Being Tested and Tried

James 1:2-4,12 ESV

 

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

 

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

 

If we are following Jesus Christ with our lives, if we are speaking truth, and not lies, if we are teaching the gospel message as Jesus taught it, and if we are not diluting it to make it more appeasing to human flesh, then we are going to be hated and persecuted for righteousness’ sake. We are not going to be well liked. We are not going to have many friends. And we will have many people against us or who just won’t like us, and thus they will not want to be around us, at least not much, and not for long.

 

But does this make us perfect people? No! But then does that give us permission to keep living in sin, making sin our practice? No! Can we then make excuses for continued and deliberate sin, just because we are not perfect? No! So then, if we who are not perfect people insist on obedience to the Lord and in walks of righteousness and holiness, and that we no longer walk in sin, does that make us hypocrites? Not necessarily. Only if we, too, are walking in sin and not in righteousness and not in obedience.

 

For what the Scriptures teach on this subject is that, by faith in Jesus Christ, we are to die to sin and live to righteousness, and that we are to obey our Lord and his commandments (New Covenant). Sin is to no longer be our habit, our practice. By the grace of God we are now to live our lives under Holy Spirit control and no longer according to our flesh. For if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, then we will not inherit eternal life with God.

 

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

 

But not many people are teaching that these days. I would suggest that most are not. That has been my observation, anyway. Most are teaching that a mere profession of faith in Jesus Christ once in our lives is enough to secure us salvation and forgiveness of all sins and heaven guaranteed us when we die, but regardless of how we live. So, if we are teaching death to sin and living to God and to his righteousness, in practice, as critical to our salvation and eternal life with God, then we will be opposed.

 

But it won’t usually be people who make no profession of faith in Christ Jesus who will oppose us. For whom were Jesus’ greatest persecutors? They were his own people, some of his own family, those of his own faith, in profession at least, and the rulers and teachers of the Scriptures in the temple of God. They were continually hounding him and trying to find reasons to accuse him of wrongdoing. And they even accused him of being of Satan and of blasphemy against God (I believe) and of being crazy, too.

 

So, we should expect much of our persecution to come from others who claim faith in Jesus Christ and who attend gatherings of the church (or of what is falsely called “church”), some of whom will be the preachers of said “churches.” For Jesus said that if we follow him with our lives that we can expect to be hated and persecuted like he was. We won’t have huge followings, thus. And we may even be forced out or kicked out of or urged to leave some gatherings of what is called “church,” because we “don’t fit.”

 

But not all of our trials are related to Christian persecution. They can come in many different forms like the death of a loved one, sickness, poverty, loss of income, loss of health and physical strength, natural disasters, flood and/or fire, and theft of property, etc. Or they can come through betrayal, adultery of a spouse, misunderstandings, gossip and/or slander against us, having to move, and having to care for the elderly or an injured or a handicapped family member, etc.

 

But whatever our trials may be they are ultimately for our good to teach us faith and perseverance and godliness and faithfulness, and to prune and to purify us to make us holy, set apart from the world because we are now being conformed to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. Through our trials, if we respond to them in faith and not in rebellion, they will help us to grow to maturity in Christ and to learn wisdom and discernment, and to be humbled, and to learn compassion, too, for others who are facing trials.

 

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

 

Sound the Battle Cry!

 

By William F. Sherwin, pub.1869

 

Sound the battle cry! See, the foe is nigh;

Raise the standard high for the Lord;

Gird your armor on, stand firm every one;

Rest your cause upon His holy Word.

 

Strong to meet the foe, marching on we go,

While our cause we know must prevail;

Shield and banner bright, gleaming in the light,

Battling for the right we ne’er can fail.

 

O Thou God of all, hear us when we call,

Help us one and all by Thy grace;

When the battle’s done, and the vict’ry’s won,

May we wear the crown before Thy face.

 

Rouse, then, soldiers, rally round the banner,

Ready, steady, pass the word along;

Onward, forward, shout aloud, “Hosanna!”

Christ is Captain of the mighty throng.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5p2LOGYJu0

Caution: This link may contain ads