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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/gary-sharp/trouble-testing-triumph/
Very good. Well, good afternoon to those in various time zones, particularly applicable to this part of Canada, and greetings to those who have joined us from other parts today. It's a pleasure to be here, and as I begin, let me just remind you of some words that Bill Gaither and Ben Spear wrote a long time ago, and it reminds us of good things.
It says, how sweet to hold a newborn baby and feel the pride and joy that gives. And you have to admit, there's something very sweet and precious, delightful about such an experience. And he goes on to say, oh, but greater still, oh, but greater still, the calm assurance that we can face uncertain days because he lives.
Because he lives, we can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, I know he holds the future, and life is worth the living just because he lives. Let's open in prayer. Our Father, we are very thankful today for Caleb and for Daniel, who have shared their skills that have made a meeting like this possible.
We're so very thankful that we are the redeemed of the Lord, and that our God's gracious care for us is unfailing. We pray that though we may recognize things that displease us about this time, yet that we might be able to find something good in the midst of all this COVID -19 time.
That we would be wise enough to submit ourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, and to all in authority, because this is the will of God. And we pray that we might see God's hand in salvation and in restoration, as some have already.
And that we might use our time to deepen our relationship with our Savior, and that we might endeavor to bring glory to his name, even here, even now. Know that this time spent together just now may be blessed of our God.
And we offer our praise and thanksgiving for his Savior, who has loved us and given himself for us. And the one who has a very deep interest in what takes place amongst thy people, and one who knows everything about our day, and our circumstances, and our times.
And we will commit our way today, to thee today, in the precious name of our Lord Jesus. Amen. Having looked to God as we have, we realize that we are together, and from so many parts of the world, feeling so many things.
And in some cases, there's fear, and there's anxiety, there's even sickness and loss. And others may be very cavalier and nonchalant about it all. And that might frustrate those of you who understand that this is a very serious concern.
And the concerns may have changed, and they certainly have, over these weeks and months. But our greatest concern should be that the Lord would be honored, and God's people preserved from disagreements and disharmony.
Because that would certainly be a tragedy. Dear believers, we need God more now than ever. The world may have gone crazy, and many are perplexed and unsure about so many things. But for you and I today, we need to remind ourselves of these words.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. From the very outset of this issue, I have been brought back to the truth of Isaiah 26 in verse 3, where we read those words, thou wilt keep him in peace, peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, or whose mind stops at God, and the reason because they're trusting in thee.
Where's your heart today? Are you disturbed and troubled and anxious? Or have you set your mind, your heart, your thoughts on him? We need to seek him with all our heart. We need to hold on to his truth.
And we can only triumph when we embrace what he says and stand upon its firm reality. I've been asked to give a word of encouragement today. So I would like to consider trouble, testing, listen carefully, truth, and triumph.
You say, but that wasn't your subject. It was just trouble, testing, and triumph. I hope some of you recognized that without truth, there could be no triumph. Perhaps as you think about it, you recognize that it's truth that makes the difference.
Max was talking about a friend of his who was big into basketball. And he was trying to teach his young son some basketball moves. And the boy was increasingly frustrated because he wasn't getting on as well as he thought.
And he looked up finally, and with some measure of frustration and an appeal to his dad, he said, it's easy for you up there, but you don't know how hard it is down here. And maybe you feel like that.
Maybe you feel like that when it comes to the challenges that we're facing right now. I've been thinking of a hymn, and I'm going to risk everything and a dry throat. And I'm going to try and sing one verse of it.
In times like these, you need a savior. In times like these, you need an anchor. Anchor, be very sure, be very sure your anchor holds and grips the solid rock. And this rock is Jesus. And he's called Jesus because he's the savior.
If there's somebody today and you don't know him, let me remind you that in times like these, today, you need a savior. And if I'm speaking to someone and you've wandered from him, and by chance, although not by chance, you happen to be present on this Zoom meeting today, you need him.
