Finding Hope and Strength in Life's Trials

 

Summary

In the midst of life's trials and tribulations, it's essential to remember that God is always at work, transforming our pain into something beautiful. This past weekend has been emotionally draining, with many in our community facing intense challenges. Yet, even in the darkest moments, like the loss of a child, there is hope and healing in the knowledge that God is with us. The story of a grieving mother who found solace in the belief that her son is now whole in God's presence is a powerful reminder of faith's resilience.

We are called to worship God not only in times of comfort but also in times of hardship. This is the essence of true worship, as exemplified by Job, who praised God despite his suffering. It's crucial to recognize that we are not alone in our struggles; many are facing similar battles. Satan may try to use these situations to discourage us, but God can turn them into opportunities for growth and His glory.

Today, I shared some difficult news about Chuck, our Student Ministries Pastor, who is stepping down to address personal and business issues. This decision, made in agreement with the Elder board, is a step towards healing and growth. Chuck's journey is a reminder that we all have areas in our lives that need work, and it's vital to confront them with honesty and humility.

Reflecting on our lives, we must ask ourselves what we want to be known for. Is it our accomplishments and appearance, or our character and integrity? Joseph of Arimathea, remembered for his righteousness and courage to stand against the majority, serves as an example of a life focused on eternal values rather than worldly success. We should strive to be known for our love for Jesus and our commitment to His word.

As we navigate life's challenges, let's focus on becoming mature and complete, as God desires. This process involves perseverance through trials, leading to a character that reflects God's goodness. Let us eagerly await the kingdom of God, living as aliens on this earth, with our eyes set on eternal rewards. In doing so, we can transform our lives and the lives of those around us, turning our mess into something beautiful.

Key Takeaways:

- Worshiping God in both good and bad times is a testament to our faith. Like Job, we should praise God regardless of our circumstances, recognizing that He is sovereign and worthy of our worship. This unwavering faith can bring peace and strength in the midst of trials. [02:18]

- Chuck's decision to step down highlights the importance of addressing personal issues with honesty and humility. We all have areas in our lives that need work, and it's crucial to confront them with the support of our community and God's guidance. [04:18]

- Our character and integrity should be our focus, rather than accomplishments or appearance. Joseph of Arimathea's example teaches us to stand for what is right, even against the majority, and to prioritize eternal values over worldly success. [27:54]

- Life's trials are part of God's process to make us mature and complete. Perseverance through difficulties develops character, leading to a life that reflects God's goodness and prepares us for eternity. [19:44]

- We should live with an eternal perspective, eagerly awaiting the kingdom of God. This mindset shifts our focus from earthly possessions and achievements to spiritual growth and eternal rewards, transforming our lives and the lives of those around us. [31:11]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:13] - Emotional Weekend
- [00:41] - Tragic Loss and Hope
- [01:37] - Faith in Adversity
- [02:29] - Worship in Hard Times
- [03:17] - Chuck's Announcement
- [04:18] - Integrity and Accountability
- [05:30] - Personal Reflection
- [07:39] - Journey of Self-Discovery
- [11:20] - Inner Examination
- [12:39] - Support and Prayer
- [15:12] - God's Transformative Power
- [19:31] - Perseverance and Maturity
- [21:38] - Joseph of Arimathea's Example
- [31:11] - Eternal Perspective

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Job 1:21 - "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
2. James 1:2-4 - "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. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
3. Luke 23:50-51 - "Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action."

