Jonathan Chance's sermon, titled "Hope and Joy on the Racetrack of Tests and Trials and Suffering," focuses on finding joy and hope amidst life's challenges for believers in Christ. He emphasizes that, unlike others who may attribute their hardships to bad luck or hold onto a false hope, Christians have a firm hope rooted in Jesus Christ. Key biblical passages include Romans 5:1-5 and Hebrews 12, highlighting that suffering fosters endurance, character, and ultimately hope that doesn't disappoint because it's anchored in God's love and promises.
Chance outlines various types of life tests such as the deception of false prophets, the testing of faith like Abraham's, and moral challenges exemplified by Joseph's refusal of Potiphar's wife. Each example is intended to strengthen believers' trust in God and deepen their understanding of His word.
In his concluding remarks, Chance encourages his audience to endure life's trials by focusing on Jesus, the "founder and perfecter of our faith," who endured the cross for the joy of saving his followers. The sermon wraps up with a call to persevere in faith, keeping sight of the eternal rewards in Christ, contrasting worldly pursuits which ultimately lead to emptiness.
Jonathan Chance's sermon, titled "Hope and Joy on the Racetrack of Tests and Trials and Suffering," focuses on finding joy and hope amidst life's challenges for believers in Christ. He emphasizes that, unlike others who may attribute their hardships to bad luck or hold onto a false hope, Christians have a firm hope rooted in Jesus Christ. Key biblical passages include Romans 5:1-5 and Hebrews 12, highlighting that suffering fosters endurance, character, and ultimately hope that doesn't disappoint because it's anchored in God's love and promises.
Chance outlines various types of life tests such as the deception of false prophets, the testing of faith like Abraham's, and moral challenges exemplified by Joseph's refusal of Potiphar's wife. Each example is intended to strengthen believers' trust in God and deepen their understanding of His word.
In his concluding remarks, Chance encourages his audience to endure life's trials by focusing on Jesus, the "founder and perfecter of our faith," who endured the cross for the joy of saving his followers. The sermon wraps up with a call to persevere in faith, keeping sight of the eternal rewards in Christ, contrasting worldly pursuits which ultimately lead to emptiness.
I'm hoping that the message this evening is going to be one of encouragement to you. It's going to be a little hard but I want you to know that it's intended to be encouragement to you and in the end I think you're going to be able to rejoice. So the title of the sermon this evening is Hope and Joy on the Racetrack of Tests and Trials and Suffering. So my contention this evening is that we, you know the chosen people of God, are able to find joy and hope in the midst of tests and trials and suffering. So unlike the rest of the world who will blame bad luck and simply have no future to look forward to or a false hope, we who are in Christ have our great hope to be found in Him, the living water, eternal life in Jesus the Messiah. And so our primary scripture is going to be in Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5 we're just going to go through verses 1 through 5. At the end we're gonna hop over to Hebrews 12. I'm gonna have some other scripture passages you don't have to turn there to the other ones. I'm just gonna go through them really quickly as examples but we'll primarily be in Romans 5 and then move to Hebrews 12. So in Hebrews chapter 5 verses 1 through 5 it says therefore since we have been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that but we rejoice in our sufferings knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope and hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Let's pray. Dear Father we just thank you for this church this assembly saints Lord that you can bring us together to love and encourage one another we can sing together to you that we can be encouraged by your word Lord I just ask that you reveal yourself to us more and more this night this evening Lord and help bring us joy and all of life not only the good times but the difficult times help us to see you in it that you may change us and bring us joy in the hope of your glory. It's in the name of your son Jesus that we pray amen. So suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope of the glory of God. So items we're gonna be covering tonight I've just got a few examples but first the Lord's gonna test you the Lord is gonna test you you're gonna be tested at some point or another if he is not already if you're already going through a test at some point you're gonna get one in the future probably as well I'd rather you know now that is coming than you get a pop quiz we all remember those so we were gonna begin by considering a few examples of tests and in with reasons for the tests that we have been given so what are some examples of some biblical examples of some tests so we have a great cloud of witnesses and who've already gone on before us and you know they've shown us what to do and in some cases they've shown us what not to do and sometimes what not to do is an excellent example to teach us. So the first test is want to give you an example of is the false prophet and false teacher