Transcription
In Genesis chapter 15, verses 13 to 14, for instance, God speaking to Abraham, you know, showed him about 500 years ahead of time what was going to happen to the nation of Israel. God told him that the time will come that the nation of Israel, his people, that is Abraham, would be in a strange land, and that was eventually Egypt. And that they will be enslaved, they will be oppressed in that land for 400 years, after which there will be national deliverance for the people. And then, of course, God promised that at the point of that deliverance, there will be a great transfer of wealth unto the people of Israel. And it actually came to pass, but this was foreseen even before the generation that will experience it was born.
So, trials are always foreseen by God. The trials of the righteous are always foreseen by God. In Job chapter 1, verse 12, you could see clearly that God gave permission to Satan to carry out everything, all the damage, the destruction that subsequently happened. It came as a big shock and surprise to everyone around Job, his community, his family, but God was very much aware.
And then in Mark chapter 10, Mark 10, verses 32 to 34, Mark 10:32-34, you could see Jesus about to go into Jerusalem, and he gave in very clear, precise details everything that was going to happen to him. He gave precise details of what would happen to him, that as he goes into Jerusalem, he will be arrested, he will be beaten up, he will be whipped, they will spit on him, they will mock him, and then eventually he was going to be crucified. And then he said, at the end of the third day, by the third day, he will be raised back to life. And everything happened exactly how he had spoken. So, the trials of the righteous are always foreseen by God long before they happen.
In the case of Apostle Paul, who went through a lot of persecution in his life and ministry, Jesus spoke ahead of time in Acts chapter 9, verse 16, when he was speaking to Ananias, and he made it clear that he will show to Paul everything that he will suffer in the course of his work as a messenger of the Lord.
And the second lesson that we also shared in the last week, in the process of this series of teaching, was that some trials are not avoidable. There's a second lesson: some trials are not avoidable. We found out that people wonder from time to time why things still go wrong, why things did go wrong despite the person's innocence, the child's innocence. A young boy, a young girl, is suddenly afflicted and in pain. People begin to ask questions, "Why? What has he done that this should happen to him?" So, we wonder from time to time why things go wrong despite the person's innocence, despite the person's holy lifestyle. God himself acknowledged the holy lifestyle of Job. Subsequently, people wonder why, despite the person's obedience, despite sowing the right seed, despite his excellent preparation or performance, people wonder why things still go wrong for the righteous, despite their preventive prayers and persistent prayers. And then people always wonder why things go wrong for the righteous despite being very careful, being very cautious, and yet things go wrong.
The truth is this: the perfect will of God also involves divinely arranged trials and adversities. That's a reality. In the perfect will of God, trials are there, adversities are there. For instance, in Genesis 15:13-14, this was the perfect will of God, but it was talking about 400 years of enslavement for God's people.
In Matthew chapter 4, verses 1 to 10, so we read about the temptation of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the interesting thing there is that Jesus was deliberately led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil, by the devil. He was left alone with the devil for as much as 40 days, and all through it was one temptation unto the other.
In Luke chapter 24, verse 7, Luke 24:7, King James Version says, "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful man and be crucified, and the third day rise again." So, sometimes the perfect will of God will involve a trial or temptation.
The trials of the righteous that have happened in the past didn't happen by error. Let's be mindful of this. They didn't happen because of the secret sin of that man, of that brother, that sister. Didn't happen because of lack of sufficient prayers. Is it that we didn't pray enough that is why this tragedy happened? No. It didn't also happen because of the carelessness of the victims of the trial. That is why they still happened despite these preventive measures, the godly lifestyle, the preventive prayers that were offered, even sometimes long before the incident eventually happened. So, they were not due to the personal mystics of the victims.
For instance, Jesus went to the mountain to pray, and John in Luke chapter 6. And the primary reason he went that night to pray was to receive from God the names of the 12 disciples who were going to work closely with him all through his ministry. And he prayed all night, and by daybreak, God had given to him the names of the twelve. Now, among these twelve that he received in that vigil of prayer was a man called Judas Iscariot. So, the selection of Judas Iscariot by Jesus to be one of the twelve disciples was not a mystic, was not a mistake, rather. Neither was it an error, or was it due to the influence of spiritual manipulations or human manipulations. Judas Iscariot was deliberately selected by God in order to play a negative and evil role against Jesus. These are some of the dynamics of the will of God which we must be conscious of from time to time.
