All right, let's pray, brethren. Our gracious Lord, Father, we thank you for your
mercy, for your grace upon your people and our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, we thank you that you have
shown us that in ourselves dwells no good thing and that you've
stripped us from our confidences and our self-righteousness and
all the things that this nature hangs on to and has confidence
in. And Lord, taking these things
away, You have shown us the preciousness of Your Son, Jesus Christ, that
He's done all things well and done all things needful for us,
that He's given to us all things needful for salvation, having
put away our sin by the death of Himself. Lord, we pray that
Your Spirit would be upon us now. Lord, help us, Lord, to
worship You Help me, Lord, to preach the word, to lift up our
Savior, Jesus Christ, and help your people, Lord, to hear the
word, to receive it, Lord, that it would find a place in our
hearts that all our glory and all our joy and all our hope
of salvation will be fixed in Jesus Christ. Lord, help us to
trust him even as you first trusted him to do all the work of salvation
and committed all things to him, Lord. We pray now that you would
help us to see that he is most precious above all things, especially
the things of this world. We pray this in Jesus' name,
our Lord and Savior. All right, turn to 1 Peter 1.
1 Peter 1, we're going to pick up in verse
6. We were in 1 Peter 1 the last
time I was here in the first message last time, and so we're
going to continue in 1 Peter 1. And if you were here in the
first service today, you'll notice a similar theme to what I spoke
on earlier. So 1 Peter 1 verse 6. wherein ye greatly rejoice, 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. Now, if we take a step back and
we consider that all things that God works here, that all things
that He's doing are unto the glory and the praise and the
honor of His name, of His Son, Jesus Christ. He magnifies the
Lord Jesus Christ and He lifts Him up before His people that
we would glory in Him. And because God chose us, and
because He loves us in the Lord Jesus Christ, He's working all
things to secure our salvation. He's going to ensure that we
come to a knowledge, a saving knowledge of the glory of our
Savior Jesus Christ. He's going to ensure that happens.
He's going to do all things necessary so that in saving us, He further
brings glory to the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. He's doing
all the work. We're not doing the work to save
ourselves. Our God is doing all the work to ensure the salvation
of His people. If you turn to Ephesians chapter
1, Ephesians chapter 1 and we'll see here many words many phrases
all Pointing to the fact the truth that the Lord is saving
us the Lord's doing the work. He's blessing us through our
Savior Jesus Christ and we'll pick up in verse 3 Ephesians
1 3 and He says, Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as
he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the
praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted
in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His blood
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Did you hear anything in those
words of what you've done? Did you hear anything about what
you needed to do? No, you hear all the grace, the
glory magnifying the Lord Jesus Christ, His work. It's all of
Him. Verse 11, Ephesians 1.11, In whom also we have obtained,
we've obtained an inheritance. being predestinated according
to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel
of his own will, that we should be to the praise of his glory
who first trusted in Christ. That's the praise of the glory
of the Father who first trusted in Christ. It's not that we first
trusted in Him. The very first one to ever trust
Christ, to commit all the work of salvation for His people,
it was God the Father trusting Christ, committing this work
to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He did all that. The Father first
trusted Him. It's to the glory and praise
of His name. so that you can be sure of this,
that if it's glorifying His name, He's going to accomplish that
very purpose for which He sent His Son to save His people. He's
not going to fail. Our Savior said a very bold word
in John chapter 10, verse 28. He said, I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of My hand. My Father which gave them Me
is greater than all. and no man is able to pluck them
out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. And that's why Paul could write
to the Romans, for of him and through him and to him are all
things to whom be glory forever and ever. He shall accomplish
his salvation. Amen. That's right. I left off
that word, amen. So salvation, brethren, Christ
has accomplished our salvation and he shall keep us to the end. Now the scriptures teach us that
faith is critical. It's critical to our salvation.
Hebrews 11.6 says that without faith it is impossible to please
him. For he that cometh to God must
believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek him. Everybody doesn't have faith.
