Lesson 11 April 14,
2004
The Advantages of Trials — What's the Objective (vss. 3-4)
(1) The Foundation for Trials is Biblical Understanding—“knowing
that”
“Knowing” points us to the
cause which really becomes the means. How are we really able to count it all
joy?
Answer: By understanding the truth, what the WOG
teaches concerning suffering and its purposes in the plan of God.
(2) The Nature of Trials—They
are tests which
examine our faith
“Testing”
is dokimion
(dokimion,) a
different Greek word than the word for “trials” above. This word has both an active and a passive
use.
Actively, it was
used of the means of testing as with a furnace or crucible in the metal
refining process designed to remove the dross or impurities.
Passively, it was
used of the result of testing, that is, of the product, the thing being
approved as with sterling coinage or money which was genuine and without
alloys, without impurities. So it was used of what was pure, valuable, and
usable like refined and pure gold.
Suffering
is a purifier, a cleanser.
Rarely
does suffering not reveal areas of need, weaknesses, wrong attitudes, areas of
apathy, a spirit of independence, false sources of trust and happiness, or
insensitivity to God and others, etc.
James
tells us they test our faith. Why our faith?
Because the essence of Christianity and fellowship with God in this
life is faith.
General uses of Faith in
Scripture:
1. The Faith: as the body of truth; the complete revelation of God in the
Canon of Scripture.
1 Tim 4:1; Eph. 4:5; Jude 1:3
2. The Faith: as the content of what
is believed;
That
portion of the Canon that is personally a part of our F/O/R.
The
principles, promises, the truths of the WOG.
Eph
3. Saving
Faith; specific; where the context and emphasis is on the object of faith for
salvation, Jesus Christ.
Christ is the only object Jn
1:12;
4. Blending
of an emphasis on Hearing; believing; applying
(Heb 4:2; Gal 3:1-5; Eph.
5. Misplaced Faith; wrong object! false criterion;
- Mt 3:9 Jews believed in heritage from Abraham; Jn. 8:31-45
- Jn
5:37-40 Scribes, Pharisees; thought a knowledge scripture was sufficient;
reject the one who the scriptures point to.
- 1 Cor.
2:4-5 Not on the wisdom of man; the philosophy of man.
- 2 Ths.
- 1 John 4:1 test the read out
against the standard of the WOG before believing what is heard;
Man was
created by God, for God, and designed to live in total dependence upon Him.
But what reveals man’s sin and the consequences of
the fall more than man’s commitment to run his own life and to live
independently through his own self-made strategies?
As the
smelting process is used to separate the dross from the pure metal, so God uses
our trials to bring our faith to the surface and put it to work.
Trials
force us to turn from our own strategies of independence so we will lean upon
the Lord. That is to clean out the dross of human viewpoint that so pervades
our thinking.
Trials,
as heat used in the testing of metals, show the condition of our faith and the
objects of our faith and
trust.
(1) The
Immediate Goal—Endurance
“Endurance”
is hupomeno (upomenw,) which carries the
idea of remaining under the testing in spite of the length and degree of
pressure.
“Produces” (NASB) is katergazomai, from kata, “down” and ergazomai, “to
work, labor, therefore to produce, perform.”
When we
keep running away or reacting to the tools God uses, the circumstances and
situations we face in life, we hinder the process of the perfect work God wants
to do. But what is that?