So today, we'll go into the third lesson as we look at the seven lessons from the trials of the righteous. And the third lesson is: there is always a purpose for which trials are allowed to happen. There is always a purpose for which trials are allowed to happen. There is always a purpose.
In Romans chapter 8, verse 28, the Amplified Bible says, "And we know with great confidence that God, who is deeply concerned about us, causes all things to work together as a plan for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose, His plan and purpose." The Message version of the Bible says, Romans 8:28, "That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." New Living Translation, Romans 8:28, "He says, 'And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.'" And then The Voice Bible, The Voice Bible, Romans 8:28, "We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work towards something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan."
And then Jeremiah 29, verse 11, Amplified Bible says, "For I know the plans..." And the English version of Jeremiah 29:11 says, "I will bless you with a future filled with hope, a future of success, not of suffering." Good News Translation says, "I know the plans that I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for." The Message Bible, Jeremiah 29:11, "I know what I am doing. I have it all planned out. Plans to take care of you, not abandon you. Plans to give you the future you hope for."
So, you can see from all the scriptures and from many instances of the trials of the righteous that divinely permitted trials in the way of the righteous are always allowed to happen for a purpose. They are permitted by God to happen to such persons for certain reasons. They don't just happen by accident. Rather, they were intentionally planned or to happen or permitted to happen for a purpose. They are never allowed to happen just for nothing, or just for the pain, the damage, the humiliation, the prolonged wait that such righteous people experience in the process of the trials. No matter how difficult your trial may seem, in God's eyes, it is ultimately for a greater good. I want to reassure you this morning, and no matter what you've been through all this while, it's ultimately going to end in praise. It's going to end in a testimony in the name of Jesus.
There is always something to be tested when the righteous are permitted to go through a trial. There is always something to be tested. There is always something to be examined. There is always something to be proven. There is always something to be achieved. And sometimes, there is a prophecy to be fulfilled. All that happened through Judas against Jesus in the process of their working together was prophesied long, long time in the scriptures. So, sometimes some of these things happen even to fulfill a particular prophecy that had already gone forth a long time ago.
So, I shared with you quickly some of these purposes. One, some trials are allowed to happen in order to examine the degree of your faith, your obedience, and commitment to God. Some trials are allowed to happen in order to examine the degree of your faith, your obedience, and commitment to God. For instance, in Genesis chapter 22, verse 1, Amplified Bible says, "Now after these things, God tested the faith and the commitment of Abraham."
Deuteronomy chapter 8, verse 2. Deuteronomy 8, verse 2, the Amplified Bible says, "And you shall remember always all the ways which the Lord your God has led you these 40 years in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, your mind, or not." Good News Translation, Deuteronomy 8:2, "It says, 'Sending hardships to test you, so that He might know what you intended to do and whether you will obey His commandments.'" The New Living Translation, New Living Translation of Deuteronomy 8:2, "It says, 'Humbling you and testing you to prove your character and to find out whether or not you will obey His commandments.'" The Voice version of the Bible, Deuteronomy 8:2, "Says, 'He did this to humble you, to test you, to uncover your motivations, to see if you will obey His commandments.'"
Then in Genesis chapter 22, verse 12, the New Living Translation, God was speaking to Abraham. Yeah, he said, "Don't lay your hand on the boy." The angel said, "Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God." There is always something to be examined. There is always something to be proven. "Now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son." Praise hear the Lord.
And then purpose number two. A second purpose why trials are permitted to happen to the righteous is to achieve, is that to achieve or receive greater things. To achieve or receive greater things, we may sometimes have to pay a great price. To achieve or receive greater things, we may sometimes have to pay a great price or pass a great test.
We discovered that the battle to overcome trials has repeatedly brought out the best of people's creative, uh, of people in different areas of their life, different righteous men and women in different realms of their lives. And for instance, when we're talking about the prize, temptations, trials, and tests are part of the prize we have to pay as God's chosen vessels, or God's favored vessels. And when you are talking about the prize, we are referring to the sacrifice you will need to make in the course of your journey as God's chosen vessel or God's favored vessel. The prize is talking about the challenges and difficulties you will face. The prize refers to the trials of frequent temptations that you will encounter. The prize is about what you stand to lose or suffer in the part of your being God's favored one or God's choice for a particular thing. The prize is about the spiritual attacks and spiritual battles you will have to fight, you will have to face in the course of your journey as a righteous son or daughter of the Lord. The prize is also about the undeserved punishment, undeserved punishment, or serious persecution that you will have to face. The prize is about the lies, the false accusations, and vicious slander that you will be, that would be deliberately altered against you by reason of God's hand upon your life. The prize is also about the opposition and hostility, the insults, the shame, the mockery, the ridicule you will experience in your path as a righteous son or daughter of God. The prize is about the betrayers and deliberate sabotage that you will encounter from time to time. And of course, the prize is about the frustrating delays and the longer period of time you will have to wait for something that should and could have happened much earlier.
