Pastor Paul Chappell: Thriving Through Difficulty

right now take your Bible if you would turn to James chapter 1 James chapter 1 for our message tonight and I'm excited about this time in God's Word one of my favorite passages how do you how do you thrive through difficulty how can we take a time like this and come out stronger and I believe it's possible and I want you to hear what the Bible has to say about that tonight James chapter 1 and verse number 1 the Bible says James a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad greeting my brethren counted all joy when you fall into divers temptations knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience but let patience have her perfect work that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him well most of us tonight as we endure this time that has been thrust upon us with the kovat 19 virus have experienced some inconvenience perhaps you have experienced the inconvenience of staying at home more than you thought perhaps you've had a cutback in your work hours perhaps you've had a loved one that has been sick with the virus stress comes upon us many times unexpectedly the trying of our faith this has been a testing time for our church and I'm thankful that God's given us a strong church and a responsive church but individually these stressful times test the mettle of our faith there are many things we know about America and Americans stress in particular I know that Americans consume 50 million aspirin tablets every single day think of that how many of you have reached for an advil today or perhaps something of this nature the fact is that men and women across the country are stressed during this time there's an anxiety that has developed that's one of the reasons we have Friday night biblical counseling program for the next month or so just to try to help people through this time of difficulty I have read many articles about stress and anxiety on the increase during this time that we are experiencing of social distancing we like to be together we need to encourage one another and social distancing is really not the norm for Christian Fellowship recently I was reading about the concert pianos like we have here in our church auditorium typically they have about two hundred and forty strings and those spring strings when they are tightened will create about 40,000 pounds of pressure upon the frame yet without that pressure they would never bring beautiful music into this auditorium and so it is tonight with our lives during this season of difficulty without times of pressure we would never experience grace and without grace we can never express pure worship to the Lord Jesus Christ God wants us to thrive through this time of difficulty and bring praise to his name now when I read the book of James I'm mindful of the fact that it's one of the oldest books in the Bible and some of you'll recall the backdrop of the persecution that had come upon the church and in Acts chapter 7 Acts chapter 8 Stephen was persecuted and the church was scattered abroad James is written to the church scattered abroad throughout Asia Minor great difficulties had come upon the church at this time in Acts chapter 12 James the brother of John was killed by Herod not long after that Peter was arrested and set to be executed save for the deliverance of God that he experienced and in John Oran rather in Acts chapter number 15 we find James who is the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ of course he was the son of Joseph and Mary and Jesus was the son of God and it was this James the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ that was the human author of the book of James the Holy Spirit working through him and so we have pastor James then writing to the Christians scattered abroad now I don't know if they were social distancing but they were scattered abroad modern-day Turkey and they were in small clusters here and there many of them fearful of the persecution that would come upon their life and the pastor is writing to them and he's encouraging them that even in this time of difficulty they could thrive for Jesus Christ I want you to notice what he was teaching them notice first of all he is teaching them that we can find a heavenly purpose even in times of difficulty that God has a purpose in these times that God will use these for his will we read in verse number 1 the Bible says James a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad greeting my brethren count it all joy now here the word count means to consider and they were to consider this time in their lives as a time of purpose from God verse three says knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience God says you can know that I have a purpose in this time of trial and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to his purpose and so here we see that there was a purpose and my friend tonight God has a purpose for this time of social distancing he wants to deepen your walk strengthen your prayer and raise up your testimony for him now whoa notice the purpose that was given here in James first of all I see the development of their faith God says in verse number three knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience so God says that the trying times then are building times that the purpose is that our faith might be built up and that he might be honored and glorified in developing our faith the trying of our faith is working the word of God here we see in verse number 2 this phrase which speaks about the temptations speaking of trials and temptations in life and and God says that this word tempt is not always a solicitation to do evil sometimes it speaks about those times in our life when we have trials and difficulties and so there is the development of our faith during these times is your faith being developed are you learning how to pray how to trust God have you spent a little extra time in his word these last few weeks let the trying of your faith work patience and develop your faith further we see the developing of faith but also James tells us that there was the display of faith now notice this it says that the trying of your faith worketh patience so God says that as your faith is being developed through this trial that there's going to be the working of patience in your life that there's going to be the showing forth of fruit and the maturing of the person of God and you will become someone that is stronger because of the trial and so it is that God has a purpose to develop and to display the faith of his church Romans chapter 5 and