Observation Questions:
1. What was the reaction of the grieving mother after the loss of her child, and how did it reflect her faith? [01:37]
2. How did Chuck's situation highlight the importance of addressing personal issues with honesty and humility? [04:18]
3. What characteristics of Joseph of Arimathea are highlighted in the sermon, and how do they relate to his actions? [21:54]
4. How does the sermon describe the process of God transforming our trials into something beautiful? [18:39]

Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the story of Job illustrate the concept of worshiping God in both good and bad times? [02:18]
2. In what ways does Chuck's decision to step down demonstrate the importance of community support and accountability in personal growth? [04:18]
3. What does Joseph of Arimathea's example teach us about standing for what is right, even against the majority? [27:54]
4. How does the sermon suggest that life's trials contribute to our spiritual maturity and completeness? [19:44]

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a recent trial in your life. How can you find ways to worship God through it, similar to Job's example? [02:18]
2. Are there areas in your life that need addressing with honesty and humility? How can you seek support from your community to work on these issues? [04:18]
3. Consider your current focus in life. Are you more concerned with accomplishments and appearance, or with character and integrity? How can you shift your focus to align with eternal values? [23:04]
4. How can you actively persevere through a current challenge, trusting that God is using it to mature and complete you? [19:44]
5. What steps can you take to live with an eternal perspective, eagerly awaiting the kingdom of God? How can this mindset transform your daily life and interactions with others? [31:11]
6. Identify a situation where you might need to stand against the majority for what is right. How can you prepare yourself to act with courage and integrity like Joseph of Arimathea? [27:54]
7. Think of a person in your life who is going through a difficult time. How can you offer them support and remind them of God's transformative power? [18:39]

Devotional

Day 1: Worship in All Circumstances
In the journey of faith, worship is not confined to moments of joy and comfort but extends into the valleys of hardship and suffering. True worship, as exemplified by Job, involves praising God regardless of our circumstances, acknowledging His sovereignty and worthiness. This unwavering faith can bring peace and strength in the midst of trials, reminding us that God is always at work, transforming our pain into something beautiful. In the darkest moments, such as the loss of a loved one, there is hope and healing in the knowledge that God is with us, turning our struggles into opportunities for growth and His glory. [02:18]

"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." (Habakkuk 3:17-18, ESV)

Reflection: In what specific situation are you currently struggling to worship God? How can you choose to praise Him today, even in the midst of this difficulty?


Day 2: Embracing Honesty and Humility
Addressing personal issues with honesty and humility is crucial for spiritual growth and healing. Chuck's decision to step down from his role to focus on personal and business matters highlights the importance of confronting areas in our lives that need work. This process requires the support of our community and God's guidance, reminding us that we are not alone in our struggles. By facing our challenges with integrity, we open ourselves to God's transformative power, allowing Him to turn our weaknesses into strengths. [04:18]

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." (James 5:16, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area in your life that you need to address with honesty and humility? How can you seek support from your community and God's guidance in this process?


Day 3: Prioritizing Character and Integrity
In a world that often values accomplishments and appearance, it is essential to focus on character and integrity. Joseph of Arimathea serves as an example of someone who stood for what is right, even against the majority, prioritizing eternal values over worldly success. Reflecting on our lives, we must ask ourselves what we want to be known for. By striving to be known for our love for Jesus and our commitment to His word, we align our lives with God's eternal purposes, impacting those around us with His truth and love. [27:54]

"Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out." (Proverbs 10:9, ESV)

Reflection: What steps can you take today to prioritize character and integrity over accomplishments and appearance in your daily interactions?


Day 4: Perseverance Through Trials
Life's trials are part of God's process to make us mature and complete. Perseverance through difficulties develops character, leading to a life that reflects God's goodness and prepares us for eternity. As we navigate challenges, we are called to focus on becoming mature and complete, as God desires. This process involves embracing trials as opportunities for growth, trusting that God is using them to shape us into His likeness and prepare us for the eternal rewards of His kingdom. [19:44]

"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." (James 1:2-4, ESV)

Reflection: How can you view a current trial as an opportunity for growth and maturity in your faith journey?


Day 5: Living with an Eternal Perspective
We are called to live with an eternal perspective, eagerly awaiting the kingdom of God. This mindset shifts our focus from earthly possessions and achievements to spiritual growth and eternal rewards. By living as aliens on this earth, with our eyes set on eternal values, we can transform our lives and the lives of those around us, turning our mess into something beautiful. This eternal perspective encourages us to invest in what truly matters, aligning our lives with God's purposes and impacting the world with His love and truth. [31:11]

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, ESV)

Reflection: What is one practical way you can shift your focus from earthly concerns to eternal values today? How can this change impact your daily life and those around you?

