Sermon Notes 01/02/26
A guest pastor yesterday, bare in mind he is going through a trial himself- his church has insufficient funding and he is losing his position in June, he has six children, the youngest is two. Pray for him.
Sermon based on James 1:1-8
. God sends trials to strengthen us- trials into triumph!
. What mattered to James was not being the half brother of Christ, but the spiritual relation wit Him!
. James reminds the suffering Christians who they are- servants of Christ!
. As hard is to count all trials as joy we must! On a personal note and to clarify the pastor's point, a few months after my wife's second miscarriage, I was made redundant from my job. I obviously didn't walk around with a smile on my face but my joy was in the Lord. That is the joy being referred to here, spiritual joy, not joyful emotion.
. Our trials are under the authorities of an omniscient God.
. We need to understand that our trials God sends are for our own good. In the midst of our messy trials, only God sees the beautiful finished pattern. God is for us (Christians) not against us.
. Impatience and faith always clash, patience and faith go together.
. Trials make us grow deeper in Christ.
. Trials- for our good and God's glory!
. Prayer for God's grace in our trials is not a last resort, it should be the primary thing we do!
. Christ (God the Son) really does understand our trials and our suffering- He experienced them in the flesh! All our sorrows, pain, etc. In fact, Christ had a trial beyond what any of us could take- He shed His blood on the cross for our sin and had God the Father's wrath poured out on Him on the cross- suffering unimaginable and unendurable to us. Christ is not an alien to the hardship of our trials.
Sermon based on James 1:1-8
. God sends trials to strengthen us- trials into triumph!
. What mattered to James was not being the half brother of Christ, but the spiritual relation wit Him!
. James reminds the suffering Christians who they are- servants of Christ!
. As hard is to count all trials as joy we must! On a personal note and to clarify the pastor's point, a few months after my wife's second miscarriage, I was made redundant from my job. I obviously didn't walk around with a smile on my face but my joy was in the Lord. That is the joy being referred to here, spiritual joy, not joyful emotion.
. Our trials are under the authorities of an omniscient God.
. We need to understand that our trials God sends are for our own good. In the midst of our messy trials, only God sees the beautiful finished pattern. God is for us (Christians) not against us.
. Impatience and faith always clash, patience and faith go together.
. Trials make us grow deeper in Christ.
. Trials- for our good and God's glory!
. Prayer for God's grace in our trials is not a last resort, it should be the primary thing we do!
. Christ (God the Son) really does understand our trials and our suffering- He experienced them in the flesh! All our sorrows, pain, etc. In fact, Christ had a trial beyond what any of us could take- He shed His blood on the cross for our sin and had God the Father's wrath poured out on Him on the cross- suffering unimaginable and unendurable to us. Christ is not an alien to the hardship of our trials.
