Embracing the Cross: Trials and Faith's Authenticity

Devotional

Day 1: The Necessity of the Cross

The cross of Jesus Christ is not just a symbol of suffering but a profound necessity for our redemption. Jesus emphasized that His suffering and death were essential to overcome sin, defeat the devil, and purchase our redemption. The Greek word "dei," meaning "it is necessary," underscores that some painful experiences are essential for a greater purpose. This necessity of the cross highlights that Jesus' sacrifice was the only way to bridge the gap between humanity and God, offering us salvation and eternal life. Understanding this helps us appreciate the depth of God's love and the lengths He went to redeem us. [08:45]

Hebrews 9:22 (ESV): "Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."

Reflection: How does understanding the necessity of the cross change your perspective on Jesus' sacrifice and your own trials?

Day 2: Trials Authenticate Our Faith

Peter connects our fiery trials to the cross, using the same term "dei" to indicate their necessity. These trials serve to prove the genuineness of our faith, much like gold tested by fire. When we face difficulties, it is an opportunity for our faith to be authenticated and refined. These trials are not meant to break us but to build us up, making our faith more robust and genuine. In heaven, these trials will be recognized as a testament to God's grace in our lives, showing that our faith was real and enduring. [12:12]

1 Peter 1:6-7 (ESV): "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

Reflection: Can you identify a recent trial in your life? How did it test and ultimately strengthen your faith?

Day 3: Trials Freshen Our Spiritual Walk

Just as wine must be poured from vessel to vessel to avoid becoming stale, our lives need disruptions to keep our faith fresh and vibrant. These trials bring us back to our first love and renew our commitment to God. Without these challenges, we might become complacent and stagnant in our spiritual journey. Trials force us to rely on God, seek His presence, and renew our dedication to Him. They keep our spiritual walk dynamic and alive, preventing us from becoming spiritually stale. [21:26]

Jeremiah 48:11 (ESV): "Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed."

Reflection: In what ways have recent disruptions or trials in your life brought you closer to God or renewed your faith?

Day 4: The Role of Adversity in Growth

Like trees needing wind to keep their branches flexible and vines needing stress to produce vintage wine, our lives require trials to deepen our roots in Christ. These adversarial conditions force us to rely more on God and produce a more profound and authentic faith. Adversity helps us grow stronger, more resilient, and more dependent on God. It shapes our character and prepares us for future challenges, ensuring that our faith is not superficial but deeply rooted in Christ. [25:42]

James 1:2-4 (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."

Reflection: How has a specific adversity in your life deepened your relationship with Christ and strengthened your faith?

Day 5: Worship in the Midst of Trials

Even in our darkest moments, we can worship God and declare His holiness. Jesus worshiped His Father on the cross, acknowledging God's goodness despite His suffering. This act of worship in trials crafts a vintage wine with our lives, making our faith more precious and enduring. Worshiping God during difficult times is a powerful testimony of our trust in Him and our recognition of His sovereignty. It transforms our perspective, allowing us to see our trials as opportunities to glorify God and grow in our faith. [41:03]

Habakkuk 3:17-18 (ESV): "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."

Reflection: In what ways can you choose to worship God today, even if you are facing a difficult trial? How can this act of worship transform your perspective on your current situation?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Today, we explored the profound significance of the cross and the necessity of trials in our lives. We began by acknowledging that many of us are holding onto promises from Jesus, and we must remain steadfast in our faith, trusting that He will fulfill them. We then turned our focus to the cross, noting that on the day of Jesus' crucifixion, no one truly understood the magnitude of what was happening. Jesus Himself, after His resurrection, emphasized that His suffering and death were necessary. This necessity, expressed by the Greek word "dei," underscores that the cross was essential for overcoming sin, defeating the devil, and purchasing our redemption.

We then connected this concept to our own lives through the words of Peter, who used the same term "dei" to describe our fiery trials. Just as the cross was necessary for Jesus, our trials are necessary to authenticate our faith. These trials serve to prove the genuineness of our faith, much like how gold is tested by fire. They also freshen us up, preventing us from becoming stagnant in our spiritual walk, and make us flexible, preparing us to bear the fruit of our next season in God.

We further illustrated this with examples from nature and winemaking. Trees need wind to keep their branches flexible, and vines need stress to produce vintage wine. Similarly, our lives need trials to deepen our roots in Christ and to bring forth a more profound and authentic faith. Even in the midst of our darkest moments, like Jesus on the cross, we can worship God and declare His holiness, knowing that our trials are crafting something beautiful and eternal in us.

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Key Takeaways

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2. Trials Authenticate Our Faith: Peter connects our fiery trials to the cross, using the same term "dei" to indicate their necessity. These trials serve to prove the genuineness of our faith, much like gold tested by fire, and will be recognized in heaven as a testament to God's grace in our lives.

3. Trials Freshen Our Spiritual Walk: Just as wine must be poured from vessel to vessel to avoid becoming stale, our lives need disruptions to keep our faith fresh and vibrant. These trials bring us back to our first love and renew our commitment to God.

4. The Role of Adversity in Growth: Like trees needing wind to keep their branches flexible and vines needing stress to produce vintage wine, our lives require trials to deepen our roots in Christ. These adversarial conditions force us to rely more on God and produce a more profound and authentic faith.

5. Worship in the Midst of Trials: Even in our darkest moments, we can worship God and declare His holiness. Jesus worshiped His Father on the cross, acknowledging God's goodness despite His suffering. This act of worship in trials crafts a vintage wine with our lives, making our faith more precious and enduring.