test this is in Deuteronomy 13 1 through 3 you don't have to change go there I'll just read it to you says that if a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or wonder and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass so it actually happens it comes to pass and if he says let us go after other gods which you have not known and let us serve them you shall not listen to the words of the prophet or this dreamer of dreams for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul you shall walk after the Lord your God and you will fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice and you shall serve him and hold fast to him hold on height hold on tight so this is a test to see if you really know the Lord and to do well we have to get into the word and really come to know who he really is and that way you will know him better and be able to recognize a counterfeit when we see it I used this may come as a surprise to some of you but I used to work at the DMV and so part of the training when you're working at the DMV because you're giving people driver's license which is a one of the most credible forms of ID that you can have right so the deal is with the way they train you because you didn't bring in birth certificates social security cards all kinds of other things to prove that you are who you say you are right so the way the way they train you and recognizing legitimate ID is to show you the features of the ID so that way you can say okay here's what this has I recognize this it feels this way the font on there looks this way it has these watermarks on it the pictures look this way if you flip it over on the back it's got this on it there's all different features that you can check on IDs to make sure it's legitimate so that way when a counterfeit comes in like one day I got one someone brought in the counterfeit social security card he was very obvious it was not it was not the real thing but how do you know you know the scripture so well that you know who Jesus is and you know him so well so that whenever another Jesus comes you'll say that's not Jesus that's not the real Lord Jesus said to his disciples who do you say that I am remember the disciples said oh well some people say you're John the Baptist or you're Elijah or you're a prophet right and Jesus said well who do you say that I am so I asked you what who do the Muslims say that Jesus is do you know Muslims have Jesus they have a Jesus he's a prophet who do the Mormons say that Jesus is they have a different Jesus who do the Roman Catholics say that Jesus is Jehovah's Witnesses progressive Christianity they have a different Jesus all of these groups have a Jesus but just because they have a Jesus doesn't mean that they have the true Lord so the way you know get into the word the word is where it reveals us who Jesus really is and so the more you get into the world and come to know who Jesus is the more you will be able to say that's a counterfeit that's not who Jesus really is also I'd recommend you visit with your elders you've got a wonderful church I've never seen anything like this place you have a wonderful church and great elders so check with your elders come and talk to them sometime if you hear something that you know you're not sure if that smells right you know you want to come and talk to them to make sure that it's okay so that's what they're here for and we're here to help one another and grow the next test is the faith test I like to use Abraham as an example of this one so this is found in Jesus 22 1 through 2 so do you believe that God is really gonna fulfill his promises and it's easy to say yes but if you remember Abraham was really old man and so was Sarah and they were told you're gonna have a baby how's that gonna happen then they lie and Sarah laughed because that's that's outrageous how am I gonna have a baby in my age that's just silly that's silly so Isaac came anyway because the Lord promised he said you will have children you all the Sun you all an offspring and here comes Isaac the baby of laughter and after this things in Jesus 23 1 through 2 the next test after these things it says in Genesis 22 1 through 2 it says after these things God tested Abraham and he said to him Abraham and Abraham said here I am and the Lord said to him take your son your only son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moria and offer him up there as a burned sacrifice as an offering on one of the mountains on which I shall tell you now how will the Lord give a miracle son a miracle baby to you as a promise only to take him away again in this kind of a questionable command I mean does it not seem as though the Lord is going back on his promise at first glance so we know that in spite of all the circumstances Abraham believed that the Lord would raise his son back from the dead as Isaac was the son of the promise you see and we see this later on in verse 5 it says then Abraham told said to the young his young men there were some young men who went with him as they were going up to the make the sacrifice right and he says to the young men stay here with the donkey I and the boy will go over there and worship and come back to you again and we see this also echoed in Hebrews 11 19 that Abraham had faith that his son would be resurrected if need be so he believed in God's promise in spite of all appearances we know