verse 3 and not only so but we glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation worketh patience now let me say for example we're listening to our leaders at the national local and county and state levels and they're telling us that perhaps we'll come back to church or having congregations come back at this time or this time or the next time and and we're certainly praying and watching the medical side of that the political and most of all listening to what God would have us to do but there may be some that would fancy in their minds that the longer a church is sequestered the weaker the church would become and I'm not an advocate for sequestering much longer but I am an advocate for this fact that during a time of trial a true faith will always be tested and a faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted I believe that Lancaster Baptist Church will emerge a stronger Church because of this testing that we will love God more his word more one another more and it should not be that our witnessing or our giving or are serving is less but that so much the more we see the Day approaching so God says I'm gonna build your faith during this time so that I can display it God's gonna develop something wonderful in our lives so that the world will see Jesus said I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it and so we see the purpose of God in the trying and difficult times Genesis 50 and verse 20 you remember Joseph was sold into slavery by his brethren and when they finally saw him later in life he said to them but as for you you thought evil against me but God meant it under good to bring to pass as it is this day to save much people alive you know there may be some that think well I'm glad those Bible believing churches can't meet together and and even gleefully might think ill of us at this particular time and they may think it for evil but God means it for good he wants to strengthen our faith during this time 1st Peter 1 in 7 that the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth though it be tried with fire might be found unto praise and glory and honor at the appearing of Jesus Christ and so let this time of patience be a time of building in your life and sometimes great works for God require patience I remember the story that was given about a woman by the name of grace kroner grace groaner and that grace was a woman that was from the state of Illinois and when she passed away a few years ago she just a very poor so everyone thought widow woman left seven million dollars to a college called the Lake Forest College grace had lived a very simple life she lived to the age of 100 years old and in 19 thirty-five she had invested $100 into the Abbott Laboratories 180 dollars rather into the Abbott Laboratories at the time of her passing that minimal investment of a hundred and eighty dollars had increased to seven million dollars and she was able to leave that amount of money to a college with thirteen hundred students because she had been patient through the years my friend many times we say what can I do for God let me encourage you patiently witness patiently give patiently pray and over the course of a lifetime God will display what he's doing in your life and he will do it even in the midst of the trials and the difficulties and so there is a purpose that is revealed in difficult times and the Bible tells us that purpose that the trying of our faith will work God's patience within us but notice not only the purpose and difficulty but let's take a minute and study tonight the process that we're going to endure what is the process that God wants us to endure maybe for the next month maybe for the next several weeks what is this process all about well look in your Bible please at James chapter one in verse four the Bible says but let patience have her perfect work that you may be patient that you may be perfect and entire wanting nothing now think of the phrase there let patience have her perfect work all right let's say that together shall we let patience have her perfect work now some of you didn't say anything you're sitting in your house there's no need to be embarrassed so help me out here tonight let's work together ready begin let patience have her perfect work now when we read verse number four we realize that we are engaged in a process God is at work but we must be surrendering to God as he works this is the biblical process of maturation this is how God tours and grows us yes he's working even allowing a trial into our myths but he says we've got to allow it we've got to yield to it like the clay would yield to the Potters hand we must be a part of this biblical process and the more you grumble and complain and yell at your spouse or children the less likely you and I are to grow in the grace of God so there is a process of surrender he says I want you to let this happen I want you to remember the words of Jesus not my will but thine be done 1st Peter 5 and 6 says it this way humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time casting all of your care upon him for he careth for you God says I want you to humble yourself and receive this time with the spirit of surrender sometimes we need to surrender our past and we want to say well I never had this problem before and I'm not used to having this and remember the Bible says in Philippians chapter 3 and verse 13 forgetting those things which are behind sometimes we need to surrender our present and we need to say I wasn't planning on being at home this much I wasn't planning on not having overtime or whatever the trial having homeschooling right now that wasn't my plan listen God says I know it wasn't your plan but it's my plan for this moment and the sooner you surrender to it the sooner you can display my glory we need to surrender our past we need to surrender our present we need to surrender our future we need to come to that place of saying lord whatever you're doing here I want your will to be done and so we see that God cares for us and he wants us to simply surrender to him oh it doesn't matter how great the pressure is what really matters is where the pressure lies and during this time make sure that the pressure doesn't come between you and God let the pressure bring you closer to God every step of the way you see every temptation is a kind of test but not every test is a temptation test and temptations have different purposes they come from places tests are designed to show what someone can do their purpose is positive God says I'm bringing this test into your life to show you that by my