So, these are some of the things we'll encounter. The price we have to pay in order to receive something great from God, or to achieve something great while standing in the path and principles and beliefs, convictions of righteousness. Whatever it is that you are currently faced with today, I have given you a word of assurance that as this message is coming, the mercy of the Lord is flowing, and the Lord Almighty is bringing to a close the season of trials of many people listening right now. And the Lord Almighty bringing you now into a new season, a new beginning, where you will experience divine restoration, divine deliverance, divine compensation, divine promotion, and divine empowerment. Can I hear you say amen?
And the fourth purpose why trials are permitted to happen to the righteous is that your level of strength and maturity will be tested through trials. Your level of strength and maturity will be tested through trials. In Proverbs chapter 24, verse 10, he says, King James Version, "If that faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is more." Trials and temptations reveal how weak or strong you are. Your level of spiritual maturity, emotional maturity, and leadership capacity can be measured and assessed by the kind of reaction and attitude that you choose to display in times of trials and challenges.
In Proverbs chapter 24, verse 10, you see some, you read some interesting description of what we are talking about. In content from the Contemporary English Version, Proverbs 24:10, "It says, 'Don't give up and be helpless in times of trouble.'" Don't give up and be helpless in times of trouble. Easy to Read Version says, "If you are weak in times of trouble, that is real weakness." That is real weakness. Then the Good News Translation says, Proverbs 24:10, "If you are weak in a crisis, you are weak indeed." And then The Living Bible says, "You are a poor specimen if you can't stand the pressure of adversity." New Living Translation, Proverbs 24:10, "If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small." And then The Voice Bible says, "If you fall apart during a crisis, then you weren't very strong to begin with."
And I believe that the Lord Almighty has obtained you for leadership in different capacities and capacity. So, one thing you must have in mind is that the trials you will face will be a test for you to prove that you are fit for leadership, starting from the family level and the home front. I pray that the Lord will strengthen you on every side in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And the fourth purpose why trials are permitted to happen to the righteous is that some trials are actually blessings in disguise. Some trials are actually blessings in disguise. When you say something is a blessing, what exactly do we mean when we say something is a blessing in disguise? When an unpleasant development or experience for certain people eventually turns out to be very good and beneficial to them. When an unpleasant development or experience for certain people eventually turns out to be very good and beneficial to them. So, I pray and declare to someone here who has been going through some unpleasant experiences that the hand of the Lord is being stretched towards you right now, and there is going to turn around what you are going through and make it end in the way that it will be for your good, and it will be beneficial to you in the name of Jesus.
Secondly, when we say something is a blessing in disguise, it implies that something that was obviously very bad initially eventually leads, when it eventually leads to something positive, or leads to positive changes or improvements. When something that was obviously very bad eventually leads to some positive changes or improvements. Now, there are some events in the Bible that turned out to be blessings in disguise. One, the first instance was Genesis 22:1-19. God gave Abraham a very difficult test to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac, which eventually led to Abraham receiving his greatest blessing from God. So, it looked like a test, a serious test, but that was what opened the door for the greatest blessing that Abraham received from the Lord.
Another instance of the blessing in disguise was the experience of Joseph, who was sold out into slavery by his brothers, which eventually took him to Egypt, and which Egypt now turned out to be the same location of his destined promotion. Genesis chapter 50, verse 20.
Another instance was the death sentence upon Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel chapter 3, verses 13 to 30. Daniel 3:13-30, which eventually led to their promotion. They were thrown into fire, but God not only delivered them, God touched the heart of the king to immediately promote them after that great trial that they were faced with. I pray for you right now that your current trials will end with a big promotion, a very big promotion in the name of Jesus. God will honor His word in your life in the name of Jesus.
Another instance was the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. As humiliating and painful as it was, it turned out to be a great blessing to the rest of humanity. So, you see that sometimes God knows what He's doing when He allows you to go through trials, even when you are doing your best to live a very godly lifestyle, you are prayerful, and you are cautious. Unknown to you, because His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts, God has already planned to turn around that trial into a big blessing.
