Finding Joy When Life is Hard: A Review of the Sermon on James 1

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
God bless you all.
[00:00:33] In the end of days, cause in your presence there's no road for shame, I'm walking back now, hey Oh, I see your goodness, Jesus, everywhere I go You walk with me through desert and through rain
[00:01:02] Let's go!
[00:01:18] Let's go!
[00:01:43] Your blood ain't as easy, your mercy is free The weight that I carry, I lay at your feet Cause you are worthy of my wildest praise And I will sing until the end of days Cause in your presence there is peace
[00:02:17] of Christ Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
[00:02:49] Worship, Lord you deserve the praise

[00:05:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Give praise to the Lord His love endures forever Give praise to the Lord Beside Him there's no other Give thanks to the Lord His love endures forever
[00:06:21] This is the day the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it This is the day the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it I promise from morn to dancing from foe

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Come on church.

[00:07:55] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
La la la la la la

[00:08:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
I live to sing of my Savior's love I live because He is risen This is the day the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it
[00:09:09] This is the day the Lord has made
[00:10:18] We praise you Jesus We praise you Jesus We praise you Jesus Come on sing these albums Come let us worship our King Come let us bow our heads
[00:10:55] See how His love overcomes He has done great things He has done great things Oh, hero of heaven, you conquered the grave
[00:11:58] The Great Things

[00:12:39] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Oh Jesus, my Savior, my Savior
[00:13:08] Come on church, sing that out loud.

[00:13:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
In Jesus' name we pray.

[00:13:40] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Amen.

[00:14:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Oh, come on church!

[00:14:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Come on church, if you love Jesus, can you give him a hand clap of praise in the room?
[00:14:41] I love that song because it says that he conquered the grave.
[00:14:44] And when I begin to think about it, I think of, you know, people that spend their lives in other religions serving other gods, and I think about it and I'm thinking, man, Mohammed's still in the grave.
[00:14:54] Buddha's still in the grave.

[00:14:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
But there's only one man that says that you do not have the power to take my life, but I have the power to lay it down and raise it up again.
[00:15:14] We serve a God that is risen, that is alive, that is here to meet you and I at the point of our need.
[00:15:16] Can we give Jesus a hand clap of praise?
[00:15:17] Can we give him our voice this morning?

[00:15:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Lord, we love you.
[00:15:18] We thank you.
[00:15:20] He's worthy of all praise and honor this morning.
[00:15:23] Come on, you can be seated.
[00:15:24] Turn to somebody next to you.
[00:15:26] Tell them hello.
[00:15:26] Tell them good morning.
[00:15:27] It's going to be a great day in the house of the Lord.
[00:15:31] If I hadn't had a chance to introduce myself, my name is Trevor.
[00:15:33] I'm one of the pastors here at Multiply Church, and I have the special honor and privilege of welcoming a special group of people, and that's all of our first-time guests.
[00:15:42] So if this is your first time or maybe your first time in a long time, church family, can we welcome all of our first-time guests in the room today?
[00:15:52] Amen.
[00:15:53] Just a little bit of information if this is your first time.
[00:15:55] We have a card in the seat back pocket in front of you.
[00:15:58] We call it a U card.
[00:15:59] And that's exactly what we want to get to know.
[00:16:02] And that is U.
[00:16:03] So if you can do us the favor and take that card and fill the information out on the back.
[00:16:08] After service you can go out these double doors into our courtyard here and you'll see a white tent.
[00:16:12] It says new here.
[00:16:13] you can take that card and there'll be some people there some leaders there to pray with you greet you get to know a little bit about you and in exchange for you being here today worshiping with us we have a small gift for you one more time church can we welcome all of our guests today amen amen hey well i mentioned this before but next year around may our youth ministry is going to have the opportunity to go on a missions trip and when i think about giving unto the lord
[00:16:43] I think about giving other people opportunities to do those types of things.
[00:16:48] I tell our students on Sunday night, look, you want to go on a mission trip because here in this country, man, we got all these luxuries and these things that we're just comfortable with and that's good, that's God-given.
[00:16:59] People fought for that right.
[00:17:01] However,
[00:17:03] It's always good to be grounded and go to different parts of the world and see, man, there might be some people taking their faith about Jesus Christ way more seriously than I have, and I need to go and experience that.
[00:17:15] So when we give, yes, we're obeying the Lord, we're obeying the Scripture.
[00:17:20] But we get to give to further the kingdom of God and maybe just give a student, this is one example, maybe give a student an opportunity to have their perspective, their worldview completely shifted and rocked by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[00:17:38] and that's what we get to do so if you're giving this morning there's going to be three ways to give you can scan the QR code on the screen behind me you can give and text the word multiply lake norman to the number seven seven nine seven seven or as we go back into this next worship song and the ushers pass the buckets you can give that way as well can i pray for us this morning let's pray father we love you jesus this is all about you oh god be honored in this place today
[00:18:09] Lord God I pray Lord that as we give this morning that you would let it go farther than we could ever reach or let it touch more souls than we could ever touch Lord and that it would do what only you can do Lord God Lord you've blessed us with the ability to go and work and make money Lord God and your word says that we're supposed to give the tenth back to you cheerfully and today we cheerfully give that to you
[00:18:36] Lord bless the giver this morning Lord I pray for the rest of this service I pray for your word that it would go forth with power and transformative power Lord God we pray in the name of Jesus and everyone said amen if everyone wants to stand up as we sing this next song together