Quotes

My little boy is running again you know he can run he's he's in the arms of God and he's whole again and it's just you know it's it's one thing for me to sing a song like we did you know blessed be the name of the Lord you know when things are okay but but but for some of you and I'm sure it's true of a lot of you in this room that things aren't okay right now things aren't easy right now and for you to still be able to sing blessed be the name that's the whole idea of that song was job you know wrote those words said those words I should say you know when his whole life was falling apart I'm saying you know what God gives God takes away but that's not going to affect my worship of him I'm going to worship him when things are easy when things are fun when things are comfortable and I'm going to worship Him when life is difficult [00:01:44]

Chuck has uh Chuck is now stepping down from his employment here at Cornerstone as our student ministry's Pastor for two reasons one is to work on these issues in his life um and uh the the Elder board myself we're all going to be working with him on this the other reason is because of his business he now has some obligation some responsibilities there that he wants to focus on and and to make right and so it's a process that he's going through and um I believe this is a good process I believe this is the right thing to do the whole Elder boore is in agreement on this and Chuck is in agreement with this as well [00:04:18]

I have this amazing ability to overlook impure motives and just focus on my pure motives and uh I have that in pretty much everything I do but in this case the best way I could describe it to you is that I was like Eve in the garden and in Genesis chapter 3 what what I mean by this is this uh she knew knew what God had said about the tree in the middle of the garden not to eat from it she's talking to the serpent and and the Serpent's causing her to think about some things saying some things that are contrary to what God has already said and she's thinking about it when she looks at the tree she sees good things she sees it's good to eat and it's uh pleasing to my eyes and you know I got to eat and God wants to give me the desires my heart and she also looks she says it's good to make one wise you know God gave me this brain and so when she looks at this tree all she sees is the pure motives the pure things that maybe she can rationalize or Justify in the sight of God and then she rationalizes to a point where she follows through and she acts on it [00:05:35]

I feel like the more and more I'm getting into my heart and and the way I can describe it to you is is uh a couple years ago my wife and I were in Italy and we were on the coast and there was these train tracks I took pictures of it you know and these train tracks going into this tunnel it was an awesome site but I realized that as I think about that you know you can sit on a train and you can go through the tunnel Just Close Your Eyes hold your breath till you get to the other side but I just feel like the further further away I get the you know these last four weeks I just been in the tunnel and not even on the train I'm just once you get in the tunnel it's it's cold and it's damp and it's dark and there's garbage everywhere and you look on the walls and there's graffiti and U I just I finally feel like I'm getting into the tunnel of my heart and I feel like uh the more and more I time I spend away and just to focus on that it's going to be better for me and uh better for you too better for the church [00:08:03]

I just love that I mean you know it was it was it was just such a beautiful illustration of it's like wow that is what he does you know as as where these New Creations I mean that's the thing I always Marvel at god with is is how can you take my mess or whatever you want to call it you know the stuff that I've done and actually turn into something so beautiful So Glorious and and that's where it's like God I'm I'm amazed I'm constantly amazed at how you've done that in this church and even through the most difficult and the hardest and even ugly situations you make something beautiful of it and and that's that's so true of so many of our Lives as we look now you just go God how did you pull me out of that how'd you take me from there and give me this type of life and this type of Joy I I didn't think it was ever possible but that's what God loves to do [00:18:59]

God's desire is is that he takes us through this process so at the end of our Lives we become mature complete not lacking anything that's his desire see but a lot of times we don't think about that a lot of times we don't want that and we don't think about oh I wonder what type of man I'm going to be at the end of my life I wonder what type of woman I'm going to be at the end of my life a lot of times we don't think about God taking us to this process to make us mature and complete when we think about our relationship with God we think about the here and now and we want to come before God and go God make me happy right now okay take all the pain out of my life right now make me comfortable right now make life easy right now cuz that's what I like and yet God's saying well actually I'm in your life to complete you to mature you so at the end of your life you're mature complete not lacking in anything [00:20:01]

