Prophetic Scripture:
II Timothy 2:3: Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus
Christ. (KJV)
The King James Version has translated "temptation/trials"
as referring to the difficulties God allows for the proving and strengthening
of our faith; because the testing of faith is such an important part of
spiritual life.
The verb form of temptations/trials means "to put someone to the test,"
regardless of whether the results of the testing are positive or negative.
Every trial that comes into your life becomes a test of your
faith. You will either pass or fail. To fail the test by wrongly responding to
it allows it to become a temptation. If it ends up leading you to stumble, it
has proven to be successful tempting you.
But if it ends up in victory, it has proven to be successful
in strengthening you. How you respond to the trials in your life will reveal
whether you really believe God and are genuinely a follower after Christ, and
it will also reveal how strong your faith really is.
James is not distinguishing here between internal and
external trials because that's an artificial distinction. I have found in my
life that every external trial soon becomes internal. No trial I've ever seen
stays on the outside; otherwise it isn't much of a trial.
It's when it gets in and festers in my mind that it becomes
a trial. Any trial is external and internal.
Trials come in the form of disappointments, frustrations,
misunderstandings, unfulfilled dreams, unmet expectations, great loss,
loneliness, fear, criticism, persecution, and conflict. Although they may start
on the outside, sooner or later they end up on the inside.
Trials come for the purpose of testing our faith and
therefore apply to believers as well as unbelievers.
If you consistently persevere through trials and never
abandon your trust in God, then you prove to have genuine faith. The Bible says:
·
Psalm
31:24: "Be of good courage, and he [God] shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the
Lord."
·
Psalm
37:23: "The steps of
a good man are ordered by the Lord: and
he delights in his way. Vs 28: For the Lord love justice, and forsake
not his saints; they are preserved forever."
·
Psalm 97:10: "Ye who love the Lord, hate
evil. He preserveth (shamar; shaw-mar’)
[to hedge about (as with thorns), guard, to protect, attend to, keep] the
souls of his saints; he delivers them out of the hand of the wicked."
·
Psalm
121:4-7: "Behold, he who keeps Israel shall neither slumber
nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper; the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall
preserve thee from all evil; he shall preserve thy soul."
·
John 10:28: Jesus
said, "I give unto them [those
who follow Christ] eternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Vs 29:
My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all, and no man is able to
pluck them out of my Father's hand."
·
Romans
16:25: Paul said, "Now to him that is of power to stablish
you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the
revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith."
The Power of the Holy Ghost will stablish us (working from the inside out) as well as
establish (working on the outside to the within),
unveiling the mysteries that’s been kept secret, allowing us to see that we are
now made one with the Father
through Christ Jesus (John 17:20-22).
·
Philippians
1:6: "He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it
until the day of Jesus Christ."
·
1
Thessalonians 5:23-24: Paul said, "The very God of peace sanctify you
wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved
blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that call
you, who also will do it."
·
2 Timothy
1:12: Paul said, "I know whom I have believed and am
persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against
that day." [He had committed his soul, his all to God].
·
Jude
24: “Now unto HIM that is able to keep you from falling, and to
present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy."
When a false Christian goes through a test, it will
inevitably reveal his true colors. When a true believer goes through a test, he
will be driven to prayer, leaning on the strength of God rather than his own
weakness.
The Result (consequence; outcome) of Trials
1. Happiness
James ends his discourse on trials in James 1:12: "Blessed is the man that endureth
temptation [trials]; for when he is
tried [after his trial is over], he shall receive the crown of life, which the
Lord hath promised to them that love him."
We know that “crown” is a badge of royalty and you don’t
have to die and go up beyond the blue to get it, you can have it here and
now. With this crown, we will be in a
place of not just son-ship, but priests and kings on the earth.
·
Revelation 5:10: And hast made us unto our God
kings and priests: and we shall reign on
(over) the earth. (Revelation 1:6).
Priests because we can intercede for the people and kings
because we can rule with power and authority!!! WHEW!!!!!
Because we know THE KINGDOM is a person/ Jesus the
Christ—HIMSELF—who has taken up resident within us!!!! Oh, come on somebody and
give God the Praise!!!!!
But look, that “ray of light” I was telling you about earlier,
well as you progress the beams of “light” according to their category of
Lordship can elevate or reward you to the level of God-ship!!! HALLELUJAH!!!!
Oh Glory to God!!!
Talking about the results of trials….
James
5:11 reiterates the same thought: "Behold, we count them happy which endure." People who
successfully endure trials are truly happy.
James is not saying happiness comes in freedom from trials,
but in victory over them. There is a big difference. It's not the shallow joy
of the spectator who never experienced conflict, but how many know it's the exuberance
(extremely joyful and vigorous) of the participant who fought and won.
James here is not referring to temptation. If that were the
case, he wouldn't have said happy is the man who endures it, but happy is the
man who resists it.
The three key ideas in James 1:12 are endurance,
trials, and being tested.
The same ideas appear in James 1:2-3: "Count it
all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing this, that the testing of
your faith work patience [endurance]."
2. Endurance
Endurance in James 1:12, speaks of patiently and triumphantly enduring. It’s from the Greek word hupomen’o, meaning, to remain; to tarry behind; to abide;
not recede or flee; to preserve; [under misfortunes and trials, to hold fast to
one’s faith in Christ]; to bear bravely and calmly; ill treatments.
