STUDY NOTES
TRUST THE PROCESS
Pastor Jahmel K. Robinson
Scripture: Malachi 3:1–4
CENTRAL MESSAGE
TRUST THE PROCESS.
Everything you go through will not feel good.
Everything you go through will not look good.
Everything you go through will not make sense while you are in it.
But sometimes you have to go through the process in order for God to develop you.
The struggle may be uncomfortable.
The separation may hurt.
The correction may challenge you.
The fire may get hot.
The route may change.
But don't assume that discomfort means God isn't working.
God is not trying to hurt you.
God is trying to develop you.
Stay in His hands.
Learn through the struggle.
Let Him refine you.
Let Him recalibrate you.
Receive His love.
Give Him your best.
Remember that you have been redeemed.
TRUST THE PROCESS.
KEY TEXT: MALACHI 3:1–4
“He will be like a refiner’s fire...”
Study Note:
A refiner's fire has a purpose.
The purpose is not simply to make something hot.
The purpose is purification.
The fire separates what is valuable from what does not belong.
There are seasons when God may allow us to experience the heat of life because something needs to be revealed, removed, changed, or developed.
The question is not only:
“God, why am I in the fire?”
Sometimes the better question is:
“God, what are You doing in me while I am here?”
“He will sit as a refiner and purifier...”
Study Note:
God is intentional about the process.
A refiner knows what he is looking for.
A refiner knows what needs to remain.
A refiner knows what needs to be removed.
A refiner knows when the process is complete.
You may not understand everything happening in your life.
But God knows what He is developing.
KEY TRUTH
You may not understand the process, but you can trust the Refiner.
1. DON’T SKIP THE PROCESS
Pastor Robinson opens with the butterfly struggling to get out of the cocoon.
The struggle looked painful.
Someone saw the struggle and decided to help.
The cocoon was opened.
The butterfly got out.
But instead of flying:
It walked.
Why?
Because the struggle was part of its development.
The struggle helped prepare its wings for flight.
What looked unnecessary was actually necessary.
STUDY TRUTH
Everything difficult does not need to be removed immediately.
Some things are developing you.
Some things are strengthening you.
Some things are teaching you.
Some things are preparing you.
Some things are producing something in you that comfort could never produce.
2. WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO FLY WAS WALKING
Think about that picture.
The butterfly had wings.
It had the potential to fly.
But because the process was interrupted, it was unable to function as it was designed.
Sometimes we want the promise without the process.
We want strength without struggle.
We want maturity without stretching.
We want elevation without separation.
We want testimony without testing.
We want purpose without preparation.
But there are things the process develops that shortcuts cannot produce.
WRITE THIS DOWN
Don't rush out of something God may be using to prepare you for where you are going.
3. BECOME A STUDENT OF STRUGGLE
One of the strongest instructions in the sermon is:
“BE A STUDENT OF STRUGGLE.”
A student learns.
Don't only go through it.
Learn through it.
Don't only ask:
“When is this going to end?”
Ask:
“What is this teaching me?”
What am I learning about God?
What am I learning about myself?
What am I learning about prayer?
What am I learning about faith?
What am I learning about people?
What am I learning about patience?
What am I learning about what really matters?
What am I learning about what I need to release?
STUDY TRUTH
A struggle you learn from does not have to become a struggle you wasted.
4. SOME THINGS YOU LEARN ONLY BY GOING THROUGH
There are things you can hear about God in church.
Then there are things you learn because life puts you in a place where you have to experience God for yourself.
You learn He is a provider when you need provision.
You learn He is a way maker when you cannot see a way.
You learn He is a deliverer when you need deliverance.
You learn He is a keeper when you don't know how you are still standing.
You learn He can make a way out of no way when your own options have run out.
Sometimes struggle turns information about God into experience with God.
You stop saying:
“Somebody told me God could.”
And start saying:
“I know God can because He did it for me.”
5. “I’M BETTER THAN I WAS BEFORE”
The goal of the process is not simply to survive it.
Ask:
What did it produce in me?
Did I become wiser?
Did I become more prayerful?
Did I become more discerning?
Did I become stronger?
Did I learn to trust God?
Did I learn what I need to release?
Did I discover something about God I did not know before?
“I’M BETTER THAN I WAS BEFORE.”
Not because everything that happened was good.
But because God can use what happened to produce growth.
You cried.
But you learned.
You struggled.
But you grew.
You hurt.
But you developed.
You went through the fire.
But you did not come out the same.
6. YOU SHALL COME FORTH AS PURE GOLD
The process has a purpose.
The fire does not get the final word.
The struggle does not get the final word.
The pain does not get the final word.
There is something on the other side of development.
Pastor Robinson uses the language:
“You shall come forth as pure gold.”
The fire may reveal things.
The fire may remove things.
The fire may change things.
But God can use the process to bring forth something better.
REMEMBER
The process is not only about what you are going through. It is also about who you are becoming.
7. CHECK YOUR COMMITMENT TO GOD
The background of Malachi matters.
Israel had lost its way.
Their commitment had become lackluster.
Their worship had changed.
Their giving had changed.
Their love toward God was not what it had been.
In the language of the sermon:
“You don't love Me like you used to.”
“You don't give to Me like you used to.”
“You don't worship Me like you used to.”
Sometimes the process isn't only about what everybody else is doing.
Sometimes God is calling us back.
ASK YOURSELF
Has my prayer life changed?
Has my worship become routine?
Have I become spiritually distracted?
Am I giving God my best?
Do I still seek God like I once did?
Has something else taken the place God should have in my life?
8. GOD REFINES US TO RECALIBRATE US
The first major movement of the sermon is:
HE REFINES US TO RECALIBRATE US.