[00:19:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
That's who you are, angels, and earth sing a song for your honor Cause power belongs to you, power belongs to you And I can never grow tired of telling you you're worthy There's so many
[00:19:29] I will never get tired of telling you you're worthy over and over again

[00:20:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
I will never get tired of telling You You're worthy Over and over again Over and over
[00:20:42] Holy Holy Holy Jesus
[00:21:08] Holy, holy, to my one and only Who is like my God Let our hearts adore you As we bow before you There's no one like our God There's no one Singing holy, holy, to my one and only
[00:21:40] Let our hearts adore You As we bow before You
[00:23:10] Over and over again Over and over again
[00:24:02] Here, as we wait, seek Your face Come and make Your throne upon the praise Here, in this place, have Your way The moment that we see, we are changed
[00:24:30] Show us Your glory, show us Your glory In wonder and surrender we fall down Show us Your glory, show us Your glory Let every burning heart be holy
[00:26:03] Show us Your glory In wonder and in surrender we fall down Show us Your glory
[00:26:32] Jesus, whatever you want Whatever you want
[00:26:55] Chains Fall Fear Bound Here Now Jesus You change everything Lives Heal Hold Found Here Now Jesus You change everything Chains Fall
[00:27:29] Now, Jesus You change everything Life's here, hope is found Here, now, Jesus You change everything
[00:27:58] Jesus, You change everything.
[00:28:24] Jesus.
[00:28:24] Jesus, You change everything.
[00:28:25] Change for fear.
[00:28:25] Bow here now.
[00:28:26] Jesus, You change everything.
[00:28:38] Jesus You change everything Jesus You change everything Chains fall
[00:29:03] Jesus, You change everything Lives healed Hope found Here now Jesus, You change everything Chains fall Fear bow
[00:29:30] Thank you, Lord.

[00:29:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Thank you, Lord.
[00:29:53] We want to worship you.
[00:29:55] Lord, there's power in your name.
[00:29:57] Lord, we know this.
[00:29:59] We want to speak your name.
[00:30:01] Lord, we proclaim that in your name, lives are healed.