enabling grace you can endure it you can thrive through it and so let me have my work in you God is calling us to this process of surrender why because as we surrender to Him then we will mature in him we will become more like him now look what it says again in verse four it says but let patience have her perfect word watch this now that you may be perfect now the word perfect means complete or mature God says you've got to let this whole process have its perfect or complete work so that you will grow up so that you will be mature I often like to use the illustration of weights I like to use the illustration more than I like to use weights because using weights is painful and it makes you sweat and tired and it hurts but the fact is that when you lift weights enough and if you keep lifting them then your muscles will strengthen but if you refuse to lift them or if you refuse to use them your muscles will atrophy God says I want you to allow this time of difficulty to build maturity into your life and if we say I'm mad at God and I'm mad at my spouse and if we sit on the couch and eat potato chips during this time of social sequestration pouting every step of the way when we should be praying then we will come out of this trial not as a stronger Christian but as a weaker Christian and God does not intend this trial to weaken you he intends it to strengthen you so we must let him have his way we must seek his face in prayer seek his word humble ourselves before the Lord and God through that process of surrender is gonna build up some great and giant prayer warriors and Christians for him that ye may be perfect that is to grow in the grace of God the Bible says in 1st Peter 5 and 10 but the God of all Grace who hath called us unto eternal glory by Jesus Christ after that you have suffered a while make you perfect as abliss and settle you turn in your Bibles to that verse if you like first Peter 5:10 God says in 1st Peter 5:10 after you suffer a while after you go through this difficulty I'm gonna make you stronger I'm gonna establish you someone says if I have to go through two more weeks of this homeschooling I'm gonna fall apart wait a minute God says no I didn't bring this into your life to help you fall apart I did this to strengthen you to make you a stronger mother a better father a stronger family oh that we would understand that God says to us my grace is sufficient for you 1st Corinthians 12:10 and Paul the Apostle said I will then more gladly receive that grace if it means more trials if it means more infirmities then when I am weak I will be strong but I'd rather go through a tough time with God then smooth sailing without God and it is a process that God intends and so James teaches us he teaches us tonight that there is a purpose in difficulty that God says I'm gonna do a work of patience and growth in your life and that there is a process in this time and the process involves my yielding to the Lord and his working in me and then I want you to notice thirdly tonight that there is a product I I've seen tonight the purpose let patience have her perfect work I see the process that ye may become perfect but let's notice the product even more it says here in verse 4 let patience have her perfect work that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not or taketh not away now here we see that God wants to produce something in our life and I want to share with you a few of the things that I believe God will produce if we will let him in these upcoming few days first of all we will ask him for wisdom we will ask him for wisdom now we've talked about being perfect or mature wanting nothing someone that is cooing in the Lord they are going to come to a place where they realize this trial is beyond me and James 1:5 is a verse that I pray every single morning to the Lord Lord you said if I ask for wisdom you'll give it and I'm asking now I don't think I've ever asked God for more wisdom to be the right kind of a pastor than I have the last two or three weeks some of the challenges some of the unique opportunities and obstacles some of the challenges that we've had organizationally and with respect to finance but also with respect to church member needs and being socially distance and it's just something we we've never experienced and yet God says I have a product I'm looking for I have a particular kind of maturity I'm looking for and one of the marks of maturity is that we will come to God and ask for his help and that we will ask for his wisdom a wise man is seeking a wise woman is seeking the wisdom of God if any man lack wisdom let him ask of God and so God says I can tell you what I will be looking for when I say that there's a maturity what I'm looking for is someone that comes to me seeking wisdom Psalm 111 and verse 10 the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom a good understanding have all they that do this do this command His commandments his praise endureth forever the fear of the Lord is beginning of wisdom now we hear our elected officials and they're saying things like well we need to go by the science and we need to do what the professionals say and all of that is true and I'm thankful for science I'm thankful for professionals and medical experts but I am thankful that I can go to God in prayer and that I can seek his face and that he will give me wisdom and I believe the wisdom of the word of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to be superior to that of man's wisdom and you cannot raise a godly family you cannot build a godly marriage without the wisdom that comes from above it is not earthly it is not sensual it is not devilish and many of those that are elected who are not saved their philosophies their their thoughts about how to handle problems are are very very much opposed to word of god but we can find God's wisdom we'll ask for wisdom and we'll ask by faith Abraham the Bible says staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith and he gave himself fully to the Lord by way of his faith Charles Spurgeon once said the doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance and sometimes a trial like this brings us to the end of our self and we we say God I need your help I need you to guide me through this time and so here tonight we see that God wants to produce fruit he wants us to come and seek his wisdom and we also see that he will give that wisdom to us we will receive the wisdom notice in verse 5 again it says if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given to him God says if you ask you're gonna receive I'm gonna