Bought and Owned by God: How to Stay Steady Under Pressure

Sermon outline

You have been bought by God and no longer belong to yourself, so he carries your cares, and the trials he allows are there to build a character that stays steady under pressure.

1. James, a servant of God: you have been bought, now you are owned

   The word servant means bond slave, someone bought at a price who no longer owns himself. The first implication is that God owns you, so the question is no longer what you want but what he wants you to do. The second is that you have no more cares, because a master had to house, feed, clothe and defend his servant. When you try it your own way and it fails, you can come back and God will restore you.

   Illustration: A master who bought a servant at the marketplace had to give him food, clothes and a bed, and if another man's servant had a dispute with him the two masters met and sorted it out. The servant was never left alone. He also jokes that it is like the mafia: when you're in, you're in.

   “Because you've been bought, you're now owned.”

   • James 1:1
   • 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
   • 1 Peter 1:18-19
   • Ephesians 4:30

2. Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations

   The normal approach is to count it all sadness, but James says joy, because you are in the master's hand and he is working something in you. God's plan for each life is different, so you cannot compare your situation with anyone else's. Life is not a bed of roses, but all things work together for good for those who love the Lord.

   Illustration: He describes himself as a very stubborn man with a great deal of anger when he first married and even after he was saved. When he realised he belonged to God, he had to tell himself he could not be angry because he was a servant of God. He pictures God as a potter chipping a different piece off each life.

   “So, you can never compare yourself with another believer. You are designer made.”

   • James 1:2
   • Romans 8:28

3. The trying of your faith works patience

   Your faith must be tried, or you would never know what kind of faith you have. Nobody knows what is inside them until something knocks on the door. If you have been sowing and asking where your breakthrough is, have patience: God is working and it is coming.

   Illustration: In a bank queue a woman called the old lady in front of her sweet. He thought: put pressure on her and see what comes out first. Everybody is sweet until you tramp on their toe.

   “You will only know what's inside that heart of yours when the pressure comes.”

   • James 1:3

4. Pastor's wisdom: humble yourself, or God will humble you

   Do not be embarrassed when you hit the bottom, because the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Some people cannot handle prosperity and become high-minded the moment God blesses them. Enjoy the new car, the new house and the new suit, but remember that God is the master and you are the servant. Humbling yourself is the less painful of the two ways.

   Illustration: When he was a young man, his boss, an old grey-haired Christian policeman, sat him down and told him to remember how he treats people, because those you mistreat on your way up you will meet on your way down, and the grace you give on the way up is the grace that keeps you up.

   “You can voluntarily humble yourself or God will humble you.”

   • Luke 14:11

5. Let patience have her perfect work

   God loves to give you nice things, but your character comes first, and he will keep chipping until you are what you ought to be. People move from church to church looking for blessings, but the blessing was deposited in you with the Holy Spirit. Once the junk covering it is dealt with, the blessings simply start to flow. He says this is what happened to him, and is sometimes still happening.

   Illustration: He used to fast and pray and wait for God to move. Now, he says, things happen that he has not even prayed for, because God had to take the junk out of his life.

   “God is more concerned about your character than He's concerned about your comfort.”

   • James 1:4
   • Luke 17:21
   • 1 Corinthians 9:27

6. Patience means to remain steady under pressure

   He defines patience from the Greek word hupomone: steady, steadfast under pressure. People who praise you one day can turn the next, so trust God and not man. Your job is never your source, and promotion must never make you too busy for God. When pressure hits, do not neglect church, prayer or tithes. That is the time to prove God, and to pray in agreement with your wife.

   Illustration: On Palm Sunday the crowd hailed Jesus as king, and in the same week they shouted for Barabbas. He also tells how another church in the area was unhappy about his church being planted, so he invited that pastor to preach, blessed him and walked him to his car. None of his people left.

   “Hupomone means to remain steady under pressure.”

   • Proverbs 24:10
   • Matthew 21:8-9
   • Matthew 27:15-23
   • Deuteronomy 32:30

7. Little faith exercised equals strong faith

   Every person is given a measure of faith, and that measure is little faith. The difference between weak faith and strong faith is not quantity, like a quarter glass against a full glass. Strong faith is little faith that has been used, so take the measure you have and exercise it.

   Illustration: Pray with your wife on a Sunday evening, see God answer by Wednesday, and your faith starts to grow.

   “Little faith exercised equals strong faith.”

   • Romans 12:3

8. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God

   The church has no excuse to say it does not know what to do, because God gives wisdom liberally to those who ask. Since Christ and the Holy Spirit live in you, deciding is easy: if something disturbs your peace, it is not God. Let peace be the umpire over every decision.

   Illustration: He calls it child's play, as easy as a monkey falling off a tree. People who huff and puff that they need to leave the church have lost their peace, and that is how you know it is not God.

   “If it disturbs your peace, it's not God.”

   • James 1:5
   • Colossians 3:15
   • Mark 4:39