[00:30:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
In your name, hope is found.
[00:30:08] Lord, everything good and perfect comes from you.
[00:30:12] Lord, I pray that you would bless our time of worship here.
[00:30:15] You would bless our time of learning here.
[00:30:18] Lord, we want to look to you in everything we do.
[00:30:22] Lord, bless the time of speaking, our time gathering together.
[00:30:27] In Jesus' name I pray.
[00:30:29] Amen.
[00:30:32] Awesome.
[00:30:34] How's everybody doing?
[00:30:35] Yeah?
[00:30:36] Awesome.
[00:30:36] You may be seated.
[00:30:38] Well, good morning.
[00:30:41] That's what I'm talking about.
[00:30:42] Let's go.
[00:30:43] Okay, well, if you're new to the church, let me introduce myself.
[00:30:47] My name is Jonah Crowder, and I am the creative pastor here at Multiply Lake Norman.
[00:30:53] Now, what does that mean?
[00:30:56] I know, it's weird.
[00:30:57] Creative, it could mean absolutely anything.
[00:30:59] So, I get asked all the time what exactly my role here is as the creative pastor.
[00:31:05] So, since we're all here together, allow me to explain this to you.
[00:31:11] So, as the creative pastor, I am a big behind-the-scenes guy.
[00:31:17] Okay?
[00:31:18] So, my responsibility is basically to oversee everything involving and surrounding the audio, video, and lighting.
[00:31:26] Here at the church.
[00:31:28] So in addition to my AVL responsibilities, audio, video, lighting, I also play a big role in worship alongside my brother who is the worship pastor, Pastor Judah.
[00:31:41] Okay, so a little something to know about me.
[00:31:45] I low-key get a little awkward whenever speakers come up here and say like,
[00:31:51] Something like, you know, oh, hey, good morning, and whenever you sit down, you know, turn to your neighbor and greet them, give them a high five, you know, maybe tell them something personal like your credit card information, you know.
[00:32:00] I, my introverts, they know what I'm talking about, you know, which I would ask them to raise their hand, but they're introverts, you know, so they wouldn't do that.
[00:32:09] That was funny, it made me laugh, you know.
[00:32:13] Oh my goodness.
[00:32:13] Okay, so, basically, I will ask a lot of questions today, but they're mainly supposed to be more rhetorical by nature, so they're really meant to invoke thought rather than an actual physical response.
[00:32:28] So, with that said, let me ask a question for you to think about.
[00:32:33] Have you ever asked yourself, why me?
[00:32:38] Why does this always happen to me?
[00:32:40] God, why are you letting me go through this?
[00:32:42] You know, does God even see me?
[00:32:45] Does he still see me?
[00:32:47] When are things going to get better?
[00:32:49] God, why would you let this happen to me?
[00:32:52] Have you ever been in a season of difficulty, persecution, maybe even a tribulation that really didn't make any sense?
[00:33:02] Now, like I said before, rhetorical questions, right?
[00:33:06] Just made to make you think.
[00:33:08] But I'm sure all of us can think back to a specific time or many times where our life, we were going through some difficult situations.
[00:33:17] I know I can definitely do that.
[00:33:19] And for many of us, we may actually be living in one of those seasons right now.
[00:33:25] Let's look at the main passages of scripture that I really want to discuss today.
[00:33:29] So, I'm going to go into James 1, 2 through 8, and why don't we go ahead, you can throw this on the screen, why don't we go ahead and read this out loud together.
[00:33:39] Here we go.
[00:33:40] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
[00:33:50] Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
[00:33:57] 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.
[00:34:06] But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
[00:34:15] That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
[00:34:19] Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
[00:34:24] Okay, so if you know me, you know that any time I'm studying a passage of Scripture,
[00:34:31] I like to start that study with stressing the importance of actually understanding the context behind the passage.
[00:34:38] So, it's important to understand not only the cultural context and the area in which the writing was intended, but also the actual intentions behind the words themselves.
[00:34:48] So, let's do that.
[00:34:50] The book of James was most likely written by
[00:34:54] James, right.
[00:34:56] Now James, there's a few James in the Bible.
[00:34:58] So James was the brother of Jesus.
[00:35:01] Should not be confused with James the Apostle.
[00:35:03] They were two different people.
[00:35:04] James the brother of Jesus is the one writing to us.
[00:35:07] And he probably wrote this around the 45 to maybe like 52 AD.
[00:35:12] And that's around, let's see, 12 to like 19 years after the resurrection.
[00:35:19] Okay, the author was sometimes called James the Just, and he was the leader of the church in Jerusalem, and he was writing to a very broad audience of Jewish Christians.
