Voice of the Nazarene 6-23-24

I'm coming to you from North Central Ohio. We share with you the voice of the Nazarene. A WEEK BY WEEK venture into the Word of God sponsored by the Bucyrus, Ohio Church of the Nazarene. We joined our Pastor Reverend Ray Lasalle and the voice of the Nazarene.

We were going into the building and they were offering fans. I thought why would you want to give me a folding fan? They did not have air conditioning. I haven't been at a church without air conditioning for so long. I forgot there was air conditioning. I've never been so hot in my life. 95 degrees. It was a hot wedding. And it took me aback I'd forgotten I've been in when, I was an evangelist and traveled in churches with no air conditioning. My neck tie would be dripping the bottom coat soaking wet, not turned it inside out and put it on hangers. We've got a pretty good, don't we? I think we've nearly forgotten that. Good to be with you this morning. Turn with me to that little book of James. Powerful, insightful, impactful. He became the second pastor the first church in Jerusalem after Simon Peter. It turned in his resignation.

Divided written this I just started out James the brother of Christ our Lord. But that's not the way it reads. Fact of the matter, James did not become converted till after the resurrection. And he was the half brother of Jesus Christ. He didn't believe in him any more than anybody else did. But following the resurrection, he he believed in Christ. There's a lot of religious leaders that have died, but none have resurrected, that will make a believer out of you. And he writes, he says James one one, James, a servant of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the 12 tribes, which are scattered abroad greetings. Persecution had come. And those Christians had had to scatter in all directions. He's writing to them by Brother, brother and count it 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 you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom. Let him ask of God, who that gives us to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him. Let me talk to you for a few minutes. Why do Christians have trials? Bit on might've been on my mind all this weekend.

Knowing I was facing Sunday, Charlie Brown he's asking the question in the little strip. He said why does my team always lose. That's why I don't ask for testimony as much. I'm afraid somebody get up and tell me.

They'll play an organ recital, this organs going out in that organ falling apart preacher.

Why does my team always lose and Lucy comes up and she says, Charlie, you have to realize we learn more from our defeats than we do from our wins. And Charlie Brown says, Well, if we learn more from our defeats than we do from our wins, I must be the smartest guy in the whole world.

Seems like sometimes life has its losses, we lose. James said count it all joy when you run into those times in life. I researched the word trial, just in case somebody would ask me.

And in the Greek New Testament written in Greek, it means small tie color. Kind of like having a Blue Monday. Or if you're like Elvis blue blue blue blue Christmas. Kind of like going to work and getting a pink slip.

Kind of like getting a letter from the bank, that your checking account is in the red, multi color. And I realized something. triangles come in all types of color. Sometimes you go to the doctor and you don't get a good report. Sometimes in life, you watch your kids lives fall apart. Sometimes life seems to come unglued. Sometimes death comes and you pray that it wouldn't. Sometimes we don't get the promotion, instead we get the demotion. Sometimes, we love God and we don't understand why did a friend betray is.

Sometimes abuse happens. And it's hard to ever get past that abuse that took place. In the yesterday's Pastor, I thought when I became a Christian, everything would turn out wonderful. And I'd have plenty of money and not always be in the health and everything would work fine, and my marriage would be perfect. There'd be no problems folk. Here's what Jesus

33, These things have I spoken unto you that in me, you might have these, you better find Jesus in your life.

So you'll have peace because this is the one he says in the World II shall have tribulations, but be of good cheer. I've overcome the world.

So he's saying as long as you're in this world, and we're in this world, are we are you here? Are you all there? He said, You're going to have tribulations?

Well, I don't want him tribulation. Well, if you don't get to know Jesus real quick, and then exit get out of here.

Because if you're going to be in here, the world, you're going to live on planet Earth, you're going to have trials. That's what James said, I'm not making all this. Part of its true. So in trials, what have we learned, we learned? It's a test of our testimony. And as a Christian test, you're going to come into relying and you want to make sure that after the test you have a testimony and not Moniz and groan, ease. Knowing this at the trying of your faith, verse three says, work work with patients. Now look at First Peter chapter one verse seven, it says that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it'd be tried with fire might be found under praise, honor and glory of the appearing of Jesus Christ. Can I ask you something?

What good is untested love? How do you know you're really have love if it's never been tested?

Hypothetically, you're on date night. You're young again. I can't remember that. But I'm trying. And you're in the little restaurant. And the lights are turned down dim the candles flickering. She looks better in the dark. I didn't mean I mean he looks better in the dark. Now on write better notes. To leave these notes up here they're getting me in trouble. And the music's playing softly and you just feel like you have a feeling to be in love. Something you want to scratch for India.