You need to go back to that anchor that will preserve all of us from a lost eternity and a ruined life. I want to read today from Matthew's Gospel, chapter 4. And I'm going to read from verse 1 down to verse 11.
And it says this,. And Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan and was led of the spirit into the wilderness, being 40 days tempted of the devil. And in those days, he did eat nothing.
And when they were ended, I'm sorry, I'm in Luke on this case. And when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
And Jesus answered him saying, It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every, every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee and the glory of them. For that is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will, I give it. If thou therefore will worship me, all shall be thine.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan. For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence, for it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, it is written, it stands, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. I won't read the Matthew passage because this certainly covers what I want to say today.
But how wonderful and precious it is to have this passage in the Word of God. And when you stop and think about testing and the trouble that we've experienced, it seems reasonable. It seems very reasonable that we ought to be able to find something to encourage us in every single trial we encounter.
After all, we know that God has allowed it. But how often do we find the courage to thank the Lord for the tests we encounter? How much, how very much we need to understand and grasp the purposes of God in it all.
And we realize that our greatest concern ought to be for God's glory, and yet we feel very much at times like a pawn in the midst of it all. So I would like to consider with you as I give this word, trouble, testing, truth, and triumph.
We must not make any mistake that while we're reminded in the scriptures that no chastening, no testing or training for the present seems to be joyous but rather grievous, yet afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them who are exercised thereby.
Please make no mistake, though. The devil is watching, watching for his chance, and that's very sobering. He is watching not only for his chance but looking for and encouraging our failure and to see us fail.
Our Lord at this time in the midst of these things would fill the evil one with glee when it comes to trouble, and trouble comes. We read those words, ominous words, really, in this case, the tempter came.
In our case, we might be tempted to think that when trouble comes we did something wrong, and I want you to note in this story that it tells us that the Lord Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. The testing did not come to him because of some failure within.
It didn't come because of some moral deficiency as we might think about ourselves at times. In fact, it also tells us that he was led of the Spirit in this very path, and in this case, in this case, trouble came in a diabolical form.
The evil one presented himself. It also reminds us in this passage that as the Lord Jesus was full of the Spirit and led of the Spirit, trouble doesn't always come from the devil either. There was a certain measure of weakness involved, and the Savior had experienced what it was to be fasting in all these days.
Trouble doesn't always come from him, though, the devil, and we can't blame every difficulty on him. I'm always reminded of the boy who, at some point in his play with his friend, or the one who was his friend, shoved him in the mud, and his mother got after him, and she said, now, son, she said, the devil must have made you do that, and he looked at her very soberly as only a little boy can, and he spoke the truth.
He said, oh, no, I thought of it myself, and oftentimes, we discover that difficulties are not just from the world around us or the age in which we live in which COVID -19 has a part, but the biggest trouble that we ever face, it seems, is what is within ourselves, our doubts, our fears, our speculations, our opinions, our wanting of control over the situation, and we know that right now, there's all kinds of conspiracy theories circulating, and we know that many of them are taken up with such things, but this attack on the Lord Jesus was no theory.
It was very real, and the evil one's purpose is always evil. No matter how the evil one may dress it down or dress it up, his ultimate goal, his ultimate purpose is to put down the Lord Jesus. That has always been his goal, and of course, his goal includes the defeat of those who love him and those who trust him and those who have pinned their hopes on him and all that he has done on their behalf.
So, when it comes down to that, we need to remind ourselves, if he takes charge of us and our weakness, there's only going to be greater trouble. Trouble will have just begun. Dear believer, trouble comes, but let us be very careful that we recognize its source.
I want you to think, secondly, of testing, and we learned something about the purpose of testing in this passage, and this passage beautifully presents how the moral fitness of the Lord Jesus is revealed amidst this test, and God has a tremendous interest in the moral fitness of those who would serve him.
You will remember that Adam proved unfit when tested in a very similar way, although Adam experienced the test under the best conditions possible in a garden that God had planted and surrounded with plenty, and our Lord Jesus, he encountered this during the extremes of fasting in a desolate wilderness.
