untested used car!!!

 

a.       An untested faith is an unproven faith. Many say that they believe in God, that they trust in God, but mere words mean nothing. Faith, to be discerned, must be tested; and faith, to be tested, must bear affliction. We learn the extent of our faith by seeing how well it stands up under affliction. A strictly fair-weather faith is no faith at all.

b.      When a calm reigns on the sea, you can spread the sails as you will, but the ship does not move to its harbour. Yet, let the winds rush and howl, and let the waters lift themselves, and though the vessel may rock and her deck may be washed with waves and her mast may creak under the pressure of the full and swelling storm, it is then that she makes her best headway toward her desired haven.

c.       No stars gleam as brightly as those that glisten in the darkest midnight sky; no water tastes as sweet as that which springs up from the deepest desert sand; and no faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs in the midst of adversity.

 

B.     What is a Trial of Your Faith?

 

1.      A Trial, in the Bible, is three things. Something happening in your life that:

 

a.       Refines you

b.      Reveals you

c.       Proves you

 

2.      A trial is a REVEALING process first – exposing what is deep inside – often hidden to outside viewers

 

a.       Impurities – what we are naturally

b.      Lies that we hold to that did not come from God

c.       Hypocrisies in our own life

d.      Whether we are even born again or just faking it (2Cor 13:5)

e.       Troubles in our life REVEAL what is going on inside – and we usually don’t like what we see!

 

3.      A Trial is a REFINING Process (Psalm 66:10-12; Proverbs 17:3)

 

a.       A trial is a REFINING process - perfecting

b.      First exposing what we ARE and what is IN us – that is the first step

c.       And then removing impurities (thank God) – we can’t hold onto things that the Lord is trying to take away and burn away

d.      So that we can be better than we were, cleaner, stronger – like Jesus

e.       The heat of the trouble actually Strengthens what remains – bonds all the parts together

 

1)      As an individual with their Lord

2)      As a church, bonding together through the fire

 

f.       Take heart, that God won’t leave us alone in the trial (Isa 43:2)

g.      It is actually HE who is in absolute control of the process

 

4.      A trial is a PROVING process – to the world and to the devil that faith works!

 

a.       Remember Job? (Job 23:10)

 

1)      Minding his own business, right with God, worshipping God, faithful to God

2)      Yet the devil questioned if he was really for real

3)      And the Lord said, Yes he is.

4)      But the devil said he was only a godly man because he had no problems, and that if pushed, he would crumble and end up cursing God to His face

5)      God said, have at him

6)      And BOY did the devil work Job over

7)      And Job PROVED his faith was working – he had solid faith in God’s work on him (Job 23:10) – obviously his faith was real!

 

b.      Remember Jesus?

 

1)      He was supposed to be the pure and perfect Son of God right?

2)      Well, he could claim anything, but the devil came along to see if this Jesus was really for real

3)      And so the devil poured everything on Jesus – everything

4)      And Jesus was real, through and through!

 

c.       Next time you are in a trial, remember that the Lord might be trying to prove to the devil that you really are REAL!

d.      If we are Bible believers, if we are born again Christians, then WHAT we SAY we believe, will always be tested, put on trial

e.       And it is THAT trial that reveals just how real our confidence is!

 

5.      Peter is speaking first hand! His faith was tested, put on trial!

 

a.       Jesus foretold the testing of Peter’s faith (Lk 22:31,32)

b.      Peter experienced it (Mk 16:55-72)

c.       And then Peter’s faith was tested again when the women came saying that Jesus was actually risen from the dead just like He had said!

d.      His confidence in Jesus was tested AGAIN when Jesus asked him to be ready to follow Him no matter where it led (John 21:21-22)!

e.       Peter’s faith was tested and proven again when he was forced to stand in front of the same Sanhedrin that had caused the crucifixion of Jesus (Acts 5:27-29)

f.       His faith was tested AGAIN when he was captured and imprisoned in preparation for a beheading the next morning – but by then, his faith is unshakeable (Acts 12:4-6)

 

C.    There are So Many KINDS of Trials

 

1.      There is NO ONE alive who does not have what they hold to, what they are trusting, tested!

 

a.       Doesn’t matter if they are a Born again believer, or a pagan or an atheist

b.      They ALL have times of testings that force them to evaluate whether they really believe what they say they believe

 

2.      There are as many kinds of trials a person could be going through as there are minutes in a month!

 

a.       Someone has a health trial

b.      Someone else has family troubles – marriage, runaway son or daughter

c.       Someone else has financial testings

d.      Or caught up in national conflicts like wars – like Syria

e.       Or even natural disasters, like hurricanes, earthquakes, “acts of God” (Mark 13:7,8)

f.       And then there are emotional trials – depression, always angry

 

3.      You may yearn to be free from whatever trouble you are in right now (Ps 38:6; 34:6) and that is a right thing to wish and pray for…

4.      But realise that there will be other troubles

 

a.       You may wish to not have financial worries and struggles – but would you rather have the heartache of a wayward son or daughter?

b.      You may have the burden of an unsaved husband or loved one – but would you rather have a health trial?