And you look across the table and through the brightness of that candle she says I love you.

Kind of like the wagon said to the tractor. The girl was on the bench and the she said pull me closer John Deere. You feel like you've got a feeling. You're in love. But is that real love? No.

Can I tell you what real love is? It's after about 20 years together. And love gets tested.

There's financial reverses. The kids have strained your relationship trying to get them out of the house. Help this failed. Job reverses clashes of personality And you're literally walking through hell and you're saying, your health may be gone, but I want you to know I'm staying, I'm sticking. If you're gonna leave me, I'm gonna go with you.

I'll leave with you. I'm gonna love you. I'm talking about real love tested love. I went to a cookout and one of our campuses and setting over one of the tables was a little lady in her head, lay on her shoulder, clear over on her shoulder. Her husband has to clean her up. He has to fix the meals. In the place she goes, she only can go if he takes her. And he was so attentive to her. And he wanted to bring her into the conversation. And he said she's had to put up with me for 40 some years. Tested. Love. What good is untested love? Can I ask you What goodness untested faith, ladies and gentlemen, phase is going to get tested at some point. It may be that your kid gets cancer, it may mean your kid is in a car wreck, it may be that you lose your companion, it may mean that they're in the nursing home.

What good is untested faith.

It's the test that builds our faith. And here's what I know about test. Okay. I've been out of school for a while, but I haven't forgotten. I had one teacher stayed in my room for two years, I thought that old gal never would pass. Here's what I know about tests. A good teacher wants you to pass the test. They're not wanting to fail, you're not a good teacher.

A good teacher is going to try to pound it into your noggin.

Because there's going to be a test and they don't want anyone to flunk the test. And I want you to know that God is a good good father, and God doesn't want you to fail. God didn't want you to not pass the test.

God wants you to pass and he's throwing truth and light and helpers into our life. Second thing I know about test is the teachers always silent during the tests, clock's ticking, everybody's hunched over their desk. They're pouring down at the tests. Nerves are tight. And the teacher said silent. And what I'm trying to tell you when you're going through the very test of your life, it seems like God the teacher is silent. And why does he speak when I need to hear his voice? And why didn't they respond when I'm under pressure? And how am I good? Why is he silent? The third thing I know a good teacher only tests the student on information that has been taught. Not trying to catch you in a trick moment. But grade you on the information that's out there that they taught. That's what's on the test. You say Well pastor, I'm going through test what should I do? You better review the material. You better get the good book out. Gonna be tested on it. You better get acquainted with the teacher. Better get on your knees better open your heart to God. You better be faithful to church. You better say God him to me on myself and fill me with your Holy Spirit.

And I need your presence. I need your power. God show up. Always understand that a good teacher only tests you own the information that has been taught. And as I look back on life at the difficult is the hurdles, the obstacles and there's been many only my faith to sustain me. It wouldn't want to happen it was that I trusted God. And I made up my mind. I'm not looking back. I'm going to make it to heaven. And I'm not letting the devil turn me against God. I'm not gonna get bitter. If I get better. Let's get bittersweet. You've heard it. Why do we go through trials to test our testimony? And then secondly, to increase your endurance verse three, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. Now here's Another translation of you won't throw me out of the church over using another translation for you know that when your faith is tested your endurance has a chance to grow.

Now I try daily to exercise a little, like I get out of bed then I tried to walk you only get one body better treated a little better. If you knew it was gonna last this long, we'd been a little kinder to when we if you had a racehorse worth a couple million, would you keep it up all night and feed a junk food and pour pop down its throat. You wouldn't drink a racehorse that way and your body is worth more to you than that horse is what I'm saying in life, you better push through the pain and learn to exercise and learn to strengthen yourself and increase your endurance for life is a struggle. And a third reason we have trials is to develop your spiritual maturity.

Look at verse four. Let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire

28 And we know I don't know much but and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them which are the called according to His purpose.

Now keep in mind, there's only two groups in the whole world only two groups you may be tested on this the Write this down. So when we great Jeff Toobin. There's only two groups those that love God and those that don't love God. And he says all things work together for the good to them that love God. So I'm gonna get on the winner side. That way God will be at work for me, because I love God.