God wanted us to see the glorious truth about this man that he is going to bring to the fore forevermore. So, testing works. It works to show the true worth and faith of God's own, and we've oftentimes witnessed in others—it's more easily seen in others—how that this is often brought to the front when testing comes and the believer responds in faith and confidence in his God, but it works to reveal to us as well, even in failure, areas that we need to address and to be fortified against.
So, it shows the worth of God's own, and it helps us identify very clearly those areas that we need to address in our lives, and it also works to unfold the truth further to us, the scriptures that we've learned and practiced, because we only really know the truth—that we live, that we practice, that we put in a shoe letter.
So, testings are vital for the Christian. Testings may test us physically. We have hunger and thirst presented here, and in our world today, there's believers who are suffering from sickness. As well, it shows how it affects us emotionally.
Our sense of security is affected. I'm hearing this from others today, others who are saying, I never expected it would affect me this way. It also touches our lives in a mental and psychological way.
It affects our significance when we're sidelined, our importance, our usefulness. It affects us spiritually. How deep am I really at my core? You know, publicly, we can present a pretty good picture, but how deep am I really spiritually?
What is the most precious thing to me? So, spiritually and also materially, we are affected through testing. I think that it serves, in terms of material things, to really help us identify what's our eternal outlook.
When the evil one brought the Lord Jesus to the top of an exceedingly exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, it points out two things to me. It points out first, the incredible ability and resources of the devil.
Let's not underestimate his power and effectiveness. But secondly, it shows the tremendous contrast between what he presented as what this world is, all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, and what we're going to find in the future.
I am reminded of that verse in the book of Ephesians, that in the ages to come, he will show us. Can you imagine him unfolding this? He will show us the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
That coming world has so much more to link our souls to. Of course, the Savior, he knew all of that. He had been higher still, and you and I need to have a heavenly view when it comes to these things that may affect us in this variety of ways.
Now, testing will often reveal weaknesses. For example, a mom has just baked some chocolate chip cookies, and the smell of them is in the air. And she needs to go out, and she looks at her children, and she says, no, don't touch that jar.
You're not allowed. And what's the gravitational point in the room? That jar and those cookies. Oftentimes, we're drawn to what we shouldn't have or what we're denied having. Testing will reveal our weaknesses.
It will show forth our lust for something more. It will identify impatience—I want what I want—or the need to prove something when it comes to pride, how exposed we are. It's all so clear to God what's within.
The Lord Jesus spoke about that that which was within a man that defiled him. Oftentimes, too, we fret, because we want to see God do things the way we want him to do them, and it exposes our weakness.
I think of this passage and the pinnacle experience of the Lord Jesus, and how basically the devil was saying, cast yourself down, because you would certainly be seen and noticed, and people would pay attention.
God wants us to live by faith, not by magic. He says, well, those angels, they'll bear you up, and I've got the Scripture for it, too. The devil tries to convince the Lord Jesus that you can have the glory without the suffering, and our nature loves quick, easy, positive solutions.
The devil seldom needs to take us to a very high hill before we're seduced by what we see. But the Savior focuses here on what's important. What is it that he says is so vitally important? To worship and to serve him.
That's our main business. That's our real business. Can we still serve him? Can we still worship him in these days in which we're found in this experience when it seems like much of the joy of life and the flower of beauty of things has failed?
Yes. And the Savior says, this is the important thing. Serve him. Worship him. It's true that the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. 1 John 5, verse 19 reminds us of that. But it's only for now.
It's only for this little one. And ultimately, all is going to rest in the hand of the great overcomer. Isn't that thrilling? He's got it all. And it's thrilling, too, to remember that I am in his hand right here and right now.
And what could be better than that? As to the timing of testing, I think that also comes up in this passage. This took place when the Lord Jesus seemed weak physically after fasting. We are well aware that he could not sing.
Yet, Satan comes with cleverly disguised suggestions contrary to the will of God. The will of God is in God's word. And to the Savior, getting bread is not the most important thing but obedience to every word of God.
