James chapter 1 talks about the trials and testings that come into believers' lives, and we'll talk about how to deal with these trials on today's chapel platform coming to you from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. On today's program, our speaker is Evangelist Dr. Jerry Savinsky from Starr, South Carolina. He preached this message at chapel on Wednesday, February 19, 1992. His text is James chapter 1, verses 2 and 3, and also verse 12. Following the introduction by the late Chancellor, Dr. Bob Jones, Jr., we'll hear Dr. Savinsky's message titled, Trials. So glad we have one of our fine alumni, a man whom God's using greatly as an evangelist, Reverend Jerry Savinsky with us today for our chapel. I always try to get him to come up and preach to us when he's nearby. He lives down in Stark but he's never down there. He's all out around busy all across the country evangelism. But I'm so glad he can be with you to preach to you today. Hope you listen carefully. One thing I greatly appreciate about this man is he doesn't think he has to preach all day to say something. I find that people that have the least to say usually take the longest to say it. Jerry is I'll call him you call him. Mr. Savinsky or Dr. Savinsky, you treat him with proper respect. But I always like him because he stands up and he says something. It's effective and he says it. And he doesn't have what so many evangelists unfortunately have, a sense of his own importance and the feeling that he has to be all day in the pulpit to say what he has to say. He's a good preacher. You'll be blessed. So we'll ask Jerry Savinsky to come and bring us the message of the morning. Well, first of all, I want to say I'm glad to come back and speak with you students again. Always a pleasure to come up here. And I do thank the Lord for many men on this platform this morning who I greatly respect and admire. One of them is Dr. Gustafson. And I want to tell you a story about Dr. Gustafson. When I was a student here at Bob Jones, When I was in grad school, Bob Jones, they asked me to take a Bob Jones ensemble out. The problem was, though, they had to change two of the speakers around. And so Dr. Gus called me in his office, and he said, Jerry, can you play the piano? I said, no, sir. He said, Jerry, can you sing? I said, no, sir. He looked at me and said, you can't do anything, can you? I said, no, sir. Well, I cannot sing. I really cannot sing. I don't even know a note of music, but I do love good music. And I have sung one solo in my entire life. And I'm going to do this this morning in honor of Dr. Gustafson, okay? When I first got saved in West Virginia, my mother and I were on fire for God. We were going to all kinds of revival meetings, and we could not get enough of the Bible. And so one night, I mean, I was a brand new convert, just say maybe two or three months. My mom and I went to revival meeting and church was packed out. I mean, packed, just wall to wall people. And so I'm waiting back at the auditorium and the pastor walked back to me and he said, young man, I understand you got saved recently. Is that so? I said, yes, sir. I got saved. He said, well, would you sing a solo for the Lord Jesus tonight? I said, I certainly will. When I got up and I sang a song, and I don't know music, I really don't, and I'm embarrassed of that fact that I don't even know a note of music. And I got up and I sang that song, what a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart. And when I got to the chorus, I sang real loud, floods of joy o'er my soul, like the sea, pillows roll. And my mother, she bends over and she starts laughing. And in my mind, I said, why is mom laughing? She should be laughing like that. So I got the second stanza and I said again, I only got the chorus. I sang floods of joy or my soul like the sea pillows. And my mother's about falling out of the chair. And I said, man, she should be laughing like that. So I'll fix her. When I got the last stanza, I mean, I bellowed out and said, floods of joy in my soul like the sea pillows roll. And when I got through, I was walking back to my mother and I sat down beside her. And when I did, I said, Mom, Mom, why were you laughing so hard at me? She said, Jerry, it's not sea pillows. It's sea billows. I said, what's the difference? Well, there is a difference and I do appreciate the men of God and our music staff here at Bob Jones and Dr. Gus is a great man of God. You know, one of the things you're going to thank the Lord for teens when you leave this place are the people who really influence your life. I've always respected Dr. Gus Wilson, Dr. Ed Penosium. Dr. Gibb would stand home who's now in glory. What a man of God he was who greatly influenced my life. Dr. Stuart Custer, who taught me both in university and graduate school, and I tell you, if I could challenge you young men, I challenge you, go to graduate school. Any field, young lady, you go on to graduate school. How that aided my life, I thank God for these many men. Now, this morning, I do want to bring a message to you on something which I'm sure you students struggle with all the time. It's the area of trials in our lives. If a Bible but a James chapter one at this time please James one. In James one. The whole passage deals in the area of trials. Now look at me I don't care if you're a business student today if you're a preacher boy. If you're in music if you're in speech if you're an education If you're in the special schools, whatever you're in, look at me. You are going to face some hardships. And right now, there may be someone in this room, I don't know who you are. You're going through a very difficult hour. You really are. Well, our goal this morning is to show you from the Bible some things about trials that we all need to weigh very heavily. Would you first have a look at James 1 and verse 2. My brethren, can all joy when you fall in the divers temptations. Verse three. Knowing this, for the trying of your faith worketh patience. Now go to verse 12. Blessed is a man that endures temptation. For when he's tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Now look this way, please. As you live for Jesus Christ, the Bible tells you that you'll go through difficult hours. 