That's what Paul said to the Thessalonians. He said, for all
men have not faith. All men don't have faith. So
that according to the scriptures, we are to understand, just as
it says in Ephesians 2.8, for by grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. So we
know, brethren, that faith is very important. And faith is
very, very precious. For all men have not faith. My title this morning is The
Trial of Faith. And Peter speaks in these first
two verses saying that we shall go through manifold temptations,
or various temptations, and he speaks of this trial of our faith. So that we learn from these things
that the purpose of these trials, the purpose that we're going
through here, is to teach us, is to show us how precious indeed
faith is, that we ought not to think lightly of this faith.
Don't ever think that this faith comes from you. It's not your
work. It's the gift of God given to you to cause us to hope in
the Lord Jesus Christ, to fix all our hope and all our confidence
in Him, not having confidence in ourselves. And the purpose
of these trials is to reveal faith in us. It was Henry Mahan
that I first read it. Trials don't produce faith, trials
reveal faith. Trials reveal faith. Our divisions
are three, if need be, the preciousness of faith, and then faith found. I write Peter there in our text,
1 Peter 1.6. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though
now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold
temptations. So we're in heaviness through
manifold temptations. These trials and these temptations
that we go through, our Lord shows us. He teaches us these
things are needful that we go through these things. They're
needful because our hearts Reverend, it shows us that our hearts must
be steadfast in the Lord, and it shows us that indeed our Lord
is keeping us, keeping us steadfast, looking to him, trusting in him,
that yes, we do believe in God. These trials come to show us
that these are hard, laborious trials that we go through, various
hardships that we go through, right? We find ourselves in uncomfortable,
situations sometimes, we find ourselves having to do things
that we really would rather not do. In dealing with our brethren,
for example, all in love, that we would be patient and speak
kindly to our brethren, even those that we disagree with,
that we would be loving and kind to them, trusting that our Lord
is working all these things. These trials come against our
principles and the core beliefs that we hold. so that we are
challenging these things, so that when men come against us,
we continue to look to him. John 16.33 says, these things
I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In
the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have
overcome the world. The Lord sends these trials that
we might find our rest in Him, that we might patiently wait
and rest in Him and not have confidence in ourselves. And
there's other trials that come that the Lord uses to strip us
and to keep us focused on Him. There's the trials of sickness
and the trials of sorrow. There's the trials of riches
and the trials of poverty. There's success and then there's
failure. There's disappointments and there's
frustrations that we all go through. And there's persecutions that
we receive from unbelievers who don't believe as we believe,
who don't have confidence in the Lord, who look to the works
of their own flesh and of their own hand. Turn to Luke 6 and
we'll see this. We'll see these various trials
that we go through. Luke 6 and in verse 21, this
is our Lord speaking. And these trials, they reveal
faith. They reveal those whom the Lord
has called and separated unto himself. He says in Luke 6 verse 21, Blessed
are ye that hunger now, for ye shall be filled. Blessed are
ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye when men
shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their
company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil
for the son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap
for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the
like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. But woe unto
you that are rich, for ye have received your consolation. Woe
unto you that are full, for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that
laugh now, for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you when all
men shall speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the
false prophets. Isn't it amazing how we are tempted
when we're going through times of ease and comfort to think
that this is all, this is the Lord's grace keeping me and having
mercy on me. But the Lord says, woe to you
when all these things are going well for you. But you who are
going through trials, you who are being tempted and tried and
brought low in yourselves, that's a mercy of God. If it's driving
you to the Lord, that's a mercy of God. Because that's what the
Lord sends them for, to prove the faith that He has given.
They drive us to His Son, Jesus Christ. So that all these trials
and all these temptations, what they do is they come and they
assault that faith which God has given us. They assault that
very faith, that precious gift of faith that God has given us.
It comes against that faith. And it's the Lord who's allowing
these things and sending these things for that very purpose. The thing is that we ought to
learn not to run after this world's riches. If you look there in
1 Peter 1, We're reminded that speaking
of God there, I'm sorry, 1 Peter 1.3. We're reminded there, speaking
of God, that He hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved
in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith. So we're reminded over and over
again that the Lord has an inheritance for us, that though we go through
trials, though these trials bring us low in ourselves, they're
not to push us away from Christ, but they're meant to drive us
to Christ, to keep us stayed upon Him, looking to the Lord
our Savior. And this inheritance that we
are to receive, it requires faith. That's why God's given us faith,
to hope and to wait patiently for that inheritance which He
has given to us. So in verse 5 we see that that
faith which He's given to us is that power which by the Spirit
of God keeps us looking to Him through faith. That power is
working faith in us, it's keeping us stayed upon the Lord Jesus
Christ. So that whatever trial we go
through, we are kept by the power of the Spirit through faith.
