Lesson Seven
PATIENCE IN THE FACE OF TRIALS AND TEMPTATION
INTRODUCTION
Have you faced trials and temptations recently or in the past? Maybe you are going through one this very day. There is no trial or temptation that we grace in life which Christ is not able to feel compassion and empathy for what we are suffering. He has truly “walked a mile” in our shoes. Today’s lesson will help to remind us that we can endure anything if we will keep our faces turned toward Him.
Golden Truth (Psa. 40:1-3)
V. 1--I waited
patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
V.2 --He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the
miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
V.3--And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise
unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
LESSON EXPOSITION
I. Overcoming Trials and Temptations
(Luke 4:1-14) (See Scriptures in body of text below.)
“And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, (He had just been baptized
by John the Baptist). and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, (A lot of times, after we receive a really good blessing
from God, we will go through a trial. The devil cannot stand it when God blesses us, so he), wants to throw something at us
right away to try to cause us to give up. Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they
were ended, he afterward hungered.” These Scriptures help to show that Jesus was tempted by the devil just as we are tempted
and they show us how Jesus overcame the temptation. “And the devil said unto him, if thou be the Son of God, command this stone
that it be made bread.” Jesus was fasting while He prayed. The devil knows that when we fast along with praying that we
gain strength. He doesn’t want us to fast and pray because he wants us to be weak. He tempted Jesus to make food of the
stones so that His fast would be broken. “And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, that man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word of God.” Jesus didn’t listen to the devil, instead He quoted Scripture. “And the devil, taking him
up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All
this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou
therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.” When the devil could not tempt Jesus to break His fast he tempted Him with worldly
power. “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord
thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Jesus rebuked the devil, telling him to get behind Him, and reminded him of one of
the Ten Commandments which tells us that we are only to worship and serve God. “And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him
on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He
shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou
dash thy foot against a stone.” The devil tempted Jesus to demonstrate His power in the wilderness. At the crucifixion,
Satan would use people to tempt Jesus again to use his power to come down from the cross. This shows that the devil uses the
same tricks over and over. We must be aware of what they are so that we can recognize his tricks and rebuke him. “And
Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord they God,” Jesus reminded the devil that we are not
to do something foolish just to try to prove God. “And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for
a season.” The Bible says that if we will submit ourselves to God, when we resist temptation, the devil will flee from us. This is what happened with Jesus. The devil tempted him several times, but Jesus refused to allow the devil to get to Him. He kept quoting Scripture. There is an important lesson in what Jesus did in this situation. Do not try to argue with the devil;
just begin to quote Scripture. This is an important reason to memorize Bible verses. “And Jesus returned in the power
of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.” After Jesus had withstood
the temptation of the devil and not given in to it, He came away strong in the power of the Spirit. It can be the same for us. It is not a question of whether or not the devil will tempt us; it is a question of when and how the devil will tempt us, because
he will. That is what he does. However, it is our job as Christians not to give in to those temptations.
II. Learning Patience
Through Personal Experiences
A few years ago in a regional Ladies’ Retreat, the minister handed out some small pieces of paper with things written on them and then a Scripture passage that went along with each one. She asked each lady to take her paper and allow God to lead her to the person in the room who needed that particular piece of paper. We didn’t know what the papers said, because they were rolled up and tied with a string or ribbon. A woman exchanged hers with someone and went toward her seat to sit down. About that time a young woman came toward her and, though she knew that the other woman had already exchanged her paper, said, “I feel like you are supposed to have this one.” So, she traded again. Little did she know how that slip of paper would change her life. That is one of the wonderful ways which God works! First of all when she unrolled it, she let out a low groan at what she read. On the paper was written, “Patience Psalms 40:1-3.” Her mind was saying, “Oh, my goodness, not that!” She had heard that asking for patience could bring on some really fierce trials. What happened over the next year surely did serve to increase her patience. It seemed that her family battled one trial after another for the whole next year, weeping many times for the Lord to help them to endure the things which were coming against them. Through that year, the woman truly learned what those Scriptures meant. The woman now has a beautiful testimony as a result. Today, she is able to say that through those trial, God has begun to save her family. And through those trials God has allowed her to share her experiences with others. Has God helped you overcome a battle that could serve as a help and encouragement to someone else?
III.
Reflections On Psalms 40:1-3
V. 1--I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
V.2--He brought me up
also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
V.3--And he hath put
a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
“I (Perhaps we could all inset our names here at one time or another.) waited patiently (David uses the past tense here, indicating that it is something which he had already done and he seems to be telling about it as a testimony after the fact. Also, to wait patiently means to calmly endure delay.) for the LORD (truly God is our help); and he inclined unto me (What a picture this paints! To incline means to bend down. Can’t you picture God as He leaned down, and still does, toward us in our time of need?), and heard my cry.” God is not so far away that He cannot hear our cries when we call upon His name. “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit (He says ALSO God didn’t just hear those cries, but He reached way down and pulled us up out of that awful place we were in), out of the miry clay (The mire is mud. Have you ever had your shoe so stuck so fast in the mud that in order to pull your foot out, your shoe came off? God does not have any trouble pulling us out of our troubles and trials, in His time, if we will call on Him),and set my feet upon a rock (Notice the writer of this Psalm says feet. God didn’t just pull one foot out. He pulled both feet out of the deep mud and set them upon a firm foundation.), and established my goings.” It is interesting that to establish means “To place or settle in a secure position.” God des that for us! “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God.” After God brings us through the hard times that we face he doesn’t just leave us there; He gives us a new song to sing! Not just any song, but praise to Him: “many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust tin the LORD.” Not only did the trials which the woman faced in the story serve to teach her patience, but others saw how she faced them. If we will conduct ourselves in the ways of the Lord, by following the Bible way, others will be able to see how we handle ourselves in trails and it will cause many of them to fear the Lord and to put their trust in Him.
IV. Thoughts To Ponder
Are there Scriptures which have impacted your life in the way this woman shared? Sharing personal experiences of how we have overcome trials and temptations helps to encourage others who may be battling the similar situations. If time allows, take a few minutes to share your experiences.
CONCLUSION
Jesus is our ultimate example of suffering trials and temptations and not giving up in the face of anything that comes our way. The Bible is full of true accounts which can serve to strengthen us in whatever we face. Trying times serve to build stronger Christians. God may very well use you to help a brother or sister through some difficulty this year.