1 Peter 4, 12, Beloved, think not strains concerning the fiery trial which is to try you. Romans 8, verse 18, For I reckon the sufferings of this present time. 1 Corinthians 10, 13, There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. You will go through trials. You will go through difficult hours. And the Bible lays down some principles of how you and I are supposed to view these hours of hardship. And the first thing I want to call to your attention is the believer's attitude concerning trials. Look at verse 2. My brethren, kind of all joy when you fall in the diverse temptations. Look here, please. The word temptation there in the Greek language literally means trials or testings. Therefore, the word of God says, kind of all joy when you go through trials. Kind of all joy when you go through testings. Now, you are not joyful that you're going to suffer. You're not joyful that you're going through hardships. But you are joyful in what these things will produce in your life. The Word of God says in Hebrews 12, verse 11, Now no chasing for the present seem be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward, it yieldeth a peaceful fruit of righteousness unto those which are exercised thereby. Look. After God saves us, He allows all of us to go through things that are not pleasant, that are not attractive, nor were they invited. But the things they produce in your life, young man and young lady, cannot be accomplished any other way. Therefore, look at me. My attitude, my attitude regardless of what I go through, my attitude always ought to be one of joy. The Word of God says in 2nd Corinthians 12.10, Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, and reproaches, and necessities, and persecutions, and distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong. Nehemiah 8, verse 10 says, For the joy of the Lord is your strength. John 16.33, Christ said, These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world, you shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Therefore, look at me, regardless of whatever you go through in your life, the Bible says our attitude about trials are always to be one of joy. My brethren, kind of all joy when you fall under diverse temptations. But second of all, I want to show you the believers' attainment because of trials. Would you look at verse 3 very carefully? Knowing this, But the trying of your faith workers patience. Let us wait, please. The word patience right there. Let us wait. It does not mean a passive laid back nonchalant attitude. The word patience here means a persevering endurance in the face of opposition. Let me illustrate this to you. Many years ago, I went to go deer hunting in South Carolina. And so I got up at 4 o'clock in the morning to go to Linesville, South Carolina, around 20 miles from my home. And so I drove all the way down there, 20 miles to the boondocks. But the problem was I had never hunted this tree stand before daybreak. So I got my flashlight out, and I start going through the woods with my flashlight around 5 o'clock. And I tell you, guys and you girls, I got so lost. I got so turned around. I did not know where on earth I was. And at 8 o'clock, guess where I ended up? Right back beside my truck, sky was blue, sun is shining, birds are singing, and I was very upset. I said, this is just great. I want to be in my tree stand before daybreak. Here it is, 8 o'clock, sun's shining, birds sing. I said, I am going home. And I start walking my truck, and I stopped and said, no, I'm going to go to my tree stand. So I began to go to my tree stand. It took me one hour to get to my tree stand. When I got back there, I climbed 30 feet up my tree stand. I no sooner sat down. I put my gun across my lap. When all of a sudden, a bulldozer started up in three chainsaws. Sounds like they're cutting my woods down. I said, I can't believe this. They're cutting my woods down. I said, that does it. I'm going home for sure. I lowered my gun, and then I stood up, and I stepped on the limb, and when I stepped on the limb, the limb broke. Why, at 30 feet, you could die. And for one second, I look like this. And then I begin to fall. And I hit a limb. And only, look, and only because my great West Virginia agility, I grabbed hold on to the limb. I do not know how I held on. I'm serious. This big limb went crashing to the ground. I was shaking so bad, students. I grabbed the tree like this. I hugged the tree all the way going down. And I said, I am going home. I put my gun like this, and I start walking, and when I was shaking, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted some pine trees. And man, I read