the verse trust in the Lord with all of your heart and don't lean on your own understanding and all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight now it's easy to say but when you're in the midst of a test sometimes it's not that easy because the way it looks right here around you immediately when you're being surrounded by your enemies when your world is falling apart what about now do you trust in the Lord now so acknowledging him in all of your circumstances especially in your trials you know just acknowledge the Lord is in your tests and you can step back and actually see that it it doesn't make it easy but it does make it easier you know whenever you're able to see the Lord is in it and then he's still with you there you're gonna have a lot more peace whenever you're able to see that Athens may not be clear at first but it will be once you've continued to walk and trust in the one who leads you the Good Shepherd keep watching and waiting watch and see what the Lord does when you get through it you'll be amazed you'll be amazed and your character would will be built there have been times when I had a surprise for my own kids had a surprise for them and I didn't explain everything at first and sometimes I would just ask them I would say you know they didn't know what was coming and I'd say yeah but do you trust me now I'm your daddy I'm your daddy do you trust me and they didn't understand at first but at the right time what I was hinting at became apparent and then once it was all said and done once it was finished they learned a couple of things one they learned that they could trust me after all because I'm their daddy and two they found that I actually had their best interest at heart I care about them kids I've got something great in store for you but you're gonna have to trust me so do you trust your father you trust your daddy you trust your Abba the next one and this is a hard one I know I don't like even talking about it but next one is the adultery test it's dangerous this is a very dangerous one we look at Joseph in and Potiphar's wife in Genesis 39 4 through 12 it says so Joseph found favor in the site in his side that's Potiphar site and attended him and he made him the overseer of his house and put him in charge of everything that he had so you see he's been put in some great stature now for the time that he made him overseer of the house and over all the that he had the Lord blessed the Egyptians house for Joseph's sake and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had and in the house and in the field so that he left all that he had in Joseph's charge and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food that he ate now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance and after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and she said lie with me but he refused and as skipping to verse 10 as she spoke to Joseph day after day he would not listen to her to lie beside her to be with her but one day when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house were there in the house she caught him by his garment it said lie with me but he left his garment in her hand and he fled and got out of the house I know verse 11 right here none of them none of the men were in the house so you see he was all alone and so this is gonna become a kind of a theme in this particular test so just want to warn everyone especially particularly the men especially those of you who are going into ministry those of you who are in seminary beware being alone being by yourself also beware when you're tired when you're hungry because recall Christ went to the wilderness and after being led there by the Holy Spirit the devil came to tempt him in his moment of weakness this leads us next to the Bathsheba scandal this is in 2nd Samuel 11 1 through 5 in the springtime that year the time when kings go on to battle okay right so that the kings they all go into battle they go to fight David sent Joab and his servants with him and all of Israel and they ravaged the Ammonites and they besieged Raba but David remained in Jerusalem it happened late one afternoon when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof King's house that he saw from the roof a woman bathing and the woman was very beautiful and David sent and inquired about the woman and one said is this not Bathsheba the daughter of a lion the wife of Uriah the Hittite so David's a messengers and took her and she came to him and he lay with her as she had been purifying herself from her uncleanliness then she returns to her house and the woman conceived and she sent to David and told him I am pregnant so you see he was alone there there we see it again he was alone he was not on the battlefield with his men which is where he was supposed to have been typically very uncharacteristic of David unfortunately Matthew Henry points this on his commentary where he says that solitude has its temptations as well as company and particularly to uncleanliness what are the best men the best men when God leaves them to themselves let him therefore that thinks he stands stands high and stand firm take heed lest he fall no mountain on this side of the Holy Hill above can set us out of the reach of Satan's fiery darts next I want to go to the deprivation test to be deprived to be without you remember the wilderness children of Israel were