There was a man named Joseph a member of the council a good and upright man I don't know I just something about that hit me as I was looking at this passage this week that he was remembered for being good and the word upright is literally the word righteous and when you see this word used throughout scripture and even the word good these words are not used lightly I mean you hear verses that say no no one's good you know we're we're all unrighteous and yet the character what was was said about this man he was good and righteous he was known for that and and I guess I don't know a lot of people who are known for that think about that you know who do you know that you that they're just known for being good and righteous we live in a world where everyone lifts up accomplishments appearance success and and I guess I what I'm asking you is is that what you want do you want to be known for your accomplishments your appearance or for your character at the end of your life what do you want people to say about you [00:27:54]

Joseph was a part of this Council but it says in those few words he never consented to this he never consented to their decision nor their action and I love that because okay first you got to understand this Council that he was a part of this was the government this was the governing board okay this was the Sanhedrin it was called it was made up of of 71 people and they patterned it after the Old Testament with Moses in the Book of Numbers when he had his Council of 70 men and they LED they were the government of all of Israel they're the government of of the Jewish Nation okay so that continued on and even though now with the Jews being under the Roman Empire the Roman Empire recognized the Sanhedrin as the government you know and gave them some sort of autonomy and so here's the governing board Joseph is a prominent man he's a part of this board this whole board is the same board that is screaming for the crucifixion of Jesus and Joseph stands against it all and says no this isn't right [00:28:39]

He was waiting for the kingdom of God see this guy was looking for the kingdom of God is what what waiting literally means he was looking for it he wasn't he wasn't looking for all these other things that everyone else in the world chases he wasn't thinking about building his own kingdom his own Mansion his own possessions his Focus was on Eternal things he was waiting for the kingdom of God and what the New Testament teaches is that all of us all of us as Christians are supposed to be eagerly awaiting the return of Christ that we're we're not supposed to be eagerly you know building a home for ourselves in fact the Bible says that we are supposed to live as aliens on this Earth in the sense of you know what I don't belong down here I'm just here for a little while I'm going to you know do what God calls me to do but this isn't my home I I've got an eternal home in heaven and I can't wait to get there I can't wait till Christ returns I can't wait till the day of my death I can't wait to just get up there because I'm building an eternal home I'm making sacrifices here on the earth that'll have eternal repercussions rewards you know and I'm looking forward to that day [00:31:11]

A person of character doesn't just love and have these emotions for God but he does everything he can to obey God's word it's not just a love for the person but it's a love for his words because God says you know that's that's a part of who I am the word the Psalms even say that he's exalted his word above his name you know this is this is important and and we have to look and say you know to sum up is this you are you known for your character of being righteous and good are you willing to stand against the majority a person who stands for what right what's right even if the whole world is against you is that that you are you a person who's focused on spiritual things that the life to come or are you caught up in what everyone else is in this world are you known for just being in love with Jesus intimate with him a love relationship and are you known as a person who is serious about God's word and and obeying it [00:36:34]

I just remember sitting at that church service with a guy who just was ready to kill himself and realizing you know what there are probably people like that in every service and the preacher probably didn't even know he had no idea of who was sitting next to me but you know I knew it was going on this guy's life and I don't know what's happened in your life all I know is that it's been an intense intense summer for a lot a lot of people and I don't want to be insensitive to that and if you need prayer today you know don't don't sing the song come up and and there'll be someone to pray with you if if maybe you you hear even Chuck's testimony and go you know what there's some junk in my life I need to clean out because I don't have peace either and you want to do that and you just want to pray with someone someone to help you with it'll be up here or maybe it's going you know this first time I heard the the message of what Jesus did and I'm ready to get baptized then come up and do that but just do whatever God's called you to do because that's how you get peace [00:46:12]

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Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?