Romans 8.28 tells us, And we know that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to His purpose. All right, so in verses six and
seven there in 1 Peter 1, we see him trying or proving that
very faith that he's given to us. And the purpose for these
things is that these trials, they humble us. Don't they strip
us of our pride? Don't they strip us of the things
of this world, that carnal nature that we have? Don't they strip
away our pride? Don't they strip away our hypocrisies
and they strip away our self-righteousness and the competences that we would
have in ourselves? I know for myself when things
are going well, oh, watch out, because that's when pride begins
to puff up. That's when my self begins to
puff up and have confidence and to start resting at ease in this
world. But when that trial comes, then
I'm reminded, oh yeah, that's right. What am I doing? Why am
I looking at these things? I must look to Christ my Savior.
I do that because that's why He sent it and it's by His power
helping me to see that I must have Christ. That this is not
the end of my life. This is not the purpose for which
God has saved me for, to just go off and to do the things and
build up my kingdom and build up the things in this world.
He sends these things to bring us low in ourselves and to see
that God alone is to be worshipped and praised and not man himself. We see the vanity of this world. We see the vanity of this life,
how it's just a puff of smoke. Here today and gone tomorrow. And it keeps the sin and corruption
that this flesh would otherwise bring forth so easily, so readily,
it keeps that down. It keeps us realizing, wow, sin
is just evil. It's destructive. It's awful.
All it is is it's about me and it's about me doing what I can
do for myself. But he sends these trials so
that we realize Don't labor for yourself. Don't labor for the
things that you can have in this world which are quickly passing
away. Labor to serve God. Labor thinking of your brethren,
how you might serve them, how you might comfort and better
them and take care of them and their need. Now he says, if need
be, and what that tells us is that there are some times, there
are some brethren that are going through trials, and there are
other brethren that are not going through trials at that time.
Now in some sense we go through various trials at all times,
but in a very real since there are some that are going through
very painful trying temptations and painful afflictions, so that
during those times, you who are not going through those trials,
you might be able to comfort those wherewith the comfort you
have been comforted in the Gospel. And Paul wrote there to the Corinthians,
he said, Now, Paul's not saying there
that we go through every single kind of trial that can possibly
be brought upon a person, because then, you know, if that was needed,
we'd all have to go through every single trial that can be gone
through that we might be able to comfort them. But rather,
we're comforted by the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that whatever
the trial it is that any of us are going through, we can comfort
one another by that same comfort we received, which is through
the gospel of Jesus Christ. We're comforted by Christ. We're
comforted looking to him, being reminded that it's okay, whatever
you're going through, it's all right, because this isn't our
final resting place. This isn't our inheritance. We
look for him who is to come again to bring us to that inheritance.
And he comforts us by this gospel, through this gospel, so that
when we're down, when we're going through hard times, our brethren
might comfort us, reminding us of this gospel. So that we don't
turn to the things of this world. We don't turn to find our comfort
here. I've heard sometimes young couples
when they're going through a tough time, I've heard some brethren
or a brother one time, I don't know if he was a brother actually,
A long time ago, I just remember him saying, hey, you know, we're
having a tough time, honey. Why don't we go out for a picnic
here on Sunday morning? We'll go out and have a nice
day together and spend time together. That's not what brethren ought
to be doing. If you're having a tough time,
you don't go and take yourselves away from the gospel. You don't
take yourselves out from under the gospel. You would come and
hear the gospel because that's how the Lord teaches his people. Sets their hearts not on themselves,
Not on what they can get for themselves, but sets our hearts
on the Lord and what He has done for His people. That's where
we're comforted. That's where we receive comfort,
and that's how we comfort one another. Encourage your brethren
to come to hear the gospel, because that's where the Lord is going
to feed His people and teach His people the things that they
have need of. that they need to hear. We don't
all go through trials all the time. Jeremiah said in Lamentations,
for the Lord will not cast off forever. But though he cause
grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of
his mercies, for he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve
the children of men. And that tells us that there
is a purpose for the trial. If you're going through a trial
and an affliction, there's a purpose for it. There's a purpose. Pray.
