Why We Face Adversity. pt1

Primary Text: Psalm 119:71 — “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.”

Introduction

Affliction rarely feels good. Yet the psalmist insists it is good—because God uses adversity to drive us into His Word and reshape our walk. Pastor Terry opened a two-part message by reframing hardship with a biblical lens. From Psalm 119 he reminds us that “statutes,” “precepts,” “judgments,” “commandments,” “testimonies,” and “law” are all facets of Scripture—and affliction is the catalyst that sends us back to those truths.

He noted that the Latin root behind adversity is related to the idea of drawing attention. In God’s providence, trials “advertise” our need to look up (to Him) and look in (at our hearts). Practically, we are almost always in one of three places: about to enter a storm, in a storm, or coming out of one. The question isn’t whether adversity will come, but how we’ll respond when it does.

Detailed Outline

I. The Scriptural Frame for Affliction (Psalm 119:71)

Affliction’s goodness: not because pain itself is pleasant, but because God uses it for instruction—“that I might learn Thy statutes.”
Vocabulary of Psalm 119: statutes, precepts, judgments, commandments, testimonies, law—all pointing us back to the sufficiency of God’s Word in trials.

II. Seven Divine Purposes for Adversity

1) To Get Our Attention

Refusing God’s counsel leads to painful wake-ups (Jeremiah 35:14–17).
Sometimes a loss reorients our gaze: “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord” (Isaiah 6:1).
Christ’s standing invitation in pressure: “Come unto Me… I will give you rest… Take My yoke… and learn of Me” (Matthew 11:28–30).
God mixes all ingredients for our good (Romans 8:28); stay on the Potter’s wheel (Jeremiah 18). Our strength must be through Christ (Philippians 4:13).

Applications: When the schedule crowds God out, expect loving interruption. Submit to the yoke; stop scanning for worldly options; let the trial refocus you on the Lord.

2) To Assure Us of His Love

“For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth” (Hebrews 12:6–11). Chastening is proof of sonship, not rejection.
God’s discipline yields reverence (v. 9), our profit/holiness (v. 10), and the peaceable fruit of righteousness (v. 11).
Illustration: Fruit trees don’t consume their own fruit—others do. God grows fruit in you so others can taste His goodness through your life (Hebrews 12:12–14).

Applications: Lift “the hands which hang down.” Accept correction as love. Expect your trial to bless people around you.

3) To Call Us to Self-Examination

Unworthy participation and unconfessed sin invited judgment in Corinth (1 Corinthians 11:28–32).
Three examinations:
- Salvation—“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
- Service—“Let a man examine himself” (1 Corinthians 11:28).
- Surrender—“Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart” (Psalm 26:2).
God’s severe mercies (cf. Acts 5) birthed great fear, then great grace, then great harvest.

Applications: Let adversity press you toward honest inventory: Am I truly converted? Am I serving faithfully? Am I yielded?

4) To Conquer Our Pride

“Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased…” (Luke 14:11).
Proverbs on pride: shame follows pride (11:2); contention springs from pride (13:10); destruction is preceded by pride (16:18); pride brings low, humility is honoured (29:23).

Applications: Don’t demand your own way, your own timing, your own credit. Receive humbling as protection from a worse fall.

5) To Remind Us of Our Weakness (and His Strength)

Paul’s thorn: given “lest I should be exalted above measure.” God’s answer: “My grace is sufficient… My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:7–10).
Trials are seasonal and sometimes necessary—“if need be” (1 Peter 1:6–7). Don’t be surprised by a fiery trial; rejoice that God’s presence rests on you (1 Peter 4:12–14).
Night weeping gives way to morning joy (Psalm 30:5).

Applications: Embrace dependence. Expect God to carry you when you cannot walk. Seek spiritual strength, not just relief.

6) To Motivate Us to Cry Out

“The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles” (Psalm 34:17).
Cry with your voice (Psalm 3:4), and with humility (Psalm 9:12).
God delivers in His way and time, not on our terms.

Applications: Turn panic into prayer. Replace grumbling with groaning to God. Wait for His kind of deliverance.

7) To Expose Spiritual Warfare

Armor up (Ephesians 6:10–18). In hardship, the enemy exploits vulnerabilities:
- Confusion—“God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
- Suspicion—Love “believeth all things… hopeth all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4–7).
- Division—Scripture warns against sowing discord; guard unity in home and church.
- Anger—“Be ye angry, and sin not… neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26–27).
- Fear—“God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

Applications: Recognize the battle beneath the burden. Respond with truth, charity, peacemaking, self-control, and courage.

Summary

Big Idea: Adversity is not a cosmic accident—it is a classroom where God gets our attention, proves His love, invites self-examination, breaks pride, showcases His strength, teaches us to pray, and trains us for spiritual battle. Therefore, we can say with the psalmist: “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes.”

Takeaways for the week:

Start and end your day with God (Matthew 11:28–30).
Welcome correction as love (Hebrews 12).
Examine salvation, service, and surrender (2 Corinthians 13:5; 1 Corinthians 11:28; Psalm 26:2).
Choose humility over self-importance (Luke 14:11).
Lean into grace when weak (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).
Cry out—in faith and humility (Psalm 34:17).
Stand firm in the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18).

This is Part 1; Pastor Terry continues “Our Perspective on Adversity” tonight.