Why does God allow trials in our lives?
John 12:24-25
Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it die, it bring forth much fruit.
25. He that love his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
Introduction:
Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over.
The problems began when Chippie’s owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She’d barely said "hello" when "ssssopp!" Chippie got sucked in. The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie -- still alive, but stunned.
Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . . she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.
Poor Chippie never knew what hit him. A few days after the trauma, the reporter who’d initially written about the event contacted Chippie’s owner to see how the bird was recovering. "Well," she replied, "Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore -- he just sits and stares."
It’s hard not to see why. Sucked in, washed up, and blown over . . . That’s enough to steal the song from the stoutest heart.
Can I ask you a question this morning?
Do you still have a song in your heart?
Application:
You see there is one of two things you can do when trials, tests or tribulation comes your way:
1. You can become bitter -- Like Chippie
· So easy to do – it is our natural way of handling problems
· Even as Christians we are full of ourselves and especially during trails in our lives.
· This is when your fears, hurts and negative thoughts mull over and over in your mind, you’re constantly thinking of it and in the same time you looses God’s love.
· There is no longer a song in your heart.
· Measured by worldly standards your feelings might be justified but it is not by God’s standards.
Heb 12:14-15 Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby many be defiled;
Or you can choose to:
2. Absolutely delight you in the Lord and knows that He is in charge of your
Life.
· You can keep your song in your heart even when the going gets tuf!
· This was Paul and Silas choice when they we’re in the Jail.
· The word say that they were singing!
· They were only doing what the following scriptures are saying:
James1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3. Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Look at v3. trying of your faith
James is saying here that our faith is tested.
This answers the questions:
· But why is this happening to me?
· Why do bad things happen to good people?
All tests of our faith:
Case Study One
Believe we find some answers in Deut 8:2-3
And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, [and] to prove thee, to know what [was] in thine heart, whether thou would keep his commandments, or no.
3. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knew not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every [word] that proceed out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Two things we learn here:
Trial time -- wilderness – they were in dessert, lonely place.
Have you noticed that if you’re in a trail how people tent to leave you?
alone.
Why would a loving God allow the Israelites to dwell 40 years in the
dessert.
1. To humble thee:
No thing in life that make a person so humble than trials.
When realise that you can’t do it on your own, need the Lord.
Israelites wouldn’t have made it without the Lord.
2. To prove thee, to know what was in thine heart.
What comes out if I shake you?
Case Study Two:
Psalm 107:25-30
For he commanded, and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves thereof.
26. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
27. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
28. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distresses.
29. He makes the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
30. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bring them unto their desired haven.
The Lord is dealing with fishermen here.
We can apply it to our lives.
Notice a few words that reflect today’s life.
1. Stormy wind, which lifted up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven; they go down again to the depths
Who of you has ever felt like that?
One-day things seem normal in your life, and then the next day the wheels come off.
Interesting how it starts with the wind.
What was Jesus reaction on the boat in the storm with the disciples?
He rebuked the Wind and the waves calmed down.
2. Their soul is melted because of trouble.
I’ve seen people like this; in fact I was there.
People who bites their finger nails, etc
What did all of this taught them?
28. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distresses.
29. He makes the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
To pray.
Funny how much energy people have to pray, when they’re in trouble.
Case Study Three
Psalm 119:69,71,75
69. The proud have forged a lie against me: [but] I will keep thy teachings with [my] whole heart.
71. [It is] good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy law.
75. I know, O LORD, that thy judgments [are] right, and [that] thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.
Has somebody ever gossiped about you?
Where you the victim of a lie?
Why does it happen to you?
Why is the Psalmist happy?
[but] I will keep thy teachings with [my] whole heart.
71. [It is] good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy law.
The Lord it happens to teach you to keep His law.
There are teachings concerning this in the Bible.
End
So, the Lord let things happen in our lives to:
Humble us,
Test us, see what’s in our hearts
Bring us back to prayer
It is, however, hard to be humble if you’re proud.
Pride is the sin that destroyed our fellowship with God.
The only way to stop pride is to die in ourselves.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it die, it bring forth much fruit.
25. He that love his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal
Oh if only people will take this scripture more serious.
Your life can, so easily, spin out of control if you’re not secured in the Rock of ages, Jesus.
Your view of trials will chance if you die in yourself.
Like a lifesaver who spotted a men in trouble in the water. There were other people nearby who urged this lifesaver to jump in straight away. He didn’t. The man in the water was fighting furiously to stay above the water. The croud grew angry, they shouted at the lifesaver, but he waited. After a few minutes, when the man in the water started to get weak, he jumped in and saved the mans live. The angry people asked him why he waited so long before jumping in. He replied that if he had jumped in earlier that the man would have drowned him out of panic. He waited for the man to get weak.
It is the same with us, The Lord is there waiting to help you,
Hos 6:1
Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
But, you need to die first in yourself and let Him do His work in your life.
Let’s Pray