And you know, God's too loving to be unkind and he's too wise to be mistaken. And when I, I can't trace his hand I can trust his heart. And what I want to say it's, if it's not good today, I've been I've been around live live long enough to know, it'll get better. It was felt good today, just hanging around, maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, next month, next year, but it will get better because God's working all things for our good. The whole title, not all things for our good. I heard about two men that grew up to gather friends for life. And one became the king. And the other was his best friend. And they did a lot of things. And this best friend, he was always saying this is good. This is really good. Everything. This is good. Well, one day the king and his friend were out and King was hunting and the friend loaded the shotgun for the king, one of them old fashioned shotguns where you pull the hammer back and then you'd have an old roll back and put the Shaolin put the rollback up, and when you pull the trigger, the hammer hits that pin in the middle of that rollback, or somehow it backfired and blew that thing back and blew the Kings thumb off. And the guy said it's okay, it's good. It's good. King said it's not good. You're going to prison. He got to prison and he said this is good. I get meals and I got a place to sleep. I don't have to work anymore. This is good. Well, the king was out someplace and got captured by some cannibals. Cannibals. You know, they get fed up with people. And it's good thing my mom's not here. She would not like me saying some of them. And the cannibal said, We're gonna eat you. And they got the pot, set it over the fire and had the water boiling and they were ready to put him in. And one of them notice that he was missing a thumb and the tribal tradition was that you could need anybody that had a defect. And they said we can Edie and they went to the king said we're gonna let you go. We can't eat you got an effect. You don't have a thumb.

He thought this is good. Can't suck your thumb. You don't have one. I know a lot of big babies.

I wish they didn't have a thumb.

That wasn't in the notes either.

It was nice knowing you as the U haul out in front of my house right now.

Well, he got to thinking about his friend that he put in prison because he blocked On his thumb off, he said, I, I shouldn't have done that, that my losing that thumb, it was good. It kept me from getting eaten. And he said, I've got to get him released. They went to the prison. He said, I want to get shatter. He always said, it's all good. No, he said, I feel bad. No, he said, It's good.

While he said, what happened?

And he said, I got taught by some cannibals and I didn't have a thumb, and they couldn't eat me. So he said, I'm gonna let you out. He said, his good. He said, What makes you think is good. He said, Because if you hadn't lost that thumb, I'd have been with you and then eat me.

Here's what I want you to know all things work together. For the good of them that love God to them, which are the call according to his firm, but wait, look at one more verse, verse 29, for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his be conformed to Roman gods trying to conform us to the image of His Son, the kids saying he's still working on me to make me what ought to be? Is he working on you? You won't. My problem is, I feel like I've been worked on. I'm about to get worn out with this worked on stuff. I must be a long ways from being conformed into the image. She's working on us. And God said, whether you're married or divorced, and whether you're up or whether you're down, or whether you're sick, or whether you're well, and whether you get the promotion or you get the demotion, guess what? He said, I'm working all things together for good because I'm trying to conform you into the image of Christ. Listen, folk. Don't get mad at me. But this name would claim it blabbered grab it and believe it, receive it and health and well stop. That's not real life. Real life is life is tough, and life is unfair. And you're going through things in life, where it just seemed like everything's falling apart. Your kids baby. You watch things happen in your broken forum. You watch, things take place in your own life. Life is tough. But God you through it, all of us conforming us in the image of his life can't be all sunshine, or the flowers would die. The rivers would be barren or desert and dry. Life can be all sunshine, or there'd be no use to pray. I thank You, Lord, for the valley that I walk through today. Pastor trials are going to come. So how how do you handle trials kind of give you three things real quick, like number one, display some joy.

Look at verse two. My brother counted all joy when you fall into these trials of temptations. What does count mean? It means to evaluate. It's an accounting term. And what it means is when you're going through things, you understand why you're going through understand this. Guy God's working on us. And when everything seems to be in reverse, and everything seems to be tough. You say, Well, Pastor, what do you do when it just seems like your life is going through? Hell itself. Just keep on walking. Keep on walking.

God, I'm walking through things on it. But I know that you're working for my good. Listen, the word happiness stands for happen, chance. Happiness is determined by what happens. I'm on vacation, I'm happy. I'm back at work, I'm miserable. No, Joy is a decision is not determined by what happens. Joy is a decision. And here's the best example. It's Hebrews 12 Two, Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith.

Who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame for the joy.

Wait. He knew the cross was coming and he he wanted to get on the cross. No, get real. Did you hear his prayer? God? Our father is there any other way?

Besides this? You think he was looking? Like he wanted to climb on a cross or die? No. So how could he have any joy? Because he knew that after the cross and after the burial, there'd be a triumph and Resurrection over death hell in the grave, and he'd been overcomer and the calls he endured Across, he had the joy of knowing you would have salvation and I would experience salvation. And that's why we have a joy. We may not understand what we're going through, but we know that God is at work in our life. Here's the second thing, ask God for wisdom. When I'm going through something, I need a lot of wisdom. I don't know about you, I'm praying desperately for wisdom. Don't give it to anybody else. I'm the one that needs it bad. Give it to me. Look at what James said, If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God to give us to all men liberally and upbraideth not an it shall be given him. Pastor, you say ask for wisdom. Well, what's your last for me? I just say two things to ask for. Number one, God, what are you trying to teach me? Now when I was in school, they would give us a lesson. And then we got the test on that lesson. But that's not the way it works. When I got out of school in life, you get a test. And it teaches you a lesson. And I'm saying, God, I'm going through a test. What are you trying to teach me what you're wanting me to do? What?

