Submitted by pastor Tom Beutler Watson & Hamburg Baptist Churches

Ecclesiastes (Greek=Preacher) 2: 18-23
“Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? Yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shown myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity. Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun. For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil. For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun? For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.” Solomon came to the conclusion that life is all vanity or emptiness. He saw the righteous suffer and felt that it was a form of injustice. Job probably felt this same way during his time of trial. Maybe you have gone through an extended trial and have or had questions or doubts about it. HEY! Everything is not doom and gloom, believers have it pretty good. We always have reasons for rejoicing and giving thanks to God. We have a living hope, we have a lasting inheritance, a final reward. With all of this in mind we should be rejoicing now!
1st Peter 1:6-9 “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 honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”
There will be trials that come our way-we may not understand all of them-we will not appreciate them-we need to be prepared for them. Peter is telling us that in the verses we just read. Today let’s see what we can learn about our trials and why saved people suffer. Accepting Jesus as our Savior does not guarantee us immunity from trials: people think because they are saved they will not have trouble-they are in for a rude surprise. Christians get sick, their marriages fail, Christian parents have trouble with their children, Christians have financial problems, and Christians walk through some pretty deep, dark valleys. Jesus said it as plain as it could have been said John 16:33
“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.” Remember, just because a trial came and took you by surprise or jerked the rug out from under your feet, it never took God by surprise. He knew about it before it happened and had already made a way to bring you out of it. God never changes and is still able to help you through any trial. There may be rough times in all of our lives. Do not fall into the trap of health and wealth preachers who tell you that if you are saved you will never have trouble. They are lying. God wants you to know that there will be times when you will have battles. Peter calls these trying times “manifold temptations.” This means that they hit us from every side and some with devastating consequences. Our trials are really trials of our faith. Satan wants to do all he can to make us doubt the power of God. Peter had suffered for his faith- Acts 4 and 12 Paul suffered-James was killed for his faith in Jesus. In the last 2000 years over more than 68 million believers have died for the name of Jesus. Peter told us of refining gold. When gold is subjected to the flame, the impurities and dross come to the top. The result is a purer gold than was present before the flame. The same is true in the life of a saved person. When God allows us to go through the furnace of hurt and trials-it removes things from our lives that were not needed and brings us a closer and purer relationship with Jesus.
Peter reminds us we are not home yet. Romans 9:28 “and we know all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” The Bible tells us our trials are working for our good. If God never challenged us we would never grow. God can not count on us, but we can count on God. God is with us through every trial we face.
Hebrews 13:5 “let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have; for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
Lord! Help us all in the name of Jesus! AMEN!