In Genesis chapter 50, verse 20, Genesis 50:20, Joseph was speaking to his brothers when eventually they now realized that the man they were standing with, who was Prime Minister of Egypt, was their brother Joseph. He said in Genesis 50:20, The Message Bible, The Message Bible, "He says, 'Don't you see? You planned evil against me, but God used those same plans for my good. Used those same plans.'" Sometimes God will stop the plans that I guess you because He doesn't want it to happen. But sometimes God can allow a conspiracy against you to go ahead, but unknown to those conspirators, God has already planned to take over the process of events and turn things around ultimately for the good of the intended victim.
Idea for prayer this morning, that whatever you are going through right now that is more or less like a setup, the Lord will turn it around for your good in the name of Jesus. So, Joseph said, "Don't you see? You planned evil against me, but God used those same plans for my good." As you see all around you right now, life for many people. Then The Living Bible, Genesis 50:20, "It says, 'As far as I'm concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil, for He brought me to this high position I have today so that I could save the lives of many people.'"
And then number five, purpose number five. Trials are sometimes meant to push you into your optimum potentials or to move you higher into God's plan for you. Trials are sometimes meant to push you into your optimum potentials or to move you higher into God's plan for you. In Psalm 105, Psalm 105:23-26, I read first from The Living Bible. "He said, 'Then Jacob arrived in Egypt and lived here with his sons. In the years that followed, the people of Israel multiplied explosively until they were a greater nation than their rulers. At that point, God turned the Egyptians, it turned the Egyptians against the Israelites. They hated and enslaved them. But God sent Moses and his representative, Aaron, with him.'" New Living Translation, "Then Israel arrived in Egypt. Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham, and the Lord multiplied the people of Israel until they became too mighty for their enemies. Then He turned the Egyptians against the Israelites, and they plotted against the Lord's servants. But the Lord sent His servant Moses along with Aaron, whom He had chosen." Praise hear the Lord.
So, you could see if you look at Psalm, if you read Psalm 105, you could see the sequence of events was being narrated, how everything, you know, highlights of different major phases in the experiences of Israel as a nation. Now, God had said already through Abraham in Genesis chapter 15 that they would in the future be in a foreign land, which was going to be Egypt, and they will be in sleep for 400 years. Now, but when you look at Exodus chapter 12, verse 42, 41, you will discover that Israel eventually spent 430 years in Egypt. So, they spent 30 extra years in captivity. Now, what happened was that by the time the 400 years elapsed, the people of Israel had become so used to their situation and position in the country of Egypt, and they did not want to change. They did not desire change, contrary to the new phase and the new season that God had in mind for them. So, for them to be able to come out, desire to come out of Egypt, God had to make something happen. They were already enslaved for 400 years in Egypt, but God allowed this thing to escalate to a point where it will become unbearable for the Israelites, and they would now desire to leave the land of Egypt. And you could see these scriptures here narrating to us what happened behind the scene.
So, sometimes God allows trials to happen in order to push you, push you into your optimum potential, or move you higher into His next plan for your life, business plan for your life. So, and we have seen over and over again that the battle to overcome trials, the battle by different people to overcome trials has interestingly moved them into undiscovered dreams of their potentials, undiscovered dreams of their potentials. So, we'll observe that if not for the challenge that came, if not for the persecution, if not for the hardship, if not for the pay cut, if not for the major drop in the income of that person, he would never have considered a second stream of income. And you will observe that by the time the trial is over, you would have already uncovered something that continues to flourish with you after the trial is over.
So, I pray that the Lord Almighty will use the season of trial that you may be faced with right now to open your eyes to discover your full potentials in every area of your life where your potentials are yet to be properly harnessed and optimized. I pray that the Lord will stir you up to begin to operate in those areas and take it to the optimum level in Jesus name.
So, we've seen people, trials have pushed a lot of people to arise and do something new from time to time. Trials have pushed many people. Many people. Something happened in the state of Lagos some years back when we had, just after the civilians came on board after a long reign of the military in office, and Lagos State government, you know, created some local government areas and did this. It didn't go down well with the presidency at that time, and so the accounts of the local government areas in Lagos were closed, were frozen. And this went on for a long time, and it brought a lot of financial squeeze to the Lagos State government. It will interest you that today, and for many years now, Lagos State has the highest internally generated revenue in the nation for many years now. The turning point was during that time of the, of this, of this trial. They went through for a while because that time now they were pushed to start looking for different means of raising money to cope with the funds that they were losing as a result of the freeze on the NGL accounts. And eventually, when that whole trial was over, they had already uncovered new streams of generating income which they have continued to build on till today. So, I pray that in the midst of what you are going through, God will bring you out of your comfort zone and enable you to uncover even new channels that will bring greater blessings to your life in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise hear the Lord. Praise you the Lord.
