The Purpose of Trials

God has his purpose in trial and what it is to do is to give us greater strength as you go through one trial. Your spiritual muscles or exercise your stronger for the next. That means you can face a greater fault that means you're more useful. Go through another trial in another trial and all those are strengthening, strengthening, until now, your usefulness is on the actual use that God to know that tough circumstances don't just happen illness, the loss of a job, even the death of a loved one are opportunities for you to grow spiritually and to become more like Christ. Still, it's no secret that hard times are easy to get through. By definition, but thankfully this process is made easier if you at least understand why the Lord allows trials in the first place. On this edition of grace to you. John MacArthur will show you eight positive reasons that God allows you to experience trials. John calls today's message, simply the purpose of trials and with that, here's John.

All of us to some degree or another, we think realistically know are going to face trouble were going to have to look right in the eyes of agony at some point in our lives and we need to understand how to face.

I was trying to think this week as I said in my study of what to me would be the severest trial of all trials.

The most painful experience to go through and I thought about the classic Joe who lost his family and his crops in his animals and everything and I thought about that for a while lost all his possessions lost all his children, and worse, he was left with a wife didn't understand anything he was personally struck with disease and that is admittedly a heavy duty trial. I was reading, as I often enjoy doing the works of Thomas Manson marvelous Puritan writer I found one line in some of the things I was reading this week that stuck in my mind. He said this God had one son without sin. But no son without a cross. It just goes with the territory were going to have trials. Psalm 23 says J, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me. Trials will come the confidences in the presence of God.

Trials can come to us through several means in with several purposes in mind, I may just suggest some to write. First of all, trials come to test the strength of our faith is a great illustration of this and second Chronicles 32, 31, don't look it up a quote that portion of it relates to Hezekiah was king and not Hezekiah. It says this list God left him to test him that he might know all that was in his heart yet got left in the testing that he might know all that was in his heart that you might not want not God. God did need to know by testing what was in Hezekiah's heart he knew by omniscience right as God of the test you to find out what's in your heart know God is not to test any of us to find out what's in our hearts. God tests us so we can find out. In other words, he assist us in doing that spiritual inventory he exists us in self-examination. I need to know and you need to know the strength of our faith.

And so God brings trials into our lives to demonstrate to us the strength or weakness of our faith. If you're right now going through severe trial.

It is revealing to you the strength or weakness of your faith is. If you're shaking your fist at God, if you're wondering why it's happening.

If you're fretting all the time and worrying. If you're in anxiety from morning till night is a good indication that you have a week for if, on the other hand are going through a trial and you find yourself resting in the Lord, having placed into his care letting him bear the burden of and going on your way rejoicing as best you can in a difficult situation waiting for God to show you the way out, then you are seeing for yourself that you possess a strength of faith. So in one sense, then we ought to be thankful for trials because they assist us in the inventory of our own faith. That's very helpful. I always want to know where my faith is so that it can be stronger for the stronger my faith is, the more likely I am to be useful to God when the backup was going to the mystery of his own situation in the devastating promise that the Chaldeans were going to come and wipe out his people. In spite of everything he said even if the figtree doesn't blossom in the fruit is not in the vines and the labor of the olive fails and the fields yield no food in the flocks are cut off from the fold is no herd in the stalls, and other words of everything that I know I have is normative in life ceases yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength and he will make my feet like mountain goats feet and make me walk upon my high places and then at the end he says to the chief singer on my stringed instruments. This is praise, saying it in the midst of an absolutely unsolvable mystery is trust never wavered. He learned through that the strength of his faith.

So one of the purposes of testing is to reveal to you and to me the strength of our faith so that we can move along the path to greater strength, so trials come as a test of the strength of our faith. Second, we must recognize that trials come to humble us. They come to to remind us not to think more confidently of our spiritual strength and we should. It's closely connected to the first one but little different. They come not only to show us our strength what they come to humble us, lest we think that we are more strong spiritually.

Then we are.

This is illustrated.

I think perhaps as graphically as anywhere in Scripture and the wonderful testimony of Paul in second Corinthians 12. You know what he says in verse seven.

And last I should be exalted above measure. In other words it lest I should think more highly of myself that I ought to think because of the abundance of the revelation and to be caught up into the third and all of the things that Paul was able to do in the power of the spirit, miracles and signs and wonders, and mighty deeds and revelations coming out of him from God and through all these things he could well have been exalted in his own mind. So, lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh to buffet me to just beat me up all the time lest I should be exalted above measure and we must realize that God allows trials in our lives, especially when we are blessed in the places of spiritual service to keep us humble. Lest we think more confidently of our spiritual strength that we should and start to feel that were invincible is 1/3 reason is I thought these things through. These are really my own reflections.

Try to look at it from the biblical and the personal viewpoint.

