I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      Hard times tend to be like a fire that reveals the truth about people.

                                                             1.      Those who are pure are further purified by hard times like silver that is refined by fire (Ps. 66:10; Isa. 48:10; 1Pet. 1:7).

                                                             2.      Those who are stifled by the world may be liberated by hard times like a forest that is cleared by fire from the thorns and brush that prevent growth (Matt. 13:22).

                                                             3.      Those who are evil are brought low by hard times like a house destroyed by fire (Ps. 11:5-6).

B.      If we who are Christians experience hard times, then what will be revealed about us?

                                                             1.      Are we the servants of the Lord that we profess to be, or are we just fair-weather pretenders?

                                                             2.      Are we believers in the truth of God’s word, or are we doubters who shrink back in hard times?

                                                             3.      Are we the family of God, or are we strangers who scatter from one another in times of trouble?

C.      In hard times more than ever, we need to stick together.

                                                             1.      Proverbs 18:24 says, “…there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”  Do you have such a friend?  Moreover, are you such a friend?

                                                             2.      In His great wisdom, God bound Christians together with Himself to give us great strength.

a.       If we do not stick together as God intended, then hard times will leave us alone, afraid, exhausted, and spiritually ruined.

b.       If we do stick together, then we will be able to endure anything.

II.      STICK CLOSE TO THE LORD

A.      If we stick close to God, then we will find mercy and grace to help during hard times.

                                                             1.      James wrote, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (Jas. 4:8).

a.       This is great news for us because God is the source of everything that is good for us.

i.         We lost the benefits of a close relationship with God when we sinned (Isa. 59:2).

ii.        Now through Jesus Christ, we can draw close to God once again (Eph. 2:11-18).

b.       All we have to do to gain closeness with God is to seek Him according to His word.

i.         Jesus explained how our efforts to draw near to God are reciprocated by God in John 14:23 – “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.”

ii.        Therefore, the impetus is now on us to make the effort to be near to God.

                                                             2.      The benefits of a close relationship with God are evident in the book of Hebrews.

a.       Hebrews 4:16 – “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

b.       Hebrews 7:25 – “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

B.      If we will allow it, hardship will bring us even closer to God.

                                                             1.      Hardship will affect us in one of two ways: it will either pull us away from God, or else it will draw us closer to Him.

a.       Those who are faithless will blame God and resent Him for any hardship.

b.       Those who are faithful will find the good in their situation and will “look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2Cor. 4:18).

                                                             2.      Knowing that hardships can draw us closer to God, we should rejoice when we endure them.

a.       The Lord spoke of the blessedness of those who are persecuted for His sake (Matt. 5:10-12).  They are happy because they know that the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

b.       James said we should consider it all joy when we experience trials, for we know that such testing of our faith produces endurance (Jas. 1:2-3).

c.        Peter wrote that we should rejoice at the fiery ordeal of trials because we know that “the Spirit of glory and of God” rests upon us (1Pet. 4:12-14).

III.   STICK CLOSE TO THE TRUTH

A.      Do not allow hardship to shake your confidence in the truth.

                                                             1.      Doubt may be created when we think that we have done everything right according to the Bible, but things still go wrong.

a.       Our sense of true justice is that good should always be returned for good, and evil should always be returned for evil.  When that does not happen, we may begin to doubt the truth.

b.       Such trouble-induced doubt is expressed in the hymn Farther Along (#138).  As the song states, there are times when we wonder why the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper.

                                                             2.      We must learn the lessons of Job, who struggled to understand his hard times.

a.       Job did not have the benefit of knowing the events recorded in Job 1:6-12 and 2:1-7.  This led to his incorrect and foolish reasoning.

b.       Not understanding, Job complained that God did not hear him, that God was punishing him, and that God blessed the wicked with prosperity.  He was wrong on every count.

c.        In the end, Job made this admission: “I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know…Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:3, 6).

B.      Instead of doubting, let us stick close to the truth, and it will guide us through our hard times.

                                                             1.      God assures us that the Bible provides everything we need to know to succeed spiritually and overcome hardships.

a.       Peter wrote that “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2Pet. 1:3).

b.       When Paul admonished Timothy to continue in the truth of the Scriptures, it was in a context of advising him how to deal with persecution and suffering (2Tim. 3:10-17).

                                                             2.      Therefore, rather than fleeing from the truth in hard times, let us cling to it.

a.       Paul wrote, “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us” (2Thess. 2:15).

b.       He also said to Timothy, “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (2Tim. 1:13).

IV.    STICK CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER

A.      In hard times more than any other, Christians need one another.

                                                             1.      The New Testament is filled with instructions for Christians’ relationships with one another.

a.       Just to name a few examples, Christians are told to serve one another (John 13:14-15; 1Pet. 4:10), love one another (John 13:34-35; Rom. 13:8; 1Thess. 4:9-12; 1Pet. 1:22; 4:8; 1John 4:7-5:3), be devoted and give preference to one another (Rom. 12:10), be of the same mind toward one another (Rom. 12:16; 15:5), accept one another (Rom. 14:13; 15:9), build up one another (Rom. 14:19; Eph. 4:11-16; 1Thess. 5:11), bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2), regard one another as more important than self (Phil. 2:3), help one another (Heb. 11:1-3), and be hospitable to one another (1Pet. 4:9).

b.       These functions are specifically assigned to Christians for Christians.  If we do not fulfill these obligations in hard times, then we are disobedient to God and His purpose, and we put one another in danger of being overcome by hardship.

                                                             2.      When the church follows God’s design, it endures hardship very well.

a.       The New Testament has many examples of Christians supporting one another in hard times, and they were able to overcome their troubles (examples: Acts 11:28-30; 2Cor. 1:8-10; 8:1-6; Phil. 4:10-19).

b.       Observe Ephesians 4:16 – “…the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

B.      We are to have the love for one another that Christ has for us.  When hard times come, we will learn whether we are meeting His high standard.

                                                             1.      Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34).  This is the standard that Christ expects.

                                                             2.      We do not know what tomorrow will bring, but we must bind ourselves together now so that those bonds will stand up to the greatest hardships that may come.

a.       Are you ready to give food, clothing, and shelter to your brother in need?  Are you ready to visit your brother who goes to prison for teaching the truth?  Are you ready to assemble secretly if the church is declared illegal?  Are you ready for the consequences?

b.       These are the tests we may have to endure.  Will we stick together?