Also both words “endure” in James 5:11 and “patience”
(or perseverance), are forms of hupomon’e, meaning, cheerful (or hopeful) endurance; constancy;
patient continuance; patient waiting.
This is an “abiding under”, the
“patience” that only grows in trials.
I
should tell you that hupomone (hoop-o-mon-ay’) means "to remain under." Hupo is (under)
and mone is (remain or stay).
Originally the verb form of hupomone meant "to stay behind," or even "to stay alive." Why is
this?
Greeks
used hupomone’ to describe soldiers who volunteered to hold a position
while the rest of the army moved on. This could be in various forms. (Remember I
told you earlier that various (poy-kee’-los) meant not in numbers
of trials but the diversity of the trial.
It connotes (signify
or suggest certain meanings, ideas) passive or even painful survival
and focuses on the outcome of being victorious. The person who goes through
trials and comes out a winner never gives up his faith or abandons God. He is
shown to be genuine and all genuine Christians will receive the crown of
life.
Last, You Shall Endure because of the presence of the Holy
Spirit:
The indwelling Holy Spirit is our guarantee of endurance and
eternal life.
Ephesians
1:13-14 says Christians have been "sealed (sphragi’zo) [to
stamp (with a signet or private mark] (for security or preservation): with that Holy Spirit of
promise, who is the earnest (arrhabon’) [pledge, ie part of the
purchase-money or property given in advance as security for the rest] of
our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession."
·
John 17:4: (Jesus said to His Father): “I have glorified thee on the earth:
I have finished the work which thou gave me to do.”
·
Colossians 2:13: And you, being dead in your sins
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened (made alive) together with him, having forgiven you all
trespasses: vs 14: Blotting out
the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us,
and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross: vs 15: and having spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them
in it.
When Jesus got up out of that grave, He got up with all
power. Matthew 28:18: And
Jesus came and spoke unto them saying, “All power is given unto me, in heaven
and in earth.” Vs 19: Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them (not just in water, but) in the name (authority; character) of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost: vs 20:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the
end of the world.
This “end of the world” is not the global world
coming to an end, but unto the completion or the fullness of Himself is
manifested in those that believe His Word and are delivered from the (world systems) bondages of
religious order, or the spoils of
philosophy, vain deceit, tradition of men, the rudiments of the world, and
follow totally after CHRIST (Colossians 2:8).
The power Jesus got up with He has given it unto us, the
believers!
·
Luke 10:19: Behold, I give unto you power to
tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
·
Acts 1:8: But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you: and you shall be witnesses
unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth.
Still talking about “You Shall Endure”!!
A believer is saved because he was chosen by God before
creation:
·
Ephesians
1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Yet he is not saved without exercising faith:
·
Romans 10:9: That if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
·
Vs 10: For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
He is secure because of the covenant faithfulness of God,
but he is still responsible to persevere. Eternal life is wrought
through the power of the Holy Spirit in energizing the true believer to endure
all trials.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you.
So, our part is to endure, and the scripture says, YOU SHALL ENDURE!!!
Until Ephesians 4:13 is manifested in our lives
totally: (King James Version):
Ephesians 4:13: Till (as far as; that is up to a certain point; whole; arrive or attain) we all (everyone as a whole) come (meet; arrive; attain) in the unity (oneness) of the faith (assurance; conviction; persuasion) and of the knowledge (recognition or full discernment; become fully acquainted with] of the Son (huios) [stressing the quality and essence of one so resembling another that distinction between the two are indiscernible]:
We will be and actually are Him in the
earth, but no one knows that but those that are seeing by the Spirit!
· Ephesians 5:30: We are members of his body, of his
flesh, and of his bones.
·
1 John 4:17:
As he is, so are we, in this world.
Of God (theh’-os) [the Supreme Divinity; God-ward] Unto (the point reached or entered of divine purpose for your life) A perfect man (complete in labor, growth, mental and moral character, of full age). Unto the measure (same degree of anointing that Jesus had)
Of the stature (maturity [fully grown; of age; fully developed]) Of the fulness of Christ: (completion in touching the golden scepter).
This is the goal the church must come to and shall, because
Jesus can’t be CHRIST without us. Jesus
was the body of God made flesh in the earth.
That was the “man Jesus” that hung on the cross, but when He got up out
of that grave, He had a “many-membered body” called “CHRIST”!!
·
Romans 12:5: So we, being many, are one body in CHRIST and everyone members one of another.
·
1 Corinthians 12:12: For as the body is one, and hath many members, and
all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also IS CHRIST!!!
And because we are CHRIST in the earth, we can endure
all things!
Philippians 4:13 I can do all
things through CHRIST which
strengthens me.
The Road to success is not straight.
There is a curve called Failure,
A Loop called Confusion,
Speed bumps called Friends,
Red Lights called Enemies,
Caution Lights called Family.
You will have Flats called Jobs.
But if you have a Spare called Determination,
An Engine called Perseverance,
Insurance called Faith,
A Driver called Jesus!!!
YOU SHALL ENDURE to a place called Success!!!
Clap Your Hands and Give God The Highest
Praise!!!!!
HALLELUJAH!!!!
Assistant Pastor Jackie Burton