[00:35:30] Now, this is opposed to a very specific audience, like Paul typically wrote to, right?
[00:35:35] Paul typically wrote to churches, like the church in Corinth, right, or the church in Ephesus.
[00:35:40] But James is writing to a broad audience of Jewish Christians.
[00:35:45] Now, when they say Jewish Christian, that indicates those of Jewish descent who became Christians through believing in and following the teachings of Jesus.
[00:35:56] Now, the Jews who had become Christians in the early days of the church, they were often treated as like outcasts, right, by both the Jewish communities and the Roman society which they were living.
[00:36:08] They were treated this way because they were not following the old teachings of the Jews, but at the same time had not given in to the pagan practices of the Romans.
[00:36:16] So they were literally living between these two worlds that made up the majority of the population.
[00:36:23] And because of this, they went through seasons of distrust.
[00:36:26] They were very unsettled, distrusted by the majority of the people they came across.
[00:36:32] Now, James immediately addressed that, this discomfort, in his first few words of that letter when he wrote, Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.
[00:36:44] Now James is acknowledging the early Christians were being persecuted and facing these trials whenever he says, whenever you face trials of many kinds.
[00:36:53] It's right there.
[00:36:55] But look right before that, right before he says this, he gave a rather counterintuitive command when we're walking through times of persecution.
[00:37:02] He says, consider it pure joy.
[00:37:06] James literally said to have joy in the face of trials.
[00:37:12] Now because he is saying, basically he is saying that when the hardship of the world comes upon you, when people bring you persecution, James is saying to have joy in the midst of that persecution.
[00:37:24] Now, I don't know about you, but when people come at me and tell me how much they don't like me, my first response is not to be joyful about it.
[00:37:33] Is anyone else with me?
[00:37:35] I want to defend myself, right?
[00:37:37] I want to justify my actions.
[00:37:39] I want people to understand exactly why I am the way I am.
[00:37:44] But James said, rather be joyful when you face trials of many kinds.
[00:37:50] Like I said, to me,
[00:37:51] This feels like a counterintuitive command.
[00:37:54] He says, have joy, even when you go through crap.
[00:37:59] Now, keep in mind that when he says joy, joy is not the same thing as happiness.
[00:38:06] I know they are often used as exact synonyms, but in the reality, they do have acute differences.
[00:38:12] So, of course, as a theology rooted,
[00:38:16] Seminary-trained believer like myself, I did what any self-respecting individual would have done to study the differences between joy and happiness.
[00:38:24] I, of course, asked ChatGPT.
[00:38:28] And ChatGPT did exactly what ChatGPT does.
[00:38:31] It gave me a really long description with a ton of words that explains the intricacies, the ins and outs of the differences between joy and happiness.
[00:38:41] And it basically gave me a headache.
[00:38:45] But to save you all that same headache, I will summarize everything.
[00:38:50] Happiness happens to you and joy flows from within you.
[00:38:57] So happiness is circumstantial based, right?
[00:39:00] It's based on what happens in your environment, in your surroundings, in your circumstances.
[00:39:06] For instance, did you get good news today?
[00:39:10] Right?
[00:39:10] It's the feeling that you get when you get good news.
[00:39:12] That's happiness.
[00:39:13] It's the feeling when someone gives you a present that you really wanted.
[00:39:17] Right?
[00:39:18] But joy, it's not based on your surroundings.
[00:39:21] Joy is actually internal.
[00:39:23] Right?
[00:39:23] It's enduring.
[00:39:25] Joy is actually a spiritual gift, as we see in Galatians 5, 22 and 23.
[00:39:30] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
[00:39:36] Against such things there is no law.
[00:39:38] So joy is a gift, and it cannot exactly be explained by your surroundings.
[00:39:44] It's rather deeply rooted in your trust in the Lord.
[00:39:48] So we're supposed to have joy when we face persecution?
[00:39:53] Let's add verse three.
[00:39:54] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
[00:40:04] So the testing of your faith is what produces perseverance.
[00:40:08] So when trials and persecutions come upon us, our response that we are supposed to have is an unwavering joy in the Lord.
[00:40:18] Because when times of difficulties arise, the process of testing our faith actually molds us and shapes us and produces perseverance and patience within us.
[00:40:31] Let's look at a few more scriptures.
[00:40:32] First Peter, in all this you greatly rejoice,