 

5.      We need to THANK God that he has given you the troubles you have and not what another person has!

 

a.       Life is good for a believer, but it will usually be hard – that’s the honest truth!

b.      Our grandparents understood this reality – it is OUR generation that thinks we shouldn’t have troubles!

 

D.    The Intended Results of our Troubles (1Peter 1:7)

 

1.      We believe troubles are meant to ruin us – but they are not meant to destroy us (Gen 50:20). We can let them ruin us if we want, but God means to use troubles and temptations and trials

 

a.       Troubles cause us to give the BEST kind of praise to God – not empty words, or superficial feelings, but deep, real praise to God!

b.      Trials and tribulations are a way to bring the HIGHEST form of honour to the Lord Jesus

c.       They are the best means by which we bring the greatest glory to Jesus Christ at His Second Coming!

 

2.      But all that only happens when we let the trial bring out those things, instead of bringing out the old corrupt man that we used to be!

 

IV. Application – How to Endure Trials as a Christian (1Peter 1:8)

 

A.    Remember, the theme this whole month! We need to learn that trials are what make faith more precious than gold!

B.     Peter ends up by showing us HOW to endure troubles as a Christian

 

1.      Differently than we used to handle them – Jesus is worthy of reacting differently than we used to, to our troubles and trials

 

a.       No more aggression, or bitterness, or turning to drink or pills!

b.      But instead, blessing those that hurt you and use you and persecute you

c.       Praying for God to get the glory instead of the devil

 

2.      By loving someone you have never yet seen – staying in love with HIM!

 

a.       Every attack of the devil is intended to drive a wedge between the believer and the Lord

b.      Let it like Paul’s thorn, drive you to a sweeter, richer walk with Jesus Christ!

 

3.      By believing Him without reservation – without hesitation!

 

a.       We try and believe everything we are taught – dogma, doctrine

b.      But our strength comes from trusting Jesus, resting in His mighty arms and in His will

c.       Paul was on a sinking ship in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and headed for the rocky shore of an unknown island, and he stood and said with a smile, Everything’s going to be fine… because I believe God! No hesitation!

 

4.      By going ahead and rejoicing when you don’t feel like it, when you don’t even WANT to, but you CHOOSE to!!!

5.      And you endure BY FAITH, going against all feelings of heaviness!

 

V.    Conclusion

 

A.    Peter says in 1Pet 1:7 that any TRIAL a Christian experiences is worth more than GOLD itself!

B.     How can that be true? How can our trials, our troubles, our mess-ups and even failures produce something worth more than all the gold in the world!

 

1.      Life is so full of heaviness

 

a.       Seasons of temptations

b.      Layers upon layers of temptations

c.       Times where your very faith and confidence is on trial!

 

2.      So… Life is meant to be lived by FAITH – REAL faith!

 

a.       It has to be more than what you say you believe

b.      It has to have deep root in our life to survive troubles and attacks and disasters

c.       If our faith doesn’t enable us to conquer, then, it ain’t faith at all! Only untested faith!

d.      What good would an untested faith be, anyway? An untested faith is an unproven faith. Many say that they believe in God, that they trust in God, but mere words mean nothing. Faith, to be discerned, must be tested; and faith, to be tested, must bear affliction. We learn the extent of our faith by seeing how well it stands up under affliction. A strictly fair-weather faith is no faith at all.

 

3.      So In Comes a Trial of Your Faith

 

a.       Revealing – exposing what is deep inside – often hidden to outside viewers

b.      REFINING - purifying (Psalm 66:10-12; Proverbs 17:3)

c.       PROVING– to the world and to the devil that faith works!

d.      Next time you are in a trial, remember that the Lord might be trying to prove to the devil that you really are REAL!

 

4.      The Intended Results of our Troubles (1Peter 1:7)

 

a.       Troubles cause us to give the BEST kind of praise to God – not empty words, or superficial feelings, but deep, real praise to God!

b.      Trials and tribulations are a way to bring the HIGHEST form of honour to the Lord Jesus

c.       They are the best means by which we bring the greatest glory to Jesus Christ at His Second Coming!

 

5.      But all that only happens when we let the trial bring out those things, instead of bringing out the old corrupt man that we used to be!

 

C.    So, How to Endure Trials as a Christian (1Peter 1:8)

 

1.      Differently than we used to handle them

2.      By loving someone you have never seen – staying in love with HIM!

3.      By believing Him without reservation

4.      By going ahead and rejoicing when you don’t feel like, when you don’t even WANT to, but you WANT to act on who you are believing!!!

5.      By FAITH, going against all feelings of heaviness!

 

D.    How Are Your Troubles Affecting YOU?

 

1.      Humbled you yet?

2.      Exposed you?

3.      Proved you?

4.      Purified you?

5.      Examine yourselves to see if there is any substance to your faith? See if you even are born again?

6.      If not, TODAY is the day to get saved!

7.      The challenge is to right here and now decide to let the trial come head on and that you, like Shadrach, Meschach and Abendego, you just go ahead and praise God anyway! Bringing great praise, and honour and glory to that fourth Man in the fire with you!