What do I need to see? And then the second thing, God sent somebody to help me. This is what I've learned. It's like the little boy said to his brother said, Mama, he said, I'm afraid it's dark tonight. And would you sleep with me? She said, No, I got to sleep with daddy, the big baby. I gotta sleep with daddy.

But Mama, I wanted somebody to sleep with me said Jesus will be in there. He said, but I wanted somebody with skin on. And you know what I've learned? You and I need somebody was skin on.

That's why we need the church.

That's why we need fellowship.

That's why we need each other.

That's why we sue small groups.

So we that we know somebody personally, in the congregation, we need somebody did you know the banana doesn't get skinned until unless it gets separated from the bunch and from the bundle? Look at First Corinthians 1013 There are no temptation or trial taking you but such as is common to man, what she's saying. When he said it was common to men, that means somebody else went through it.

Somebody else though somebody else felt it. Somebody else has been there, and they can help me to get through it. I beat somebody and they've just lost a companion. And I say I've been there too. And they'll say, Well, Pastor I, I know that. But what I'm saying is I understand.

And if you need somebody to talk to we're available we we've been there. We've been there. Ask God for wisdom. And then the third thing, give God praise. When you're going through a trial, just display display joy. Ask God for wisdom, but never forget to give God the praise. And he tells us why. If you look at verse nine, let the brother of low degree rejoice in that He is exalted. He was down here but he's brought up here. Why?

Because it he may be poor, but he still has something to praise God for. Don't count what you don't have begin to thank God and focus on what you do have.

And he say in verse 10, to the rich is that he that was up here is made low. And the rich man's he's he's exalted, zoning himself because he's got all of this, but he finds his wealth can't buy back a wayward child.

It can buy health when you're losing somebody. And so he finds his sufficiency is in God alone, and not as well. It takes the low guy and brings him up here the rich guy brings him to animal we're all on an equal plane. You know, there's a blessing for getting victory through a trial, James want while Blessed is the man that endureth the trials, the temptations the tribulations for women, he has tried he shall receive a crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him. Pastor, I'm going through a test right now.

Pastor, I'm in a classroom. What should I do? Stay in the classroom.

Don't get out of the classroom.

Don't throw in the towel and walk off from the church and walk away from God. Don't get bitter, stay in the classroom and find out what it is that God's trying to it teach you I've been there to Psalm 119 Verse 71 says it is good for me that I've been afflicted for that's when I learned we learn when we're going through the afflictions pastor Do you have problems a lot of them self inflicted believe me. I've had my share but I've found that God is faithful. The pole road I've come into a valley one like I've never been before. And I searched for a way out seemed like padlocks were on the door.

Psalms 119:71

Oh, there must be another sunrise, another sunset, I'll see. God will make this trial a blessing. That's the love he has for me. God will make this trial a blessing though. He says me to my knees, though my tears flow like a river getting him. There sweet relief. There's no need to get discouraged. There's no need to talk to feet, God will make this trial a blessing in the whole wide world we'll see. See, I was not the first one to come into this place. See, every child of God attests he must face it is here that God will mold you and make you what you ought to be. God will make this trial a blessing. Just be patient. And you will see as your pastor, can I tell you something, and I am not a 19 year old kid preaching. I'm on the other side of this thing.

God will get you through the battle. Gotta get you through your grief. Gotta get you through your disillusionment gotta get you through your discouragement and God will get you to the other side. You see things don't come to stay. I've learned that things come to pass. We'll get to the other side. Pastor will it get better, I promise you it will get easier. I've been there. You'll get there. And then you can sing the other firsts. Now I'm standing on the mountain.

Looking back and I can see when I was in the lowest Valley. His strong hand was leading me. Oh, it's good to see the sunshine and taste the sweet victory. God has made this trial a blessing all the grace He gives to me.

This is the message I felt laid on my heart for you this morning. Are you in a trial? Are you gasping for breath? Are you trying to find a rope to get a hold of? Are you discouraged?

The only thing I can tell you this is what God laid on my heart and blocked every other thing from coming to my mind.

Now I've shared it with you.

Thanks for being a part of the voice of the Nazarene visitors every Sunday at 9am with BNC's Pastor Ray LaSalle.

For more information regarding BNC visit Bucyrus nazarene.org.