[00:40:37] Though now for a little while, while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials, these have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith, of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
[00:40:55] Deuteronomy 8, remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these 40 years to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart.
[00:41:05] Whether or not you could keep his commands.
[00:41:08] Psalm 66.
[00:41:09] For you, God, tested us.
[00:41:12] You refined us like silver.
[00:41:16] So according to scripture, God is actually the one who is testing us.
[00:41:22] God is the one who is the tester of our faith.
[00:41:27] Now, these trials and testing of our faith, they should in no way be confused with temptation.
[00:41:32] Those are totally different things.
[00:41:36] Let's look at verse 13.
[00:41:38] James writes in James 1, 13, he says, When tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me.
[00:41:43] For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.
[00:41:49] So God cannot be tempted, and he will in turn never tempt anyone.
[00:41:54] However, God brings about trials as a way of testing our faith so that when temptation arises, our faith is strengthened to the point which we are prepared to resist the attacks of the enemy.
[00:42:09] Temptation tries to lead us towards sin, but a time of trial leads us towards perseverance.
[00:42:18] 1 Corinthians 10.13 and Ephesians 6.16.
[00:42:21] They go really well together, so I'm going to read them back to back.
[00:42:25] No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.
[00:42:29] And God is faithful.
[00:42:30] He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.
[00:42:33] But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
[00:42:38] In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
[00:42:48] So God allows us to be tested so that our faith is strengthened so that when the temptation God knows will come upon us is here, our faith will already be strong enough to withstand the attacks of the enemy.
[00:43:07] So the testing of our faith brings about perseverance and faith so that when we are tempted, we are strong enough to overcome the world.
[00:43:16] So have joy.
[00:43:19] because God has already won.
[00:43:21] Now the first verse, the fourth verse of James 1 adds this.
[00:43:26] Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
[00:43:34] So the testing of our faith produces perseverance and perseverance increases our faith and the increase of faith is our direct defense against the attacks and temptations
[00:43:46] of the Enemy.
[00:43:48] You've heard the term, the shield of faith?
[00:43:50] Yeah, that's what it's talking about.
[00:43:52] And the increasing of that faith is what helps us become spiritually mature and complete, so therefore have joy.
[00:44:01] Now, difficult seasons and trials, they're promised to us in life.
[00:44:08] Look at what John 16, 33 says.
[00:44:12] I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.
[00:44:16] In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.
[00:44:24] So even though trials and difficulties in this life are promised, we are encouraged to have joy and peace in these difficult seasons because they produce faith and perseverance, and because God has already overcome the world.
[00:44:42] I have noticed in my personal experience that the most difficult seasons are often preceding the most productive seasons.
[00:44:53] I know I've definitely seen a pattern in my life.
[00:44:55] You know, whenever I'm going through seasons of my life where it seems like everything is going wrong, right?
[00:45:02] Every metaphorical door is being shut.
[00:45:05] When I have close friends turning their backs on me, when family members get sick,
[00:45:10] When there's stress at work and when everything really just feels off, I have seen that if I have patience and I'm steadfast, I'm ready to persevere, having joy through the difficulty, the season that follows often shows me the abundant glory of God.
[00:45:31] And, of course, sometimes you never actually fully understand why you had to walk through such a difficult season.
[00:45:41] Sometimes in our finite understanding, we are not able to fully comprehend how the Lord could create good out of our situations.
[00:45:50] But that's where trust comes into play.
[00:45:53] The Lord doesn't always reveal His plan to us.
[00:45:56] We are called to trust in Him even in the seasons where we don't know why and in the seasons where we don't understand.
[00:46:04] I'm sure you've all heard this verse, Proverbs 3 verse 5 and 6.
[00:46:07] Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
[00:46:12] In all your ways submit to him and he will make your path straight.
[00:46:18] You know, at this point in my life, when I am not noticing attacks from the enemy or trials or testing of any sort, I really start to look at my life and I'm wondering if I'm doing everything I can to grow closer to God.
[00:46:34] Right?
[00:46:34] Because if the Lord isn't the one testing me and the enemy isn't attacking me, I need to be challenging myself.