And he's emphasizing there to each word of God how practical. Our greatest safety is found when we're living in the good of the word of God. The devil doesn't always know when we are susceptible, but he often does.
We give him clues. When we fail to seek closeness with God through prayer, and we delay to read and meditate upon his word, and when we choose material comforts for ourselves rather than stretching forth our hands and compassion to others, you say, well, we're rather limited that way right now.
Dear brother and sister, if the grace of God is upon you, find a way to stretch forth your hand or your words and show kindness and effectively remind them that this comes from the very heart of God that has stirred your own.
Now, there's no thought of compassion ever, ever move the great deceiver. And he will strike when we're hurt or lonely or sick or even on a deathbed. He's without mercy. He tried to derail the Savior just before our Lord's greatest works when he was going to call his disciples for service for him.
When in Matthew 5 to 7 he was going to speak indelible words to thousands. When in Matthew 8 he was going to bring deliverance to many. A leper comes and the Savior stretches out his hand. The centurion's servant, the Savior, makes well again.
When it comes to Peter's wife's mother, taken of a great fever, almost rampaging beyond control, the Savior instantly brings about relief and she responds immediately to serve those around her. When it comes to the maniac of Gadara, my, what a change was made there.
I'm so glad he came my way because sometimes I feel like I was like that maniac, controlled by a power that was greater than me, and Christ stepped into my life. And oh, what a difference he brought about, both in time and eternity.
Thirdly, I want to speak about truth. This is the essential thing, and God's word is vital to rise above the test. The Lord Jesus spoke of the importance of every word of God. That is, each individual word of God has such eternal worth, and its collective truth stands like a fortress to the believer.
No wonder the Savior effectively says again and again, it stands written like a fortress of truth. And oh, how wonderful to think that you and I, while we need to know it, and we do, and we need to live it, that's surely when it does us the most good.
We make, we need to make sure we clearly understand it. The word of God is not just like a sound, such as my voice, which dies away and fades, but we're reminded of the book of Hebrews. It is alive. It is just as alive as the God who spoke it, and it is enduring and powerful and working and precious.
Truth. Truth isn't always nice, but it's always truth. And that's what we need today. The Lord Jesus knew the scriptures, and he lived in the center of its truth. He knew its power. Even the evil one knew that the Lord Jesus had only to command that stones be made bread.
What he was saying was, just say it. You see, he had witnessed the same voice in a time gone by when God said, let there be light. And there was light. So the evil one knew that the Lord Jesus had only to command, had only to say the word, and the stone would become bread.
The devil knew something of the scripture, but he didn't conform to it or obey it, but rather he twisted it every which way to suit his purposes. And to it, the Savior applies all his charm and all his talent.
And it stops me cold to think that if he had the effrontery to attack my Lord, what would cause him to hesitate from attacking me? The word of God is our greatest necessity. I remember how the Lord Jesus spoke to Peter.
It comes to mind with some power today as the Savior says, Satan desires to have you that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you. And it doesn't end there. The Savior spoke of a renewed ability in Peter's life to serve his Lord.
Maybe you and I have neglected the truth of God's word as we should have embraced it, but let's get back to the book. Let's trust in its truth. Let's live out its reality. Have I learned how vital God's truth really is?
But the word of God comes with a caution, a great caution. We must not try and manipulate God or his word. And secondly, it comes with a great purpose that we might worship. The privilege of worshiping God takes us right into his very presence, but not only to worship him, but to serve him alone.
Let me just speak about triumph. God was glorified in this. Oh, pardon me. The Lord Jesus came out of this strong, and no one knew but God. The devil was defeated, and that brings glory. And in the grace of God, we can experience a measure of victory as well.
Others like Bunyan. John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress from a jail. Florence Nightingale reorganized the hospitals of England. Well, she was too ill to move. Louis Pasteur was semi-paralyzed, yet was tireless in his attack on disease.