in an outdoor magazine that deer love pine trees. I said, well, I'll go down there. So I began to go down there. I no sooner got down there, I heard something walking. I looked up, and to my utter amazement, there was this big deaf buck. He had to be deaf. He didn't hear me falling out of the tree, chainsaw bulldozer. Stupid dear So I got down in one knee by the way, look at me. I'm left-handed everything I do is left-sided So I got down my left side and bowled my foot when I shot and when I shot that big buck stopped and looked at me and went like this Like what is this I Can believe it? I missed him. So this gives never miss so I got back down again I shot again and when I shot the second time that deer took up running to the woods. I Jumped up. So I can't believe it Missed that deer and that doesn't I am going home for sure. I start walking my truck I said, I can't believe I missed that deer. I'm gonna go up there So I walked up there. I thought I shot this do you know and I when I got that's looking around I heard something getting up and I looked up 25 yards right in front of me that big buck I did hit him and he start getting up and I got my gun I pulled up and I shot and when I did my gun jammed on me and So I'm walking, the deer's walking, I'm walking behind the deer. I'm trying to get my gun unjammed like this. Keep my eye on the deer. And all of a sudden, the deer just fell over and died. And I walked up to that big buck and I said, I know it's going to get you all the time. Well, I began to drag that deer through the woods. Look, I had a small rope, small as my little finger. I had no water. I had no food. I started dragging this big deer through the woods. It was real hot. And all of a sudden, I heard a drum. This drum was so loud, I said, who on earth is in this woods with a drum that loud? And guess what it was? It was me. My heart was beating so loud. I said, now Jerry, don't get excited. Lie down. Look at me, students. I laid down five times as I dragged that stupid deer through two creeks, over a fence, up a hill that steep. I would drag the deer halfway up the hill. He'd pull me all the way back down the hill. I'd pull the deer all the way back up the hill. I'd go sliding all the way back down the hill. Finally, I got that deer on top of the hill, and look at me. This is no exaggeration. I couldn't even stand up straight. I was bent over like this, and I said, what I think I'll do is I'll go get... And by the way, it's a bad sign when you start talking to yourself in the woods. I said, I think what I'll do is I'll go get the truck. I got my truck. I was gonna bring the truck out to the deer. I go to my truck, and on my truck, I've got running boards, you know. Students, I am standing on my running board with both of my fingers. I'm trying to push the button. I'm going, eh, eh. I can't even get the button pushed in. And finally, when I got the button pushed in with both thumbs, the door knocked me off the running board, and I lay down for five more minutes. And finally, I crawled in my truck, and I turned the ignition on, and I drove out to the truck. I grabbed the deer. I was going to drag him from the front of the truck to the back end, you know. I grabbed the deer by the leg, and I went, and I couldn't move him an inch. And so I said, what I'll do is I'll crawl back in a truck, back the truck up, turn the truck around, back at the deer. I start backing up the truck. The truck goes off the road. I buried it. I crawled out there. I mean, clear under. The whole truck was buried. By this time, I was ready to suck my thumb. I couldn't believe this all happened to me. I didn't know what to do. So I jumped in a truck. I just floored it. I tore half that woods up. I backed that truck up. I got back to that deer. On my remaining strength, I got that deer in there. I shut the tailgate. And look at me, students. This is exactly how I drove home. I could not hold on to the steering wheel with my hands. I had no strength. I literally was hanging over the steering wheel like this. People looking at me and I was going, I was going like that, and then I went through the whole sequence of everything that went wrong that morning. Wanted to get my tree stand for a day break, got lost. Getting mad, going to go home. Can't give up that easy. Got to my tree stand, takes one hour. Walk up to 30 feet, sat down. Bulldozer starts up in three chainsaws. Getting mad, going to go home. Lowered gun, step on limb. Limb breaks, I'm going to die. Grab hold of limb, hold on for dear life. Get the gun, going to go home. Spot pine trees. No deer love pine trees. Go down there, see a big deaf buck. Shoot. Miss. Shoot again. Deer takes off running. Going to go home. Go up there, see deer. Shoot. Gun jams. Walk behind the deer. Deer dies of a heart attack. I start dragging deer through woods. I'm going to have a heart attack. I laid down five times, went through two creeks, over a fence, up a hill this steep, got the truck stuck. But then I screamed out and said, but I got him. The biggest choke of my life. Now, you know, y'all laughing at my expense this morning. It wasn't at all funny. And by the way, students, that's exactly how it happened. Now, why is it when you go through trials here at Bob Jones, when you've got financial problems, when you're having problems with a class, When you are having a problem with a young man or young lady you're dating, why is it the whole bottom seems to fall out? And the next response is to say, well, why not just give up? Look at me, young people. As the person who perseveres in the face of opposition, the God Almighty is going to honor. Galatians 6, 9 says, And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap every faint night. Proverbs 24, 10, If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. 