[00:46:41] I need to be the one pushing into God's Word.
[00:46:43] I need to be the one digging deeper into the Bible.
[00:46:46] Right?
[00:46:47] Because I never want to become stagnant in my faith.
[00:46:51] I always, always want to be better the next day than I was the day before.
[00:46:59] Okay, let's finish this rest of the passage out for James 1.
[00:47:03] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
[00:47:11] Let perseverance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
[00:47:17] 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.
[00:47:26] But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind.
[00:47:36] That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
[00:47:40] Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
[00:47:47] So seek wisdom and ask God for it.
[00:47:52] God will give you the desires of your heart when they align with his words and his calling that's been placed on your life.
[00:48:00] Open your hearts, humble yourself, submit to God, and ask him.
[00:48:06] James said God will give generously without looking at any of your faults.
[00:48:12] But James also gives a caveat, a prerequisite, right?
[00:48:16] He says when you ask, you must believe with no doubt.
[00:48:23] Doubting is inconsistency in your belief.
[00:48:26] Doubt and worry are opposites of both belief and trust.
[00:48:31] Look at this.
[00:48:32] In the presence of doubt, there is a lack of belief, and in the presence of worry, there is a lack of trust.
[00:48:41] Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
[00:48:45] Trust in the Lord and believe.
[00:48:49] Now, as we know, seasons of testing and seasons of difficulty, they are promised to us.
[00:48:55] So, what are we supposed to do?
[00:48:57] What does the Bible say we are supposed to do when we're going through those seasons of testing, those seasons of difficulties, those times of persecution?
[00:49:05] Well, the first thing we're supposed to do is we are supposed to pray and seek the Lord.
[00:49:10] Philippians 4, 6-7 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
[00:49:19] Present your request to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
[00:49:31] And my favorite verse of the Bible, 1 Thessalonians 5, 16 through 18.
[00:49:37] Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
[00:49:49] Now the second thing that we are supposed to do is we are supposed to trust in God.
[00:49:56] As we've already read, Proverbs 3, verse 5 and 6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
[00:50:04] In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your path straight.
[00:50:10] The third thing that we're supposed to do in times of trials is stay consistent in doing the Lord's will.
[00:50:18] Galatians 6 9 says let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
[00:50:31] So being tested in your faith is actually good even if it doesn't seem that way in the moment.
[00:50:41] The fourth thing we need to do is we need to seek community.
[00:50:45] Look at that.
[00:50:46] Pat yourself on the back.
[00:50:46] You're doing that.
[00:50:48] Right?
[00:50:49] Hebrews 10, 24 through 25 says, And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day approaching.
[00:51:09] Galatians 6, 2, Carry each other's burdens.
[00:51:13] and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
[00:51:18] Okay, so we've gone through praying and seeking the Lord, trusting in God, staying consistent in doing the Lord's will, seeking community, and then the fifth thing is to have joy.
[00:51:34] Shocker, right?
[00:51:35] Philippians 4.4 says, Rejoice in the Lord always.
[00:51:40] I will say it again, rejoice.
[00:51:43] Nehemiah 8 10 this is the day this day is holy to the Lord do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength you know throughout scripture we see prominent individuals walk through many difficulties in their lives and after those difficulties they end up doing some really amazing things here's the thing that I always find throughout scripture
[00:52:14] is that the amazing accomplishments that prominent biblical figures make throughout their life are often a direct result of the difficult seasons that they had to overcome earlier in their journeys.
[00:52:28] Let's look at Joseph.
[00:52:30] Joseph, he was only a young man when his life was completely turned upside down.
[00:52:37] His own brothers sold him into slavery.
[00:52:41] He was taken from his home all the way to Egypt.
[00:52:45] He worked hard, and even though he was faithful, he was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and thrown into prison.
[00:52:55] At this point, it would have been very easy for Joseph to ask the same exact questions that we have all asked.
[00:53:03] God, why me?
[00:53:06] He could have even given up entirely, but God had a bigger plan.
[00:53:10] Every trial, every hardship that Joseph experienced positioned Joseph to rise to a place of influence in Egypt.
