BETHEL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

SUNDAY 08NOV09

"CELEBRATE YOUR TRIALS"

	"My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into 
	all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith 
	produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that 
	you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything."
	(James 1:2-4)

The difference between happiness and joy is the key to understanding the difference between the perspective and priorities of a Biblical Christian and everyone else.

Ask:  What is the difference between happiness and joy?

Happiness:  Depends upon my momentary circumstances; am I hungry or did I over-eat, am I too cold, too hot, too poor, too tall, too short, too little hair, too hairy, too fat, skinny, not popular enough, harassed by my fans, sick and tired of being sick and tired, bored with life, frustrated because no one listens to me or aggravated because people won't stop asking me questions, tortured by my past or fearful of my future ...

Joy:  No matter what my circumstances I am certain of eternity in Heaven. Yes, I may wince at the pain.
Yes, I may complain in the moment.
Yes, I may cry at the losses.
But nothing can steal my joy in the Lord and His beautiful promise!

AMEN?

Seven Keys To Biblical Joy

7.  God's goodness teaches us grace and generosity.

	"And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God 
	has given the Macedonian churches.  Out of the most severe trial, 
	their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich 
	generosity.  For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and 
	even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own,  they urgently pleaded 
	with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints." 
	(2 Corinthians 8:1-4)

	"All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down 	from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the 
	slightest hint of change. By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through 
	the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he 
	created.  (James 1:17-18)

	There is a wonderful song that emphasizes this:

	 "People Need The Lord" (Songbook Pages 143-134)

6.  Face trials with wisdom from the Holy Spirit.

	"But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to 
	all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him. But 
	he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a 
	wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind. For that person 
	must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he 
	is a double-minded individual, unstable in all his ways.

	"Now the believer of humble means should take pride in his high 
	position.  But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, 
	because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. For the 
	sun rises with its heat and dries up the meadow; the petal of the flower 	falls off and its beauty is lost forever. So also the rich person in the 
	midst of his pursuits will wither away."  (James 1:5-11)

Let the words of James echo as we read the report, from 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, of the suffering endured by the Apostle Paul, :

"... in far more imprisonments, 

	"Consider it a great joy ..."

"... beaten times without number, often in danger of death.

	"Consider it a great joy ..."

"Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.

	"Consider it a great joy ..."

"Three times I was beaten with rods, 

	"Consider it a great joy ..."

"... once I was stoned, 

	"Consider it a great joy ..."

"... three times I was shipwrecked, 

	"Consider it a great joy ..."

"   a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 

	"Consider it a great joy ..."

"I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 

	"Consider it a great joy ..."

"I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

	"Consider it a great joy ..."

"Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concern for all the churches.

	"Consider it a great joy ..."

The contemporary Christian band, Casting Crowns, offers a song titled"
"Praise You In This Storm"

I was sure by now, God, 
You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

5.  Edification through the endurance of trials. 

Philosopher-theologians have a concept that they call the "The doctrine of suffering"

"Why me? Why now? What is God doing? Suffering is a tool God uses to get our attention and to accomplish His ... It is designed to build our trust in the Almighty, but suffering requires the right response if it is to be successful in accomplishing God’s purposes. Suffering forces us to turn *from* trust in our own resources *to* living by faith ..."  The late ﻿J. Hampton Keathley III

﻿Colossians 1:24 

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body – for the sake of his body, the church – what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ."

Acts 20:24

"But I do not consider my life worth anything to myself, so that I may finish my task and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace."

We all know the words of "Amazing Grace" - and probably the history of the 
author - a repentant slaver who lost his family at sea yet wrote the song when traveling through the area where they were lost.

Praising God despite the pain.

4.  Defeat deception with Biblical truth. 

	"Happy is the one who endures testing, because when he has proven to 	be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those 	who love him. 

	"Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God 
	cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each one 	is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then when 	desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it 
	gives birth to death. Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and 
	sisters." (James 1:12-16)

Be bold in the declaration of God:

"Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:24-33).

Look forward to an opportunity to testify to Jesus and your hope in Him:

﻿"And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:14b-15)

Be careful that your suffering is due to your faithfulness, or at least not due to your sin:

"... and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame."  (1 Peter 3:16)

Rich Mullins is a founder of modern contemporary Christian music.  His song  "Creed", addresses the key truths of the essence of our Christian faith:

I believe in God the Father almighty
Maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth
And in Jesus Christ
His only begotten Son, our Lord
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Born of the virgin Mary
Suffered under Pontius Pilate
He was crucified and dead and buried

CHORUS:
And I believe what I believe
Is what makes me what I am
I did not make it, no it is making me
It is the very truth of God and not
The invention of any man

I believe that He who suffered
Was crucified, buried, and dead
He descended into hell and
On the third day, rose again
He ascended into Heaven where
He sits at God's mighty right hand
I believe that He's returning to
Judge the quick and the dead
Of the sons of men

I believe in God the Father almighty
Maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth
And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son,
Our Lord
I believe in the Holy Spirit
One Holy Church, the communion of Saints
The forgiveness of sin
I believe in the resurrection
I believe in a life that never ends

3.  Celebrate His love together with others.

	We have discussed this before, in fact last Sunday.

	The Apostle Paul visited this again and again in his two letters to the 
	Thessalonians:

	"We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and 
	rightly so, because your faith flourishes more and more and the love of 
	each one of you all for one another is ever greater. As a result we 
	ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your 
	perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you are 
	enduring."  (2 Thessalonians 1:3-4)

	We sing a song that celebrates our unity "Bind Us Together"  (Page 107)

2.  Believe that He has a perfect and loving plan.

	"For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is 	right rather than for doing what is wrong. For Christ also died for sins 
	once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to 
	God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit" 	(1 Peter 3:17-18)

	"Our God Reigns"  (Page 69)

1.  Assurance as to Who controls the future.

	"For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to 	prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled 
	with hope."  Jeremiah 29:11

	Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: ‘Blessed are the 
	dead, those who die in the Lord from this moment on!’”
	“Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they can rest from their hard work, because 
	their deeds will follow them.”  (Revelation 14:13)

	“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or 
	drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life 
	than food and more to the body than clothing? Look at the birds in the 
	sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly 
	Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are?" 
	(Matthew 6:25-26)

So, celebrate your trials with the Seven Keys To Biblical Joy we just discussed and find new freedom and strength in Christ.

Closing prayer.

Invitation

If you do not yet know the Lord, if you are not certain that you have surrendered to the only ONE Who can bring you eternal joy, or if you are in need of shared encouragement and prayer right now then as we sing this song please come forward - and pay no attention to anyone or any thing but the Holy Spirit Who is encouraging you right now to come.

"In His Time"  (Page 135)

Closing prayer