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STRUGGLING WITH THE TRIALS OF LIFE

MALACHI 3:1-6

STRUGGLING WITH THE TRIALS OF LIFE

          God is portrayed in many ways in the Bible.  He is the potter at a potting wheel, a manager of a vineyard, a construction worker who is plumbing the line, a farmer, a fisherman, and her a refiner of ore.  In all of these He is working to make believers the very best we can be. 

          The beauty of silver and gold is only seen when it is freed from all the dross or impurities.  That’s the work of the refiner’s fire.  It is not a forest fire or an incinerator fire that consumes everything.  It is a refiner’s fire that has one purpose: to purify so that the real worth of the material may be seen. 

          If we are to show forth our true value as a person, we must have all the impurities in our lives burned away by the great Refiner of life.  He sees the vein of beauty in the rock of our outer beauty.  He works in every believer to purify them into the very best they can be.  He will apply the fire to burn away those things in your life that keep you from being all He built you to be.  It will be painful, but it will be worth it!  Let’s look closer. 

I.  THE REFINER REMOVES ALL IMPURITES WITH FIRE.

          This is a difficult process for the rock that contains the metal.  It must first be crushed or broken and then be heated at over 1,000 degrees in order to completely purify it from impurities.  The refiner picks up rock-not of much use to anyone-and sees what it could be.  He sees the vein of ore that run deep in its core.  He makes his fire hotter and hotter.  He gets the hammer and strikes the ore to break it into pieces and puts them into a container and thrusts it into the fire.  He pulls it back out and looks at it, but shakes his head and puts it back into the fire.  He keeps heating the fire until it turns blue-as hot as it can get.  Precious metals have a higher density and go to the bottom, but the other metals float to the top.  So he scoops the worthless metals away.  He puts it back in and heats the fire hotter.  Finally he pulls it out and smiles.  If we were watching, we would be wondering why he is taking so long.  Finally he pulls it out and smiles bigger than ever.  He has seen what he has been looking for-a perfect reflection of his own image.  Now he knows that it is pure and ready for use. 

The impurities in us are sins.  It may be immoral actions that we continue to commit when we know that they are wrong.  It may be sins of the attitude in which we allow ungodly or ugly attitudes to take root in our lives.  It may be not allowing God to have full control of our life.  Whatever the impurity, it will keep us from being what God built us to be.  This is so serious enough that He brings fiery trials to remove our impurities.    

          God uses trials in our lives to bring us to defining moments in our life that will determine our future use by Him.  That’s why James could said to count it all joy when you are hemmed in a box canyon by innumerable trials.  (Like in the westerns)  The world is made up of people who have been through fire, are going through fire, or will go through the fire in the future.

          I want us to pause for a moment and pray that the Lord will reveal the impurities in our lives that are keeping us from being what He desires us to be.  What are those things that we are holding onto that we must let go? 

II. WHEN PURIFIED THE METAL IS READY TO BE USED.

          We have to trust in the purifying mercy of God.  When the trials come we must learn to recognize that we are being purified.  This will help us respond appropriately. (1 Peter 1:6-7 and James 1:2-4)  It’s not that we enjoy the trials, but we seek the results that it brings.  What results?    

          When the gold or silver is purified it is then poured into a mold and allowed to cool.  Whatever the mold forms it to do or be determines its purpose in life.  It may be for jewelry or for other uses. 

          When God pours us in His mold, He shapes us in the way we need to be shaped so that we can be the beautiful work of art He created us to be.  And what does the finished product look like?  We look like Him!  The goal of God for every believer is to spiritually mature into the image of Christ!   

That’s when the fun begins.  After God has purified and molded us, then we are ready to fulfill His intended purpose for us being here on earth.  When you understand this, you can begin to look back on your life and understand see the how the refiner’s fire worked on you to get rid of many impurities that would have kept you from all the great blessings that God had in store for you.  You can see how He used the trials of life to shape you and grow you into a person that He would be able to use in the work of His kingdom.  Any one who is effectively serving God has been through many trials so they could be what God wanted them to be.    

You and I deeply desire to see Jesus do miracles in our lives, but we spend our lives running from the very context in which He usually grows miracles-trials.  The minute a trial comes our way we start praying for God to change our circumstances.  Change my mate.  Change my boss.  Change my finances.  Perhaps God desires to change YOU!

          God always picks the target of what needs refining in us.  He always picks the timing of our trials.  He always picks the temperature.  But we determine the length of the trial by how quickly we catch on to our need for refining and become a part of the process.  How are we to respond?

          1.  Thank God for your troubles.  (1 Thess. 5:18)  We are to give thanks in all circumstances. 

          2.  Look for God’s fingerprints in your life.  Look for evidence of answered prayer and how your trials draw you closer to God. 

          3.  Immerse yourself in God’s Word.  When you are tempted to turn your back on God, run to Him in His Word and find out what He desires to say to you.  Read it.  Pray over it.  Cling to the verses that are for you. 

          4.  Have faith in God no matter what.  We tend to ask why.  “Lord, why is this happening?”  “Lord, why is this happening now?”  “Lord, why is this happening to me?”  “Lord, why isn’t this happening to Him?”  Rather than “why” we should ask “what.”  “Lord, what are You trying to teach me in this?”  “Lord, what is it You are trying to change in me through this?”

          Our response should be like Job’s in 13:15 : “Though He slay me, I will still hope in Him!”  God had done everything but slay him!  We must know that God will make ALL things work together for our good.

          5.  When your faith becomes experience, share what you have learned about the faithfulness of God with others.  A suffering saint who clings to his faith in the midst of horrific circumstances will always get the attention of the lost world.  (2 young missionaries in Afghanistan )

          Believers also need to be reminded of this.  They need to know that God did it for you so they can know that He will do it for them.

CONCLUSION

          Gold is able to be worked with very easily.  A single ounce can be drawn into a fine wire that is 62 miles long!  This makes it very usable. 

          The gold has no choice.  Its destiny is left completely in the hands of the refiner.  In our lives it is different.  God is going to bring the heat, but we decide what effect it will have on us-negative or positive. 

          God wants to know something today.  Will you commit yourself to be formed into what He made you to be?  Are you willing to grow through the process of purification so that He can make a beautiful thing of your life?  God is going to fire you and remove impurities to do a work on you so He can do a work in you so He can eventually do a work through you.  He is going to do this work in the life of every believer, especially leaders.  The more you cooperate with Him the faster and the better the process will work!

Ridgecrest Baptist Church | 7469 Old Canton Rd. | Madison, MS 39110 phone: 601.853.1090 fax: 601.853.1092