It's to drive you to Christ. Pray that he might comfort you
through it. James said it this way, my brethren,
Count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations, knowing
this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have a perfect
work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. So there's always a purpose to
the trial, whatever you're going through. And that purpose is
to drive you to Christ, so that you're lacking nothing. Because
you're looking in Him. You're stayed upon Him. You're
feeding upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Our second point now, I want
us to see the preciousness of faith. The preciousness of faith. Now faith is more precious than
all the riches of this world. If you look there in 1 Peter
1.7, In 1 Peter 1.7 it says 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. Our faith is more precious than
gold. You ever find, I don't know if you have gold or if you
have money, the more you use it, it begins to diminish so
that you don't have the same amount that you used to have,
right? When you use gold, when you spend gold or spend your
money, it diminishes. When the Lord exercises your
faith, when you are having to distrust the Lord, does your
faith diminish? No, it never runs out. It never
runs dry. The Lord gives abundantly all
the faith that you'll need for the trial. So it's more precious
than the riches of this world because it never runs dry. Now, like gold, When gold is
tried in the fire, it purges out that metal that's worthless,
the worthless metal, so that in the end, it shines more brightly. Faith, too, when it's tried by
the fire, it removes that pride, it removes that hypocrisy, it
removes that self-righteousness, and all the confidences that
the flesh likes to have in itself, and all that peace that the flesh
is looking to get, it empties the flesh of all those worthless things. And in the
end, what's left is that new man that God Himself has created
in us, that fixes his hope, that just rests in the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's precious. That trial that
we're going through is precious, therefore, because it reveals
the preciousness of faith, just looking to the Savior and resting
in Him. Alright? Faith is precious because
it is a gift that is given only to the chosen elect children
of God. All men have not faith. It is
precious, therefore, because it is a gift that is given to
us by God to those whom He has elected and chosen to be His
children. We see that faith is given to
us. It's by the grace of God. Just as we read there in Ephesians
chapter 1, we saw how Christ justified his people, how Christ
adopted his people and brought us into the family of God. We
didn't work ourselves into that. We didn't do anything to earn
that. Christ did that by his free and sovereign electing grace. There's nothing we did. Through
Christ, we are accepted into the Beloved. We're accepted into
the Beloved. I mean, think about that. That
we now are in the family of God all through the Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we are redeemed,
we're purchased by his blood, and we're forgiven all our sins. All through the shedding of Christ's
blood. And so we see that just as he's
established peace, just as he's done all these things, so he's
given to us gifts. All things necessary. so that
Paul could say to the brethren that we are laborers together
with God, his husbandry, his building, all according to his
grace. And to do that, to make us fellow laborers, he's given
us gifts necessary that we might do these things in him, not the
least of which is faith. So that we know and learn that
faith is a gift which is secured for us by the blood of Jesus
Christ. If you believe, if your hope
is fixed in Christ, you only believe because of what Christ
has done. He's secured that gift for you. If you turn to 2 Peter, I want
you to see this, 2 Peter chapter 1. Many times we look at Ephesians
2.8 to see that faith is a gift, but here's another place where
you see how faith is a gift. In 2 Peter 1, right there in
verse 1, Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ,
so we know he has authority to say these things, to them that
have obtained like precious faith. We came into possession of it.
We've obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness
of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. That's how we've obtained it.