give you the wisdom that you need now friend tonight I want you to find hope in the fact that God has a purpose in trials that he has a process he's bringing us through just let him have his work and he'll build a patient life and a mature life and not only does he have a purpose and a process but there's a product that's going to come from this and the product is going to be a praying church people that seek God for wisdom people that seek his counsel and follow his will this is why Peter wrote I believe in 1st Peter chapter 1 in verse number 6 wherein ye rejoice greatly though now for a season if need be ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations that the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth though it be tried with fire might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ this time might be trying your faith a little bit if you're like me you missed the choir you miss seeing folks out in the church you miss times of corporate prayer it may be a trial of our faith but God says this could be time that really refines us this is the time when we're gonna find who loves God it's one thing to love the church it's one thing to love the choir but if you love God you're still talking to him during this time of social distancing if you love God you're still walking with him during the time of social distancing if we love God we're still giving and growing oh yes it's a trial of our faith but God has a purpose for it and he's looking for a product he's looking for a church that when we come through this and we will come through it that will come through it's stronger for his honor and for his glory and so James tells us let patience have her perfect work my friend tonight there's a heavenly purpose involved here God is doing something greater than we could understand there is a biblical process of surrendering and letting God work and there is a revealed product and that product is a church that prays a church that seeks God's face every step of the way may we come forth as gold may we be a stronger more purified church because of this time that we're experiencing today maybe there's someone that's been watching tonight's service and you say you know I need to take some time right now to pray God bring me forth as gold God help me help me to be a Christian that's not growing lethargic sitting on my carnal couch just complaining and watching binge television help me God to grow during this time some of you may need to pray that prayer Lord help me to grow closer to you help me to have the product of a life that is evidencing your grace during this season help me to allow you to minister and to teach me and to mature me during this time Christian friend would you ask the Lord to do that in your life would you say Lord when I walk back on the church campus I want to be a stronger Christian than I was when we first started into this time of social distancing and there might be someone tonight that's been watching this service and you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior and you've never really settled the fact that Jesus lives in your heart and that heaven is your home and I want you to know something God may have allowed this trial so that you would sit down and listen to what I'm about to say right now I want you to know that God loves you that he sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for you as we said a moment ago Jesus is the Son of God and that's the son of God when He shed his blood on that cross that blood washes away the sin of anyone who believes on Jesus Christ but God commendeth his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us oh the precious blood of Jesus the wages of our sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord if you don't know that Jesus is in your heart if you don't know that heaven is your home someday I want to encourage you to pray tonight and just to pray something like this dear lord I confess to you that I am a sinner and I ask you to come into my life and forgive my sin father I turn now to the Lord Jesus to be my Savior I'm trusting only in him to be my Savior and to give me a home in heaven and right now if you've never cried out to the Lord and asked him to be your Savior you can do that just confess to him that you're a sinner let him know that you believe that he died and rose again for you on the cross and then by prayer and faith trust in Christ alone turn to him tonight don't try to trust in a church plus Jesus don't try to trust in yourself plus Jesus just trust in the Lord and if you're praying tonight to trust Christ as your Savior I want you to text me and give me your name and give me some information whereby we might contact you six six one nine four six four six six three if you're a church member and you're saying that I'm making that decision to trust the Lord during this time of trial and to grow and to show the fruit of the Lord I want you to text me as well I want to pray for if you allow me to do that and just text or even email respond at Lancaster Baptists org but if God is speaking to you about taking this time and making it a time of growth and and going through the process so that your life will show forth fruit and the product of God's work then I want to encourage you right now to pray and ask God to do that work or to pray and ask Jesus Christ to be your Savior and when you do be sure to text us and let us know right now I want to pray for you as you make these decisions for the Lord let's pray together father I pray for those Christians that perhaps have been a little bit rebellious towards this trial perhaps pushing back in their spirit may be Lord not seeing the bigger picture I want to pray God that you would do a work in their heart that they would surrender to you right now and that the process would be fulfilled and that before we're back to a normal schedule we are most importantly back to a normal Christian life where we're walking with you and and living for you and rejoicing in you I pray for those that need to receive Christ as their Savior that they would turn to Christ and realize it is only by the shedding of the blood that sins are washed away and that they would pray and receive you tonight as my prayer in Jesus name Amen

Channel: Lancaster Baptist Church

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Keywords: preaching, sermon, Christian, God, Jesus, Lancaster Baptist Church, Lancaster Baptist, Pastor Paul Chappell, Paul Chappell, James 1

Id: 6HFrXRRZA-M

Length: 30min 23sec (1823 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 19 2020