[00:53:22] He eventually even became second in command over the entire nation.
[00:53:26] He saved countless lives, including the lives of the very family who sold him into slavery.
[00:53:36] Look at what Joseph tells his brothers in Genesis 50.
[00:53:39] You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
[00:53:50] Let's look at another example.
[00:53:51] Let's look at Elijah in 1 Kings 19.
[00:53:55] After a huge victory against the prophets of Baal, Elijah thought he had done everything right, but then he fled in fear and despair, convinced that he was alone and that his work had failed.
[00:54:10] He even asked God to take his life.
[00:54:14] But God didn't respond with a condemnation or dramatic signs of power.
[00:54:20] Instead, he met Elijah in a gentle whisper, providing comfort, encouragement, and a renewed sense of purpose.
[00:54:31] Elijah then went on to continue his mission as a prophet of God, accomplishing even more than he did before.
[00:54:40] Let's look at another example.
[00:54:42] Let's look at Paul.
[00:54:44] In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul faced what he described as a thorn in the flesh, a persistent struggle or hardship, right?
[00:54:54] And he pleaded with God three times to remove it.
[00:54:59] He could have easily asked, why me, God?
[00:55:03] Why are you letting this happen to me?
[00:55:05] He could have gone frustrated or discouraged.
[00:55:09] But God's response reframed Paul's perspective.
[00:55:15] He said to him, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
[00:55:22] Instead of removing the difficulty, God showed Paul that his strength could shine even through Paul's weakness.
[00:55:34] Paul also went on to accomplish incredible things for the gospel.
[00:55:40] He even learned to boast in his struggles because he knew that they made him rely more fully on God.
[00:55:49] These stories remind us that the difficult seasons that we go through in life, the persecutions, the trials, they're not meaningless, right?
[00:55:59] In their times of when it seemed like all hope was lost,
[00:56:08] Those biblical figures, they could have easily asked themselves those same questions that we have asked, right?
[00:56:14] Why me?
[00:56:16] Why does this always happen to me?
[00:56:18] God, why are you letting me go through this?
[00:56:21] Does God even still see me?
[00:56:24] When are things going to get better?
[00:56:26] God, why would you let this happen to me?
[00:56:29] They could have easily been discouraged and unfaithful.
[00:56:34] But look at this.
[00:56:35] Sometimes the very struggles we walk through
[00:56:38] are the very trials that prepare us for the amazing things God wants to do in and through us.
[00:56:48] So consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
[00:57:01] You know, I'm encouraged by verses of the Bible like Romans 8, 28 and 29.
[00:57:06] And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
[00:57:14] And then verse 31, What then shall we say in response to these things?
[00:57:20] If God is for us, who can be against us?
[00:57:26] So James assures us that the trials and difficulties we face in life are not meaningless.
[00:57:33] They are God's way of testing and strengthening our faith.
[00:57:38] That testing of our faith builds perseverance, which grows into spiritual maturity.
[00:57:46] And in that process, we discover true joy.
[00:57:51] The kind of joy that isn't tied to our circumstances, our surroundings, but is rather firmly rooted in our trust in God.
[00:58:01] The next time you face a season or a moment of difficulty, whether a big persecution or a small difficulty, take a moment to remind yourself that this is the way God tests our faith so that we may persevere and be complete, lacking nothing.
[00:58:23] Instead of asking, why me, God?
[00:58:27] Instead ask, what are you teaching me, God?
[00:58:31] That's important.
[00:58:33] Instead of asking, why me, God?
[00:58:35] Why are these things happening to me?
[00:58:37] Instead, ask, what can I learn from this?
[00:58:40] God, what are you teaching me?
[00:58:42] How can I give glory to you?
[00:58:43] How can I look to you through times of difficulty, through times of uncertainty, through difficult circumstances?
[00:58:51] How can I look to you so that you can grow my faith and build my perseverance?
[00:58:58] Look to the Lord in times of difficulty rather than complaining about your difficult circumstances.
[00:59:03] Just that simple shift moves us all the way from being discouraged into trusting fully in the Lord.
[00:59:13] And remember John 16, 33, like I said, it reassures us that we are not facing these trials alone.
[00:59:19] Our faith in the Lord, that the victory is already His, will bring us through times of testing.
[00:59:27] So this week, walk in joy, not because life is easy, but because God is faithful.
[00:59:36] Pray, trust, stay consistent in doing good, read the Bible, and rejoice in the Lord, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.
[00:59:50] Why don't you go ahead and stand with us?