It's through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
Look in verse 3. "...according as His divine power
hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness,
through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory
and virtue." So we see there that faith is obtained and faith
is given. We don't have faith by nature. You're not born into this world
having faith. Despite what Disney movies might
teach you, we don't all have faith. Not that saving faith,
not that faith which comes by the power of His Spirit working
in us alone. We don't have that. By nature,
we know that we're dead in trespasses and sins. We're dead in trespasses
and sins. By nature, we walked according
to the course of this world. By nature, we don't love the
things of God. We love our own life. We love
our own knowledge. We love the things that we think
about God and the imaginations of our heart, but we don't know
the true and living God, not by nature. That's a gift that's
given by God sovereignly to whom he will. So that when you're
sitting there in the pew, if you believe and you have faith,
trusting in the Lord, and the man next to you is sitting there
in that same pew hearing the same words, the same thing, but
he doesn't believe, the only thing that's making the difference
there Between you believing and you not believing, it's of God. So that Paul could write there
in Ephesians 2, 4, he tells us the difference. He says, but
God, but God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith
he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened
us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved. And then he tells
us, for by grace ye are saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God. So faith is precious because
it's a gift given only to His elect, chosen children. All men do not get this gift
of faith to exercise by their will if they will choose Christ
or won't choose Christ. The Lord sovereignly chooses
whom He will. And whom He chooses, He gives
this gift of faith that they would lay hold of Christ, trust
Him, look into Him, because that's what Christ has done. He's secured
our salvation. He's secured our salvation, so
if we hope in Him, give Him all the praise, all the glory, all
the honor, because you only believe because Christ has accomplished
your salvation and He's given you that gift of faith. Alright,
we see now also that faith is precious because of what it costs
our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith didn't come cheap. It cost our Savior everything. When you think of the humility
of Christ our Savior and what He did to accomplish our salvation,
it really is quite astounding. In Psalm 113, it says this about
God, Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,
who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven
and in earth? So if it's humbling for the Lord
to look upon the heavens, and it's humbling for the Lord to
look upon us here on the earth, if that's beneath Him, if that's
a condescension of God to look at us here on earth, How humbling
must it have been for Christ to lay aside His glory and to
take upon Him flesh, the flesh that you and I are, to just take
that upon Himself. How humbling must that have been
for Him to lay aside His glory and to come here and to fulfill
all righteousness, doing what we ourselves could not do, but
doing it all for our good and for our benefit and to save His
children, to deliver them out of the the binds of death, out
of the prison, out of the darkness that we are by nature, and to
deliver us to the kingdom of life of Jesus Christ. Turn to
Philippians 2. He says in Philippians 2.5, and
we see this, let this mind be in you. which was also in Christ Jesus.
Verse six, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery
to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and
took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
so that he took upon him our flesh. A body hast thou prepared
me, the scriptures say. A body was given him, and in
Isaiah 53, 6 it says, and the Lord hath laid on him, on that
body there, laid on him the iniquity of us all. And the marginal reference
there in the scripture says, made the iniquity of us all to
meet on Him. That means all of us who believe
on Him. My sin and the sin of you who
believe was all met together and placed there on His body
to stand before Holy God, He who never sinned, knew no sin,
never did anything unrighteous, never did anything evil or wicked,
not an evil thought, nothing. Wrong with Him, Him who only
knew the Father from all eternity. What a mercy, what a grace, that
He should take upon Him flesh, and then have all our sin meet
together and be placed on His body, so that He stood before
holy, righteous God, whom we can hardly even comprehend how
holy God is, He now stood before holy God, bearing all our sin. Having never known that before,
bearing all our sin and suffering under the wrath of God so that
he was made to cry out, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? Him who is from all eternity,
never created, from all eternity, always had fellowship with the
Father, now cries out, my God, my God. Why hast thou forsaken
me?" Believer, you who trust in Him, what a mercy, what a
grace of Christ to do that for us, who were enemies of Christ,
who were enemies of God and didn't believe in Him, how He laid down
His life, laid aside glory for us to save us and to secure our
salvation. Isaiah 53 also says in verse
11, he shall see of the travail of his soul, he was put through
a trial like we've never faced, who shall see of the travail
of his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, for he shall bear their sins. Therefore
will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide
the spoiled with the strong, that is, those who are made strong
by the work of Christ, because he hath poured out his soul unto
death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bared
the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. But out of this trial, what a
wondrous work our God has wrought. Wherefore, he saith, when he
ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men,
not the least of which is the faith which he has given, all
for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in
the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.