2 Timothy 2, verse 3 says, Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Look, students, there are some things you will never experience if you do not persevere in the face of your opposition. And wherever you are right now, whatever you're struggling with, God Almighty wants you as a young person to realize there's some things you will never attain if you give up in the hour of your opposition. Knowing this, let the trying of your faith work with patience. Third of all, go to verse 12. The Word of God says, the believer's exclamation was the last thing I want you to see. Because of trials, in verse 12 it says, Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Look here, please. You know, there are some people, look here, there are some people who go through the deep violence of this life when it seems like the whole storm engulfs their lives. Somehow they rise above the surface of that storm. And God Almighty puts a crown of honor upon that person's life. There's a man of God in the Old Testament whose name was Job. Job, by today's standard, men, was a multi-billionaire. Job had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yucca boxes, 500 donkeys. He had seven sons, three daughters. And one day, the Word of God says, he lost everything. He even lost his health. The Word of God says his body was full of boils. And when Job was totally devastated, the Bible says in Job 1 and verse 20, that Job fell down on the ground and worshipped. Look at me, please. The Bible says in Job 1 and verse 22, and all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. You know what, sometimes you say, I don't know what God's doing to me. It's none of your business to know what God's doing to you. And I said it to you as straight as I can put it to you. You may have no idea what God is doing, how God's shaping you. There is absolutely, though, no way God ever uses a man or any lady until God totally puts you through trials. And whenever you cannot, look at me, trace the hand of God in your life, students, you better learn to trust the hand of God in your life. Job 13, 15, Job said, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. Psalm 37, verse 5, The word of God says, Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. Proverbs 3, 5, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not on an understanding. Proverbs 3, 6, In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Isaiah 26, 4, trust ye in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. Look at me, students. There are some things that God will never be able to crown your life with unless you go through hardships, unless you go through trials. Why does God do that? Not to destroy you, but to develop you. Not to make you bitter, but to make you a better individual. The winds of adversity are directed by the omnipotent hand of God. And so, the Bible says, blessed is the man that endures temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. So students, regardless of what you're going through, I pray to God you'll see, if you get the attitude of joy and the attainment of persevering, One of these days, God will crown you if you don't give up as you face the opposition. Let's bow our heads and pray, please. And before I do pray, with our heads bowed and our eyes are closed, maybe some of you students say, Brother Savinsky, I have some real, I'm going through a devastating trial right now. Maybe some of you are on the brink of going through some things that you're really concerned about. You see, Brother Savinsky, my attitude has not been right. God knows I have wanted to quit. And I have failed to see that all these things are designed by God. Is that right? That's exactly right, young person. You see, Brother Jerry, would you just pray for God to help me today? I'm going through some difficult trials. I want God to indeed be honored. Whenever Job's name is mentioned, it's always with love and respect. And if you bear the storm that God sends your way when your name is mentioned, it will always be with respect and love because you allow God to shape your life like Dr. Walt Fremont. What a godly, sweet man who's allowed the trials of life not to embitter him, but to take it as God's cup for his life. He said, Brother Jerry, I have some needs. Would you please just before you close in prayer, Pray for me. I have some needs. I need this this morning. Would you raise your hand quietly in the air, voice it to God. All right. All right. A great number of you. God bless you. Father, we do not know the needs of these young people. We thank you for the attention to the word of God. Bless them, Father. Meet their needs, we ask in Christ's name. Amen. You've just heard The Chapel Platform. If you would like a copy of today's message, just write and tell us the speaker, Dr. Jerry Savinsky, the title of his message, Trials, and also be sure to mention today's date. Along with this, send a check for $5.13 to Campus Store, Bob Jones University, Greenville, South Carolina. The zip code is 29614. Join us again next time for The Chapel Platform, sponsored by Bob Jones University.