He is Still in The Fire// Week 2// Purposes

Trials’ Four Purposes

Various Passages October 25

I. Introduction:

A. Proper diagnosis is foundational to a proper solution!

1. Often we go to the doctor knowing something is wrong but just not sure what

it is.

2. So they put us through a series of tests to see if they can find the exact source

of the problem.

3. Once the finger is on the exact problem a proper solution can be applied that

can help significantly!

B. Trials are just like medical issues - proper diagnosis is foundational to a proper

solution!

1. When you do not know what is going on it can become a real battle for the

mind as we speculate of all kinds of possibilities

2. Then the devil puts all of this on steroids and your mind is swirling all

around.

3. Then you start to wonder if maybe there is some sin in my life that has

brought this on. Then we need to regain our balance again by remembering

that Joseph and Job were two of God’s finest servants and they went through

some of the toughest trials!

C. My hope for this series is that we will see our own situation through the lens of

God’s Word and that the Spirit of God will put his finger on what is going on in

us so the speculation can die down and we can move forward with greater

understanding, peace and solutions to apply!

1. There is always a larger story of what God is doing than what meets the eye!

2. My hope is we can see our trials as if we were standing on heaven’s shores

looking down on our situation with God explaining them to us from His

perspective!

D. As I looked at many passages regarding trials these were four major purposes that

seemed to surface for me!

1. So I want to introduce you to all four of these purposes I saw in an overview

fashion this morning and we will come back and look at each one in more

detail in weeks to come.

• The four primary purposes I saw for trials were testing, refinement, for the benefit of

others and praise and glory to God! Let’s start with

II. Testing

A. Turn in your Bibles to James 1:2-4. This is the first passage that God used in my

life to give me encouragement and perspective about the trials I was going

through.

1. It talks about considering it all joy when trials are piling on us all at once.

2. We can consider them all joy because of what we know about them.

3. First, in this passage he tells us specifically what is being tested by our trials.

4. Watch for this as I read v2-3a.

B. Bottom line at the root of every trial is this simple test – are we going to trust God

with this or are we going to try to fix it ourselves?

1. Are we going to trust God with the kind of faith we saw in the three men

going into the furnace? A faith that trusts God no matter what the outcome is

a faith that will continue to trust and worship Him whether or not He gives

me what I want!

2. And it is a faith that endures

a) Read 3b

b) Endure simply has two elements to it, time and pain. It is the ability to

continue over time even when it hurts

c) So this is not a microwave faith but rather a faith that continues to trust

God as the painful trial continue!

• And as we continue to trust God as our trial continues that leads us into the second

purpose of trials

III. Refinement

A. Refinement is simply the removal of unwanted substances in something. In this

case I define it as the removal of sin and the world, devil and flesh that are still

hanging onto us as believers

B. Note the result or outcome of this testing of our faith when we endure in faith.

1. Read 3-4

2. Perfect and complete simply means mature in every area of our life

3. The outcome of this testing of our faith is the development of our inner life:

our character and spiritual life!

C. Trials becomes the fire that God uses to burn away the dross in our life so what

will be left is the pure gold of the life of Jesus in us!

1. As the heat of trials are turned up in our life the dross of the world, devil and

the flesh comes to the surface of our lives and God deals with it!

D. Job is a great example of this, a good man whom God made even better through

his trials!

1. He used trials to burn away the legalism in him and caused him to find God

in a much deeper way, a way that moved him from hearing about God with

his ears to now seeing God with his eyes and repenting of his sin!

E. Read Job 23:10

• The third purpose of trials I saw was they are for the …

IV. Benefit of others

A. Turn in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians 1:3f

B. This is a passage about comfort. About God comforting us in our trials so we can

comfort others when they are in trials with the same comfort we experienced from

God. Bottom line Paul was saying all the trials he was going through was for

their sake and their comfort.

1. Watch for this as I read this

C. I have been so challenged by a brother who recently found out he has cancer and

when he told us how we can pray for him one of his primary requests was so that

God would use this in his life to minister to others both those who know Jesus and

those who do not!

1. It is one thing when you read it on the pages of the Bible; it is another when

this is a reality in the heart of someone you know! That is the grace of God

D. As we consider that trials are for the benefit of others, we cannot forget the words

of Joseph to his brothers who deeply wronged him and severely mistreated him.

Read Genesis 50:20

• The final purpose of trials we will look at today is that they are used to bring about …

V. Praise and glory

A. Turn to 1 Peter 1. We have preached on this passage on a few occasions on

Easter Sunday.

1. It talks about how we have been born again through the resurrection of Jesus

Christ to obtain an inheritance reserved in heaven for you.

2. Watch for what he says about trials as he tells that they greatly rejoice in this

inheritance to which they are looking forward!

3. Read v6

4. Did you catch it? This trial is refining our faith and the result of that is when

Jesus returns it will result in praise, glory, and honor.

B. It does not specify here who gets the praise, glory and honor. I believe it will be

both Jesus and the believer:

1. Praise - the believer will be praised with the words “well done thou good and

faithful servant”

2. Glory - Romans 8:17 tells us we suffer with Jesus so we may also be glorified

with Him

3. Honor –James 1: 12 talks about the crown of life for those who persevere

under trial!

C. Listen to 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

VI. Conclusion

A. So if you are here today and are going through deep trials but not sure why or

what to do about them listen to:

1. James 1:5

a) “but” connects it with the trials above it

b) Read

2. So this is specifically how we respond to trials when we do not know what is

going on or how to respond to them – ask God for wisdom

B. Pray for those in that situation