So faith is precious because of what it costs our Savior.
It cost him his life. He shed his blood to put away
our sins. Faith is precious because it's
a gift given for his elect and chosen children and only them
alone. And faith is more precious than
all the riches that this world has to offer. And the Lord sends
these trials to show us the preciousness of faith. All right, our third
point, faith found. Back there in our text, 1 Peter
1.7. He says, 1 Peter 1.7, 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 honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. So through these trials, our
Lord shows us our faith is found. He shows us that he has given
us faith. We don't feel like it. We often
don't feel. We feel that we're unbelieving, that we have little
faith or no faith at all. But our Lord sends us these trials
because in the end, When all is said and done, where do we
find ourselves? Where do these trials drive us? They drive the child of God to
the feet of Christ. It drives us to our knees to
pray to Him, to seek Him, to call upon Him for mercy, for
grace, to save us, to deliver us through these trials. Maybe not to deliver us out of
the trials, but trusting Him that these trials are all for
our good, working our good, and to secure us and to keep us until
that final and last day. Our Savior said, nevertheless,
when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? And
I thought about that verse since I, I feel like I thought of that
verse for a long time. It weighs on my heart. Shall
he find faith on the earth? Do you recall that parable that
our Lord gave of the unjust judge and the widow, where he said
that there was in a city an unjust judge. He didn't fear God and
he didn't regard men. And that there was a widow in
that city and she came to him saying, avenge me of mine adversary.
And he wouldn't for a while. He didn't listen to her. He didn't
want to hear her case or take her case. But afterward, he realized,
and he says in himself, though I don't fear God nor regard any
man, I don't care about these things. He says, yet because
this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual
coming she weary me. And the Lord said, hear what
the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his
own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear
long with them? I tell you that he will avenge
them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of
Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? And the reason
why he spoke this parable to them, it says there in the beginning
of that parable that it was to this end that men ought always
to pray and not to faint. That's why the trial comes, to
teach us and to cause us to always pray and not to faint. And that
when you're fainting, it drives you to Christ. That though you
be at the point of fainting, that though you feel that you
cannot go on any longer, that surely this trial is going to
prove you to be unfaithful and unjust and not His child. He
keeps you through it. He keeps you going to Him because
where else can you go? There's nowhere else that you
can turn. All you know is that you must have Christ. And you
think, surely this is going to reveal the blackness and the
deadness of my heart. Oh, your heart is dead and it
is cold, but he uses these trials to warm you and to drive you
to Christ because you don't know where else you can go. And that's
a mercy, that's a blessing of God if he drives you. And if
you find something by which you can be happy and say, Well, wait
a minute, I remember that I was faithful here, that I did this
here. That's not what the trial is to do. It should be showing
you that you are unfaithful, that you're not perfect, that
you can't keep yourself, that surely if the Lord doesn't save
me, I shall indeed perish in the end. And that's why he sends
that trial, that men ought always to pray and not to faint. So that if you're being tried,
brethren, if you're going through that fiery trial, it's for your
good. It's to drive you to Christ.
You ought always to pray, to trust Him, and to have faith
waiting upon Him. And as it says, when the Son
of Man cometh, shall He find faith in the earth. Pray that
the Lord help your faith. He gave you faith to just trust
in him, and he strengthens that faith, and he keeps you, that
faith being exercised, always looking to him. Our faith is
the evidence of things not seen. It's the evidence of the salvation
of our souls by Christ. He said now in Hebrews 11, now
faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen. And in that next verse, it says
something I think I skipped by it many times, for by it, By
faith, the elders obtained a good report. You who hope in Him. I don't know how, but the Lord
is pleased. It's His gift. It's Him. It's
His work. He does all those things. But
by it, we obtain a good report. Because He keeps us faithful.
He keeps us stayed upon Him. What a mercy and grace of our
Lord. There shall be trials that try
your faith. Our Lord himself was tried, and
he was proven faithful as he suffered there on the cross.