called to come out of Egypt and go through the wilderness okay what am I gonna eat you're probably thinking that right now what am I gonna eat so the wilderness journey is it's not an easy one just a road you know if it's a hard road to go to you know the resources that we once had or not we don't have as much we were quite limited compared to where we were before and this can be difficult for men because you have it so we have a sense of duty where you you know you're a father and your husband and you need to provide for your family can be quite humiliating when you are suddenly incapable of doing that you can be brought really low but just as the Israelites were carried through the wilderness the promised land the Lord will see you through to the end he will do it he'll carry you through and I hope that we can be able to say as Paul did in Philippians chapter 4 verses 10 through 13 he says I rejoice of the Lord greatly that now at the length you've ever revived your concern for me you were indeed concerned for me but you had no opportunity not that I am speaking of being in need for I have learned in whatever situation that to be content I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound and in every circumstance I have learned that the secret of facing plenty and hunger abundance and knees I can do all things through Christ's strings so the Lord's testing teaches us the secret of facing plenty and hunger of having abundance and need now there are many more tests that we could go through I mean it's a long list there's the test of betrayal rejection illness death to one close to you and the list goes on so just remember though that the Lord is a refiner's fire remember the hymn that we just now sang I might I asked the Lord that I might grow I'm gonna read it a little more quickly so that way you get the full effect of it because it's the verses are separate verses but they all tell this a long story that it's all one story this young so starts I asked the Lord that I might grow in faith and love and every grace might more his salvation know and seek more earnestly his face it was he who taught me thus to pray and he I trust has answered prayer but it has been in such a way that almost drove me to despair I hope that in some favorite hour at once he'd answer my request and by his love's constraining power suduma sends and give me rest instead of this he made me feel the hidden evils of my heart and let the angry powers of hell salt my soul in every part yay more with his own hand he seemed intent to aggravate my woe crossed all the fair designs I schemed humbled my heart and laid me low Lord why is this I trembling cried well thou pursue thy worm to death to zoom this way the Lord replied replied I answer prayer for grace and faith these inward trials I employ from self and pride to set thee free and break thy schemes of earthly joy that thou mayest find thy all in me therefore the Lord's tests function in a few ways I'm just gonna give you mentioned four here first one is they make a stronger for producing the nest endurance endurance being able to sustain and keep going you should visit I think sometimes with older Christians who are here I think that's something to testify over and over to the faithfulness of God great is thy faithfulness there's a movie rocky this is okay this is a secular example this isn't in the Bible okay so anyway he had to train and train and train why because he had a test coming his test was Apollo Creed he had the Apollo Creed test and rocky got beat up pretty bad but he endured because that's what his training did for him his training and helped him to endure and he was tough and you know in the end he got a bride named Adrian I'm not gonna do the impression don't ask I'm not gonna do it but he got a bride in the end that's the point saying Corinthians 4 7 through 12 it says but we have this treasure in jars of clay it's our bodies right jars of clay to show that this surpassing power belongs to God and not to us we are afflicted in every way but not crushed perplexed but not driven to despair persecuted but not forsaken we're struck down but we're not destroyed always carrying in the body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies and then in 16 through 18 it says so we do not lose heart we don't lose heart though the outer self is wasting away our inner self is being renewed day by day for this light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all compares as we look not only to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen but the things that are seen are transient they're going away but the things that are unseen are eternal and like like rocky is isn't Jesus about to win his bride has he not won his bride so tests produce in his endurance and character of the hope for what is to come for you second point thing that they do for us is that they show us that we can trust him his name is faithful and true and he's got that name for a reason Psalm 77 19 this was pointed out to me to him from a brother says in Psalm 77 19 it says your way was through the sea your path for the great waters yet your footprints were unseen I love that so something about the children of Israel bring bought brought out of Egypt okay so you've got Pharaoh okay can you see it Pharaoh he's got his chariots and they are thundering down at you they've got their swords drawn