So, this is the third lesson we'll learn on the seven lessons of the trials of the righteous. In the coming weeks, we'll be sharing on the other four lessons, and I will greatly encourage you to please watch out and connect with us so you can download all of these pressures inside from the presence of the Lord, and they will help you greatly in your great destiny and your course in life as a chosen vessel of God and as a favored one of the Lord.
I will pray at this moment. I encourage you to please bow your heads in prayer. Our Father, God, we thank you for your word that has comforted this morning. We thank you, Lord, because the plans you have for your sons and your daughters are plans of good and not of evil. We thank you, Lord Almighty, because we have seen over and over again how you consistently make all things work together for the good of your chosen ones, the good of the righteous ones. Lord, we pray this morning that you will show mercy. We pray, Lord Almighty, that as many, Lord, have gone through trials and the season is over, Father, we pray that now you will usher them into a new beginning in the name of Jesus. Everything that they lost, everything, Lord, that was damaged, everything that was diverted, everything, Lord, that was affected negatively in the process of the trials that they were exposed to, Father, we pray that now that the season of the trial is over, Lord, let there be great restoration. Father, compensate your son, compensate your daughter, Lord. Those that have been left behind because of the trials, Father, enable them to catch up and overtake, catch up and overtake in every reign of your life in the name of Jesus. Father, Lord, we pray that today you would begin a new thing. Let the instruction be given from on high for some of your sons and daughters to be promoted. Let the appointment come forth now, as you did for Joseph at the end of his own trials. Thank you, heavenly Father, in Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
Oh, Lord Jesus, wherever you are, listen now with a clap offering. Honor Him with a clap offering. Hallelujah. Amen. Once again, thank you for connecting with us this morning to be part of this service. And I encourage you to please keep connected with us. Every Sunday, 10 AM, we have a time of worship. And also, every Wednesday, early in the morning, we have a session of early morning prayers. And today, we are celebrating our mothers globally as the world as we celebrate Mother's Day. And we want to use this opportunity to say, God bless all the women. God bless all our sisters. God bless all our wives. God bless all our mothers. God bless all our grandmothers. God bless all our great-grandmothers in the name of Jesus. We pray for all our mothers that the Lord will bless you with very good health. The Lord Almighty will answer all your prayers. And we pray that the next one year, the Lord will make it a year of divine visitation in the name of Jesus, in the name of our Lord Jesus.
And also, we pray this morning that as many as have honored the Lord with a worship offering, the Lord Almighty bless you richly and enlarge your coast in the name of Jesus Christ. Praise ye the Lord. We encourage you in the current, in the light of the current global health challenge, to please ensure that you take the recommended steps to ensure that your hygiene is in place. In terms like, for instance, washing, frequent washing of your hands with soap is highly recommended. And then also, on the spiritual side, we are encouraging you to please on a daily basis, always take up your Bible and proclaim Psalm 91. Psalm 91 is a God-given solution, spiritual solution to any kind of deadly disease. It is a God-given solution to respond to any kind of challenge or threat to life in the realms of our physical lives, our health, or even our possessions. So, declare and make your children declare and proclaim Psalm 91 on a daily basis. And please, the blood of Jesus upon yourself and your loved ones. And back this up with the medically advised processes that have been well circulated. And by the grace of God, this time, this season of the epidemic will soon be over, and God will preserve you and your family in the name of Jesus. Thank you for staying with us. The Lord bless you richly. And please stay connected to Jesus Evangelical Assembly through our different media, social media handles on a daily basis. You can link up with us on our social media handles and also listen to some of the messages that have come from this platform from time to time. Thank you for being with us. The Lord bless you. Shall we close in prayer? Lord, we thank you for a great time in your presence today. As your people will be preparing to go into this new week, Lord, we pray that you will go ahead of them. We pray, Lord, that you will protect everyone, even in the light of the current health challenges. You will preserve the lives and families of everyone listening to the sound of my voice right now. And we pray that this week will begin to witness your intervention in reversing the current order of things, and it will be for the good of your people in Jesus name, we pray.