He always remained faithful to God, that even while he was bearing
our sins, our Savior never sinned himself. He remained faithful,
trusting that his God who sent him to do this work would receive
him in the end and restore him to that former glory that he
had with the Father before he took upon him This flesh and
took upon him our sin. He remained faithful He never
sinned against God even when God forsook him He remained faithful
trusting the father that this was all the work which God sent
him to do If you will turn to Zechariah 13 Zechariah 13 And Zechariah 13, so if you go
to Matthew and you'll see Malachi and then right before Malachi
is Zechariah. So Zechariah 13, right there at the end of Zechariah.
In verse 7, we read, Awake, O sword, against my shepherd and against
the man that is my fellow. Sayeth the Lord of hosts, smite
the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered, and I will turn
mine hand upon the little ones. So that Christ himself was stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted. And though we were scattered,
and we were scattered from him, our Lord says that he'll gather
his sheep back together again. In verse 8, it shall come to
pass that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall
be cut off and die, but the third shall be left therein. And you
can see this in Ezekiel 34, if you read it later today you should,
because it shows how when we're scattered, though the sheep be
scattered, the Lord will sweetly and graciously gather his people
into the fold of Christ. And then it says, in Ezekiel
34, it speaks of the Lord judging, separating cattle from cattle.
He's speaking of that day when He shall separate the lambs from
the goats, between cattle and cattle. But of those lambs, He
says in verse 9, And I will bring the third part through the fire,
and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them
as gold is tried. And they shall call on my name,
and I will hear them. I will say it is my people, and
they shall say, the Lord is my God." See, that's the good fruit
that the trial produces. It produces the fruit of our
lips that cry out, the Lord is my God. When we see that There's
nothing good in us. The trial will bring you to the
end of yourself. The trial will bring you to see
that there's nothing good in you. There's nothing savable
in you. It's not about your merit. It's
not about your works. The trial will expose all your
weaknesses. The trial will expose that you
are faithless, that you are unfaithful, that there's nothing good in
you, that the Lord should have mercy on you. What the trial
does, though, is it reveals faith. Because you come to the end of
yourself, seeing that there's nothing good in you, and yet
all that's left there is your hope fixed in the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's what the trial will reveal,
that we have no hope but the Lord Jesus Christ. that your
faith might be found." Including, at the end of that verse there,
in 1 Peter 1.7, that the trial of your faith might be found
unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. When I think of that day when
the Lord shall separate between the lambs and the goats and he
shall put his sheep on the right hand and the goats on the left
hand and to those who don't see anything good in themselves who
say when Lord when did we see you hungering and feed you when
do we see you thirsty and give you drink when do we go and visit
you in prison when did we see you sick and visit you and comfort
you and come to you when Lord I didn't see these things but
it's all the Lord working those things. We don't see the works. We don't see anything good in
ourselves. The Lord keeps us humble through the trials, so
that we're looking always to Him, not getting puffed up in
ourselves. But the Lord in that final day shall say unto them
on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world. That's a praise
and honor and a glory that we are not worthy of. We think, we hear that, and that's
all the praise, all the glory and the honor is due His name
and His name alone. And yet, our Lord saves us and
brings us into that inheritance so that we are thorough heirs
with Christ. It just boggles my mind. when
he shall with him glorify us with him all because of the riches
of his grace which is found in the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
So if you're going through trials, bless the Lord. If you're going
through trials and they drive you to Christ, bless the Lord
because that's why he sends them, to bring you to the end of yourself.
Don't be surprised that you're going through trials. They come
upon all his children. Throughout the world Peter says
that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren
Don't be surprised by these trials brethren. I pray the Lord to
bless it to your heart. Let's pray. Let's close and pray
our gracious Lord Father you know that we are but flesh that
we're weak weary and so often fooled by trials and Lord, we
don't pray for trials, but we pray, Lord, for your grace through
the trial, that in the end, that which is found in us is Christ
alone, his work, that we might be found clothed in his righteousness,
not having our own righteousness, which is of the law, Lord, that
you would glorify your Son, and that you would call out your
people here, that you would save us by the precious blood of Jesus
Christ. Lord, that you would work that
faith in us, which lays hold of Christ, and in Him alone,
and looks to Him alone. Lord, we pray this in Jesus'
name, our Lord and Savior. Amen.