[01:00:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Jesus you change everything change, fall, fear, bow, here, now Jesus you change everything wow
[01:00:48] Jesus, You change everything.
[01:01:16] Change, fall, fear, bow here now.
[01:01:16] Jesus, You change everything.
[01:01:17] Light, heal, hold, bow here now.
[01:01:18] Jesus, You change everything.
[01:02:02] Church are you grateful for the Word of God this morning?

[01:02:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
I don't know about you but I was listening to the message by Pastor Jonah
[01:02:27] When he was talking about the verse found in 1 Peter where it says these things come, the trials come, the hardships come, the tribulations come, the hard seasons come in our life so that it may be proven that our faith is genuine.
[01:02:44] How many of you want a genuine faith today?
[01:02:47] How many of you truly want a faith that is real?
[01:02:51] and I was thinking as Pastor Jonah was going through that verse is that the things that have value are often the ones that are tested to find out if they are truly real or not if you're into baseball cards you know that if you take it to a baseball card shop they often look it up and down to prove its genuineness if you give a teller a hundred dollar bill they often look at it in the proper light to prove that it's genuine I want to remind you this morning
[01:03:20] that you have a purpose I want to remind you this morning that that you can have a genuine faith as we read in the book of James it says consider it pure joy when we go through all the trials and tribulations and temptations in life that we can walk out of that knowing that we serve a big God and a great God and it says that if you lack wisdom ask God and to believe and to not doubt
[01:03:50] That first thing was to believe.
[01:03:53] So the question is, do you believe in the Lord your God?
[01:03:57] Do you believe that He sent His Son to live a life to become the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I may be in right standing with our Heavenly Father?
[01:04:05] That you and I may have the opportunity to be in heaven with our Lord and Savior?
[01:04:14] So if you're asking yourself the question,
[01:04:17] Do I have genuine faith?
[01:04:19] That's a great place to start.
[01:04:22] But scripture tells us that if we lack wisdom to ask God, ask Him.
[01:04:31] As hard as that may seem at times, just spend time with your Heavenly Father as Pastor Jonah just said.
[01:04:37] Seek Him and He'll show you the right way.
[01:04:42] But if you're here this morning and you have never put your faith in Jesus Christ,
[01:04:48] it says to believe if you've never made that first step by believing that Christ is the savior that he wants to be in relationship with you that's the first step so if you're here this morning let me remind you and tell you that that is the greatest decision that you could ever make is to step into a personal relationship with Jesus it's by saying yes to him and walking alongside of him letting him guide every step
[01:05:18] There's a freedom in that church.
[01:05:23] There's a freedom when you say, I'm surrendering it all to the foot of the cross.
[01:05:27] There's a freedom to say, Lord, I may not have it all figured out, but I believe that you're going to show me how life looks like to walk alongside of you.
[01:05:36] But it starts with a decision.
[01:05:39] and if you're here this morning and you've never made that decision by saying yes to Jesus all across this room I want to invite you into that into that opportunity into that relationship that the Lord has been calling you maybe for quite some time he's been calling you to step into a true relationship a genuine relationship with him look here's the reality
[01:06:01] you're surrounded by people that love you you're surrounded by like-minded individuals that that know the power of being in a relationship with Jesus Christ and so we want to celebrate that decision alongside of you scripture says when one person gives their life to Jesus angels in heaven are celebrating so I believe there's gonna be a celebration today by someone here by saying yes to Jesus Christ so if you're here this morning and you want to be a part of this prayer all across this room
[01:06:30] sometimes you may bow your head and close your eyes but I want in this moment for you to be bold for your relationship with Jesus by being bold in your relationship with Christ all across this room if you're saying yes to Jesus for the very first time or maybe you've walked through a season where you've stepped away from your faith whether because of life circumstances or maybe you literally felt you've been so hard punched in the mouth in this season but today is the day that you're saying yes to Jesus Christ again and you want to be included in this prayer all across this room just go ahead and shoot up your hand
[01:07:00] raise them high amen and amen church would you bow your heads and close your eyes with me and for the benefit of those that are praying this prayer for the very first time or they're making a commitment but to step back into a relationship with Jesus today repeat this prayer after me say Jesus thank you for today thank you for coming to this earth to live the perfect life
[01:07:30] To become the ultimate sacrifice, I receive you today.
[01:07:35] I know I'm a sinner in need of a Savior.
[01:07:42] I put my faith, my hope, and my trust in you.
[01:07:48] Help me walk with you from this day forward.
[01:07:53] Help me find good Christian community to walk this life out.
[01:07:59] and becoming more like you each and every day.
[01:08:04] It's your name that I pray.
[01:08:07] Amen and amen.
[01:08:08] Church, can we celebrate those that made that decision to step into faith?
[01:08:17] If that was you this morning,
[01:08:20] you can go ahead and scan the QR code up on the screen but also right outside these doors before you enter into the courtyard we have a table and we have trusted volunteer leaders that would love to pray with you that would love to put some resources in your hand to help you start your walk alongside of Jesus Christ today make sure you don't miss that step because it's an important step and we would love to pray with you put a bible in your hand and just have some great conversation as you start your journey of walking with Jesus amen
[01:08:49] Hey, church family, we know we have a couple of things coming up.
[01:08:52] First of all, we have the ladies ministry event coming up this Wednesday.
[01:08:56] It is Paint Your Own Pumpkin.
[01:08:59] So make sure that you bring your own pumpkin, B-Y-O-P. Bring your own pumpkin.
[01:09:04] We want to make sure that you are signed up so we know how much...