Francis Parkman, he could not work for more than five minutes at a time, yet he wrote 20 magnificent volumes of history. It seems almost like when God is going to make use of someone, he tests them through the fire.
So here we are today, well aware that Satan can attack those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit, but that he is powerless against those who resist him with the word of God. Will God be glorified in the midst of this COVID -19 desert?
Will God be glorified in my life? Perhaps today someone in the audience finds yourself exalted. Things are so different for you. You're on the mountaintop, but the question remains, will God be glorified in your life?
Perhaps you are experiencing trouble and testing today, and I think there are many who would say, yes, we are. And where will we find a secure refuge? I'm reminded of that verse in Proverbs 18 and 10, the name of the Lord is a strong tower.
The righteous runs into it and is safe. You know, it's a good thing to know which way to run. And we don't need to run from evil, but we ought to run to our God. As I conclude, how do we triumph over testing?
First, identify the threat. Is our biggest problem COVID -19? Or is our biggest problem today thinking that needs to be regulated, that needs to be set right, that needs to submit to what God has allowed?
Secondly, not only should we identify the threat, but we should focus on Christ. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
Does your thinking need to be adjusted? Does your focus need to be more pointed? Look at him. I think of that hymn that says, I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene. Have you taken the time to just quietly stand there in his presence?
And that hymn writer says, I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder. Have you felt the wonder? Has your soul responded with wonder? Look at him. Consider him. There's a hymn, of course, that we're well familiar with, and it says, Jesus, Jesus is the name that charms us.
He for conflict fits and arms us. Nothing moves and nothing harms us when we trust in him. Trust in him, ye saints forever. He is faithful, changing never. Neither force nor guile can sever those he loves from him.
No wonder the writer says, praise the savior. Ye who know him, who can tell how much we owe him. So identify the threat. Focus on Christ. Thirdly, refresh yourself in the truth. Bathe in it. Feel its cleansing power.
Experience again the joy that delights the spirit and hear the voice of your Lord. Maybe today you're like someone who wrote these lines, where is the Jesus and his word? And he goes on to say, they've left their memory still.
But are you enjoying it today? So we need to hear the voice of our Lord and savior. Our example, the one who is always true. Fourth, think with me about this. Seek, seeking to glorify God in every way we can and in any way we can.
First Corinthians says, you're bought with a price. Yes, he bought you. Maybe to some of you, he's saying return unto me, for I have redeemed you. But we're bought with a price. And he says, therefore glorify God in your bodies and in your spirits, which are his.
A woman some years ago was known to have been quite a sinner in the area she lived in. And she heard the gospel and she was changed. And people wondered at it. They could see the evidence of something that had taken place.
And they said to her, what made the difference? And this was her simple explanation. God gave the light. I stood right in the middle of it and I was changed. We need the word of God and its truth. And we need the purpose of glorifying him.
And may the Lord give us the courage today and the help to keep on keeping on for him. Trust that God will bless his word and each of you today. And we'll just close in prayer. Father, we are a needy people, but we have a great God.
And we have been taken out of the world for a reason. And right now some would feel frustrated and hindered, disappointed and anxious. But oh God, we are so thankful that while we know God has allowed this, we also know that God has permitted it for a reason, that he might stretch us and that he might help us to grow further in things that truly matter.
And we're reminded of your word that tells us that at this time, just as in other times, there is no temptation or testing that has taken us, but such as is common to man. And we remind ourselves as the apostle did, that God is faithful.
God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tested above that you're able, but will with the temptation make a way of escape. And some of us just delight in thinking, yes, I'd really like other, but the purpose of God in that way of escape is so plain that we might be able to bear it and that we might be able to rise up in spite of it.
And then we might continue to be what God intended us to be, men and women of faith and love and purpose, kindness and grace, and to manifest the fruit of the spirit in each day, no matter what that day may hold.
And so, Lord, we just look to thee graciously, bless thy word as we bow with thanksgiving for a savior who has met our eternal need. And we are so thankful for him. And we praise thy name in his worthy name alone, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.