I believe the Lord brings trials in our life also to wean us from worldly things to wean us away from worldly things have you found that maybe the older you've gotten in the more things you've accumulated. The more furniture or cars or houses or bank accounts or whatever, the more success you may have had the more worldly things you've done. You've been here you've been there.

You've traveled you seen this. You've seen that have you noticed that as that is going on in your life. Those things tend to have less and less significant. There was a time when you thought that they were the most desirable things in life and now you no longer feel that because they have not been able to deal with the real issues of life. They don't really solve deep problems great anxieties hurts and when trials come into your life and you reach out for all those worldly things and they make no difference in the mean absolutely nothing. That trial is weaning you off of those because it is demonstrating their utter inability to solve any problem or to provide for you any real resource in a time of stress. We need to be weaned away.

Philip, you know, in John six becomes the Jesus and he says why we go to get bread to feed these people is looking at things from a worldly viewpoint. I worry what there's no stores around and there's not a Brett anyway. We had a multitude here massive crowd. How are we going to get food for 5000 men plus women and children and so he says while Philip you tell me where the Barbara and it says in verse six, and this he said test want to find out whether Philip looks to worldly resources, and of course, that he did but it wasn't any good at that point and the Lord then created a meal and very quickly weaned Philip off the worldly things and satisfied them with the spiritual thing I think about Moses's memorable and chapter 11 of Hebrews verse 24 to 26 you been raised in Pharaoh's house to be brought up as a prince in Egypt for 40 years. He was educated he was literally in line in the Pharaoh's family for prominence. It reached the apex of Egyptian society which was at the height of the world, all the education all the money all the prestige all the honor all the success all the comfort was there in his hands but he considered the reproach of Christ the Lord's anointed greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. See you gotten his eyes off all of that and he began to be concerned about the trial of his people and the Lord used at trial to wean them off of worldly things. Trials will be. There's 1/4. I think purpose and trials. I think they call us to what we could call an eternal hope trials in life.

I don't how they work with you, but they work this way with me trials in my life tend to make me want to go to heaven if you notice that that's what I'm saying.

I will make it too difficult is pretty simple think they call us to an eternal hell if the most precious people in your life that if the most precious person in your life. The Lord Jesus Christ. And if the most precious possessions in your life have been laid away as treasure in heaven. You're going to have a very very disengaged relationship with this passing world so trials, trials tend to show us the bankruptcy of human resources and wean us off the world and sort of sending us on the heavenly hope in Romans eight among many scriptures that could be noted we just support that thought in Romans chapter 8 it says the spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and of children, then heirs, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him. We may also be glorified together and I reckon I count that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. As I go through suffering.

Paul says I just had more more hungry for glory. And I see the whole creation, groaning and waiting for the hope to be realized waiting for the glorious verse 21 liberation of the children of God. Then in verses 2423 says we are groaning waiting for the redemption of our body. Verse 24 we are saved in hope.

So we go through trials. Trials give us greater affection for that which is eternal.

They help us along for the eternal city.

They set our affections on things above, that's a very important spiritual think they cause us to think on things divine things heavenly. And that's what Paul said in second Corinthians 416. For which cause we faint not for though our outward man perish, the inward man is renewed day by day, and our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory that he says this while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not see or the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

How to get that kind of attitude.

It's very easy just go back to verse eight were troubled on every side were perplexed were persecuted.

We always bear in our body the dying of Jesus Christ. Verse 12 death works in us he's going through so much trouble is little wonder. He doesn't like the world would rather be in glory so she trials of a very very helpful purpose. They test the strength of our faith. They humble us, lest we think more confidently of our spiritual strength that we should they wean us off of worldly things and they call us to a heavenly hope. Fifthly, trials also serve a very important purpose because they reveal what we really love they reveal what we really love to see if you supremely love God, you're going to say thank you God for what you are accomplishing through this.

Help me to see that and give you glory though you're allowing this to happen.

If you really love self more than God, you're going to say God why you do this and you're going to be irate and you're going to be upset and you will be better to be full of anxiety.

You see there's a sense in which if anything is dear to you than God and he has the habit he's got remove so my own life I just want to make sure nothing is dear to me than the Lord because I don't want them to remove it. Not that he always does. I was thinking about this send them reading back in Pentateuch a little bit.

I came to Deuteronomy chapter 13 verse three thou shalt not hearken to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. This would be a false prophet for the Lord your God, look at this tests you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, while the Lord is testing you to see who you really love. Whether you love him with all your heart and all your soul. In Luke 1426 if any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters in his own life also, he cannot be what my disciple and whosoever doesn't bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple know what in the world was he saying is he literally saying that the Christian thing to hate everybody including yourself. Know what he means by that is if you do not love God, to the degree that you willingly if necessary. Cut yourself off from father, mother, wife, children, brother, sister, and your own life that you love got supremely you're not worthy to be his disciple what you mean cut off we mean by that best that you will do the will of God first and foremost, no matter what appeals those others make to you matter what appeal. Your father might make for your mother or your wife or your child or your brother or your sister or your own flesh, you will do the will of God. No matter what appeals are being made because there in lies your supreme love is 1/6 purpose and trials that really is very very helpful and that is this trials teach us to value the blessing of God. They teach us to value the blessing of God, reason, reason teaches us to value the world since feeling tells us to value pleasure faith tells us to value God's word. God's word. God's favor, God's blessing. Reason says grab what you can grab in the world and go since and feeling says find pleasure at any price.