they're about to cut you to pieces they're about to run you over and then you've got to turn around and the Lord says okay walk through the Red Sea just walk through there's two two walls of water you what do you need to walk through that okay these walls of water I mean they could come down and crush you at any minute and drown you and yet the Lord's footprints they're not seen you don't see the Lord going before you but there he is so tests produce trust in the Lord as a father says deep do you trust me I'm your Abba I'm your Abba do you trust me number three suffering produces a way to show the world the gospel why would anyone be willing to suffer and endure all this you ever read the book of Job and his story that's a that's a teacher Job why are you willing to endure all this suffering maybe you know our brother Mark wait he's a missionary and he remained and he suffered in the field is showing the Muslims who were there that he was serious about the gospel and now if you were prepared to suffer and die for the gospel as the Apostles and martyrs were now that grabs people's attention and that points them to the salvation of Christ that they would not have had otherwise I'll skip down a little ways conclusion how may we rejoice in this suffering these trials and these tests how are we supposed to have joy and all that so just before we go to Hebrews 12 I'm just gonna tell you what happens in a little bit in Hebrews 11 Hebrews 11 goes to the great cloud of witnesses and it's who have gone on before us and is referring to Abel Enoch Noah Abraham Isaac Jacob Sarah Moses Rahab the judges I mean there's a long list of people who have gone on before us and these stories were written of these people and there's how they walked in faith and how they were able to endure and these stories are for you so that way you can endure too I would include again I would include some people who are in this very room as well who have been tested and can now testify to the faithfulness of our Lord in Hebrews 12 then it says therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses all these who have gone on before us let us now lay aside every weight and sin which cleans so closely and let us run with endurance let us run the race that is set before us looking to Jesus the founder the perfecter of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God consider him who endured there it is again he endured consider him who endured for sinners such hostility against himself so that you may not grow weary or faint-hearted in your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood and have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons my son do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord or be weary when reproved by him for the Lord disciplines the ones he loves and chastises every son whom he receives it is for discipline that you have to endure you have to endure for discipline God is treating you as sons for what son is there whom his father does not discipline for if you are left without discipline in which all have participated then you are illegitimate children and not sons besides this we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them shall we not much more be subject to the father of the spirits and live for the disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them but he our father in heaven disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness for the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it so you see it's training you're being trained that's what you're testing this for us to train you so this is the fourth point the Lord's test is to make us holy even through our failures to be more conformed to the image of his son consider Peter I like Peter I think Peter would made a good Texan he likes to go fishing he he's quick to step up he's that kid everyone I have a question okay Peter what is it Peter always has the answer doesn't he and sometimes he's right and he also in a few cases you as you probably recall failed miserably after swearing never to leave his lord Jesus told him that he would nigh him deny him three times before the rooster crowed and as soon as he denied his Lord the third time the rooster crowed and he remembered and he wowed and it says he wept bitterly how many times have we denied the Lord after swearing loyalty sometimes it's through the sting of failure and shame that we learn most strongly as John Bunyan wrote in the pilgrims progress he said sometimes it's through our tears that we see most clearly so I contingent that Peter's failure is what made him the man that he was at Pentecost and Peter wasn't running and he wasn't denying the Lord now not at all you see once you've denied the Lord and you've been shown mercy and forgiveness you become much stronger even after even even the consideration of denying him after that point it is just unthinkable my grandmother told me about a friend that she had at shirt and this gentleman said yeah they would sing come bow found of found of every blessing and there's that section in one of the verses where it says prone to leave the God I love and he said I'm not saying that yeah I'm not saying that I am NOT prone to leave I'm not going to leave my Lord after the mercy he's showing me so what is more is that we have Christ himself as our example we can endure because of the joy that was set before him