### [08:45]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:05] - Introduction and Announcements
[02:33] - Preaching on the Cross
[06:30] - Jesus' Perspective on the Cross
[09:40] - Peter's Connection to Fiery Trials
[12:12] - The Certification of Our Faith
[17:43] - Freshening Up Through Trials
[21:26] - The Necessity of Being Poured from Vessel to Vessel
[25:42] - The Role of Wind and Storms in Growth
[29:13] - The Concept of Vintage Wine
[36:11] - Holy Desperation and Deepening Roots
[41:03] - Worshiping God in Trials
[46:08] - Embracing Trials and Resurrection
[49:02] - Invitation to Worship and Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

According to Luke 24:46, what did Jesus say was necessary for the Christ? How does this relate to the sermon’s emphasis on the necessity of the cross? [06:30]
In 1 Peter 1:6-7, what is the purpose of the trials believers face? How does Peter describe the value of faith tested by fire? [09:40]
What analogy does Jeremiah 48:11 use to describe Moab, and how does this relate to the concept of being "poured from vessel to vessel" mentioned in the sermon? [17:43]
How did Jesus respond to His suffering on the cross according to Psalm 22:3, as referenced in the sermon? [39:30]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Jesus emphasize the necessity of His suffering and resurrection in Luke 24:46? How does this shape our understanding of trials in our own lives? [06:30]
How does Peter’s use of the word "necessary" in 1 Peter 1:6-7 connect our trials to the cross of Christ? What does this imply about the nature and purpose of our trials? [11:22]
What does the analogy of wine being poured from vessel to vessel in Jeremiah 48:11 teach us about the role of trials in our spiritual growth? How does this process prevent spiritual stagnation? [19:01]
How does the act of worshiping God in the midst of trials, as Jesus did on the cross, transform our perspective on suffering? [39:54]

Application Questions

Reflect on a promise from God that you are holding onto. How can you remain steadfast in your faith while waiting for its fulfillment? [01:05]
Think about a recent trial you have faced. How did it test the genuineness of your faith? What did you learn about your faith through this experience? [12:12]
In what ways have you experienced spiritual stagnation? How can you allow God to "pour you from vessel to vessel" to refresh your spiritual walk? [21:26]
Consider a time when you felt the winds of adversity in your life. How did this experience make you more flexible and reliant on God? [25:42]
How can you practice worshiping God in the midst of your current trials? What specific attributes of God can you focus on to help you declare His holiness despite your suffering? [41:03]
Identify an area in your life where you need to deepen your roots in Christ. What steps can you take to push your roots deeper, especially during times of spiritual drought? [34:21]
How can you support others in your small group who are going through fiery trials? What practical ways can you encourage them to see their trials as necessary for their spiritual growth? [37:48]

Sermon Clips

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "Sometimes we actually need storms in our lives to keep us flexible so that we can support the fruit of our next season in God. Did you know that our planet actually needs storms? We tend to look at the destructive side of storms, but there are beneficial things that we enjoy in our planet because of storms. They equalize our planet temperatures. They aquify the earth. And they flush our planet clean." [26:27] (74 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "When you say to the Lord you are holy here's what you're saying. You are good. You are kind. You are faithful. You are gentle. You are true. You are compassionate. You are tender. You are generous. You are wise. You are mighty. You are powerful. You're working all things for the good. And when you say to the Lord you are holy. You are talking about every beautiful attribute of God." [40:12] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Therefore, I have decided I'm not waiting until I'm healed before I say thank you. not waiting for my resurrection before I love him and worship him. I'm gonna love him now because I know just as this trial has been necessary, I understand it, it's been necessary to certify my faith, to freshen me up, to make me flexible in the spirit, to craft a vintage wine with me." [46:08] (53 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "He never meant for the cross to be your last chapter. He always meant for your trial to lead to resurrection. And today, my friends, I'm talking with us in the house and I am asking Jesus for resurrection life to flow in this place today. Somebody that has been walking a trial with God and you're gonna say thank you to Jesus today. You're gonna say you are holy." [47:11] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

### Quotes for Members

1. "Peter goes, sometimes our fiery trials, just as the cross was necessary for Jesus, sometimes our fiery trials are also necessary for us. He goes, to certify the authenticity, the authenticity of our faith. Your faith, your trial is your certification. It is proving the authenticity of your faith." [12:12] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "And in all of that warfare, she stood and gave me her love. on that day, heaven is going to look at your faith and go, it's the real deal. And heaven is going to put its official imprimatur on your faith, proven authentic, because you came through your fiery trial with your eyes still fixed on Jesus Christ." [12:40] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Just as the cross was necessary for Jesus Christ, Peter goes, sometimes our fiery trials are also necessary in our lives to certify our faith and to freshen us up. There's a place in the desert of Arizona called the biosphere. I'd be surprised if anybody here ever visited the biosphere. I've never been there. You can wave at me if you've ever visited. It's a tourist trap in the desert of Arizona." [21:26] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "When God turns the tap off, puts you into a holy drought where you can't hear God. You can't see God. You can't detect God. Everything is dark and in your drought you become desperate to survive and you start pushing roots into Jesus like you've never had to in all your life. You actually start to fast and pray. You begin to live in the Word. You begin to push your roots into places in God that you've never had go before. Holy desperation." [36:26] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "Just as the cross was necessary for Jesus Peter goes sometimes our trials are also necessary in our lives to certify our faith to freshen us up to get us flexible again and to craft a vintage wine with our love." [38:21] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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