Faith says obey the word of God and be blessed. She trials teach us the blessing of obedience in the midst of a trial we obey and are blessed.

That's what they are intended to teach, they show us that obedience at all costs brings the blessing of God. Psalmist says in Psalm 63, three of this out of personal experience because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise God I have seen your lovingkindness and it's the best thing there is the best thing there is. Jesus is the perfect example of this in Hebrews 5 in the days of his flesh. He offered up prayers. Supplications was strong crying and tears under him that was able to save them from death. Jesus going to the trial in the garden.

That's what's being pictured there and he was sweating as it were great drops of blood weeping and crying out to God, delivering, and he was hurting that he feared, and though we were a son and a beloved one at that. Yet he learned obedience by the things he suffered and being made perfect became the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey them through what's this through suffering.

He was obedience and God exalted Philippians to put it another way, he was humbled, took upon the form of a man offered himself in death and God highly exalted trials come to put us through suffering that we may obey in the suffering and then receive the full blessing of God and I would say that when you go through a trial. If you learn to obey God, you will experience the exhilaration of his blessing as his promise we give you to others that are purposes of suffering. Number seven.

Suffering comes and this is a very very valuable purpose. Suffering comes to enable us to help others in their suffering. Sometimes when suffering comes it may have no more purpose than to make us better able to assist others in their own suffering. I think of that in regard to the 22nd chapter of Luke where Jesus says to Peter and the Lord said, Simon sign. Behold, Satan's desire to have you, that he may sift you as wheat sends you to take you in and shake you and I have prayed for you that your faith fail not. Now watch this and when you are turned around when you come through that thing. He says strengthen your brother and there you go. A wonderful purpose. That's like Jesus in Hebrews chapter 4 Hebrews chapter 2 also who becomes a faithful, merciful, high priest able to help those who come to him because he has been through every trial. We've been right. That's what makes him a merciful faithful high priest. So we go through trials for the purpose of being able to help others how wonderful how wonderful that God allows us to learn by experience to instruct others and then finally the eight trials come to develop enduring strengths for greater usefulness.

They come to develop enduring strengths for greater usefulness again. Thomas Manton said while all things are quiet and comfortable. We live by. Sense rather than faith, but the worth of a soldier is never known in times of peace" stripe. The worth of a soldier is never known in times of peace. God has his purpose in trial and what it is to do is to give us greater strength as you go through one trial. Your spiritual muscles or exercise are stronger for the next. That means you can face a greater flow that means you're more useful you go through another trial in another trial, another trial and all those are strengthening, strengthening, strengthening, until now, your usefulness is on the increase.

Your endurance makes you more useful and then the more useful you are, the more used you are the more used you are the more you accomplish in the power of the Spirit for the glory of God. So let me sum it up, what is God's purpose as he tests us first to test the strength of our faith that we might know where our strength is or is secondly humble us, lest we think more confidently of our spiritual strength that we should certainly to wean us away from worldly things forcefully to call us to our heavenly hope so that we live in the above are not in the below. Fifthly, to reveal what we really love sixthly to teach us to value the blessing of God and appreciated as it comes to us out of the times of suffering seventh two enable us to help others in their trial to bear one another's burdens and eight to develop enduring strengths for greater usefulness, so that God can thrust us into greater places of ministry and effect. Not these are worthwhile purposes.

All of these fit into the plan of God by his grace and this is grace to you with John MacArthur thanks for tuning in today. You just heard John's message titled the purpose of trials.

Well John, we've just finished a week of lessons on dealing with the suffering that is inevitable in this life, but with all the biblical comfort we've seen.

You have to believe there are people listening who could use a bit of extra encouragement along that line you got a helpful book. I know you want to mention yeah it's been around for many years and it's been a book that leads people to Scripture that makes a huge difference in the middle of suffering. The title of the book is anxious for nothing, whomever the apostle Paul said be anxious for nothing. What an amazing statement. Another way to say it would be. Don't worry about anything that is a command.

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You'll find previous broadcasts of this program. Video clips of John's various conference and television appearances and the grace to you blog. You can also download all of John's sermons in audio or transcript format there about 3500 of them to choose from. So stop by and come by often@jidety.org now for John MacArthur. I'm Phil Johnson. Next time, John will look at how you can flourish spiritually.

No matter how evil this world gets be here for the timely study. John calls how to think and act in evil days. It's another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on Mondays, grace to you