he says now let's think about that what what is the joy that was set before him the joy that was set before Jesus is a few things he's kind of overlap into one another but the main thing I think of is that you know he Jesus frequently referred to himself as the son of man this is in reference to Daniel chapter 7 verses 13 through 14 so Daniel for to himself as the son of man this one who is presented before the ancient of day is the father and he has given a kingdom of every tribe and nation and tongue and it's an eternal is an everlasting kingdom that he receives so this is the joy that's before Jesus Jesus is suffering because he says I my eye is on the kingdom and that's what I'm gonna get and that that brings him joy joy now that again also it says that this is a kingdom of every people of every tribe and nation and tongue this is echoed in John chapter 6 verses 37 through 40 he says where Jesus said all that the Father gives to me will come to me and whoever comes to me I will never cast out for I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me and this is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it upon the last day for this is the will of my father that everyone who looks on the Sun and believes in him should have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day this is the kingdom this is the joy this is what is the father is giving to the son the son of man and who is who is this kingdom this is this is the elect these are the ones that have been chosen by God this is the church this this is his bride that he has gone to win I hope you're rejoicing right now because if you're in Christ the joy that is set before Jesus is you it's you Jesus is willing to suffer and lay his life down to save you mine those are my people I will leave my life down that's my kingdom and I will do it I will sit on the throne and they will come and they will rule and reign with me so now as you are tested as you experience suffering as you run with endurance what's the joy that's set before you now what are you running towards what's your prize you see those who are without Christ who's just gonna run in circles they're run to nothing you ever see kids run circles the receivers here that's saying a chicken with head cut off because they just runs like what for it's just it's nothing it's empty there's nothing there you run away something you win and then you get what a little prize or something and it's like a piece of plastic do you ever get one of those when you're a little it's like well do you even have it now what's it's probably gone now what's what's the point empty the things of this world are empty they're gonna leave you empty if that's what you're chasing after but if you chase after the eternal things if the joy this before you is the Lord I can suffer for that I can love him because he first left me so what's your prize is Christ Christ is your prized you you keep your fancy cars your vacation is the Disney world you can keep that I've got Jesus I've got God what what else what else do I need I'm okay this is why I threw all things I can I can win in Christ I can do all things through Christ to strengthen to me because he's he's everything everything you see that's why I believe that after Peter's abysmal failure whenever you messed up you know when the Apostles scoffed at the women remember that the women came to tell the Apostles he's not in the tomb most of the other apostles said huh you ladies you ladies of grace whatever you ladies fella crazy hysterical here's his terrible ladies what Peter did what a John dude they got up and ran ran the Lord's alive he's not dead there's even a possibility that he's still alive he's okay I'm gonna go to see him right now you guys stay here I'm running I'm running go get him so I don't know if he really believed or not if he really believed that the Lord was alive or not but I think even if there was the possibility that Jesus was alive he was gonna come and find him so I just want to conclude with these words of encouragement from Hebrews 12 1 through 2 that we just read let us lay aside every weight and sin which cleans so closely let us run run run with endurance running the race that is set before us aimlessly no no not aimlessly looking to Jesus the founder and the perfecter of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross he endured for the joy that was set before him he was glad to do it because he knew what was coming he knew what he was getting out of this so be encouraged and let us run together you're not alone we're running together and may we endure for the joy that is set for us our prize Jesus the Messiah are you ready to run the race on your mark it's it go let's pray dear father help us to run with endurance this race that you've said before us Lord help us to keep our eyes on the prize our Lord Jesus our Messiah the one who loved us and laid his life down for us to redeem us we who once blasphemed and cursed his name we who once acted shamefully Oh Lord I ask that you draw those who don't know you Lord help them to see the true life the living water that that only water that will satisfy the only thing that will satisfy any of us Lord help us to run towards that prize Lord with endurance and make us more conform to the image of your son Jesus it's in his blessed and holy name and that we pray amen you you you[BLANK_AUDIO]