To recalibrate is to bring something back into proper alignment.
Sometimes our lives get out of alignment.
Our priorities get out of alignment.
Our relationships get out of alignment.
Our thinking gets out of alignment.
Our worship gets out of alignment.
Our choices get out of alignment.
God's refining work can bring us back into alignment with His purpose.
STUDY TRUTH
Correction can be part of God's development.
Don't resist every adjustment.
God may be getting you back on course.
9. THE FIRE REVEALS WHAT IS CORROSIVE
Pastor Robinson uses the refining of gold and silver to explain what God may do in our lives.
Refining separates precious metal from corrosive material.
Spiritually, ask:
What has become corrosive in my life?
What is tarnishing my faith?
What is weakening my commitment?
What is affecting my character?
What is interfering with my purpose?
What is continually pulling me backward?
The Refiner is interested in what is valuable.
But He is also interested in removing what keeps damaging what is valuable.
10. SOME THINGS HAVE TO GO
Growth sometimes requires release.
There may be:
Relationships.
Habits.
Attitudes.
Patterns.
Influences.
Mindsets.
Environments.
Distractions.
Some things cannot remain attached forever.
Pastor Robinson's sermon challenges us to recognize that some things may need to leave because they are interfering with our development.
That can hurt.
But losing something is not always the same as losing your purpose.
Sometimes what leaves creates room for what God is developing.
11. “SOMETIMES ELEVATION REQUIRES SEPARATION”
This is one of the major statements of the sermon:
“SOMETIMES ELEVATION REQUIRES SEPARATION.”
Everybody cannot go where God is taking you.
Everything cannot go where God is taking you.
You cannot pray:
“God, elevate me”
while refusing to release everything that is keeping you where you are.
Some relationships may have to change.
Some habits may have to change.
Some environments may have to change.
Some thinking may have to change.
STUDY TRUTH
You may have to separate from what is familiar in order to become available for what is next.
12. “I HAVE TO SEPARATE YOU IN ORDER TO ELEVATE YOU”
Separation can feel like loss while you are experiencing it.
But don't evaluate every separation only by what left.
Ask:
What is God making room for?
Ask:
What was that connection producing in me?
Ask:
Was it helping me become who God is calling me to be?
Ask:
Was I holding onto something because it was healthy or simply because it was familiar?
Separation requires discernment.
It is not permission to casually throw people away.
It is an invitation to examine whether what you are carrying is compatible with where God is leading.
13. GOD CAN RECALIBRATE YOU
Pastor Robinson gives the illustration of driving while listening to music with the GPS on.
He missed the exit.
He passed the turn.
But the GPS did not say:
“It's over.”
It recalculated.
It found another route.
That becomes a picture of what God can do in our lives.
Maybe you missed a turn.
Maybe you made a mistake.
Maybe you made a decision you regret.
Maybe you got distracted.
Maybe you didn't listen.
Maybe you are not where you thought you would be.
But God can still:
RECALIBRATE YOU.
14. A MISSED EXIT DOES NOT MEAN YOU LOST THE DESTINATION
This is important.
One wrong turn does not have to become your entire story.
One mistake does not have to define your future.
One failure does not mean God has abandoned His purpose for you.
The Holy Spirit can redirect.
The Holy Spirit can correct.
The Holy Spirit can lead.
The Holy Spirit can say:
“This is the way. Walk in it.”
WRITE THIS DOWN
I may have missed the exit, but God still knows how to get me where He wants me to be.
15. DON’T STAY LOST BECAUSE YOU ARE ASHAMED YOU MISSED THE TURN
Sometimes the problem isn't that we made a wrong turn.
The problem is that pride or shame keeps us from accepting new directions.
We keep replaying:
“I should have known better.”
“I shouldn't have done that.”
“I messed everything up.”
But if God is recalibrating you, listen.
Repent where necessary.
Receive correction.
Take the new route.
Keep moving.
STUDY TRUTH
God's correction is evidence that He is still leading you.
16. GOD REFINES US TO REASSURE US
The second major movement is:
HE REFINES US TO REASSURE US.
Israel had questioned God's love.
God points them back toward His love.
Pastor Robinson uses Jacob as an example.
Jacob had a complicated history.
He was not perfect.
He had issues.
He had mistakes.
Yet God chose to love him.
The message for us:
HE STILL LOVES YOU.
17. “HE STILL LOVES ME”
Your mistakes can make you question whether God still wants you.
Your past can make you question whether God can still use you.
Your failures can make you feel disqualified.
But Pastor Robinson keeps pressing the truth:
He still loves me.
I may have messed up...
He still loves me.
I don't get everything right...
He still loves me.
I may have missed the mark...
He still loves me.
I have things in my past I am not proud of...
He still loves me.
STUDY TRUTH
God's correction does not mean God's love has disappeared.
18. DON’T CONFUSE REFINEMENT WITH REJECTION
When God exposes something in you, it is easy to feel rejected.
But conviction is not the same as rejection.
Correction is not the same as abandonment.
Refinement is not the same as God throwing you away.
If God is working on you, that means He has not finished with you.
The Refiner does not throw away the gold because impurities are present.
He works with it.
Let God work on you.
19. GOD DESERVES YOUR BEST
Pastor Robinson then brings the message into worship.
Israel was bringing blemished sacrifices.
They were not giving God their best.
They were giving God what was left.
That creates an important question:
AM I GIVING GOD MY BEST OR MY LEFTOVERS?
We can give everything else our attention and then give God whatever remains.
Our leftover time.
Our leftover energy.
Our leftover focus.
Our leftover worship.
Our leftover devotion.
But God is holy.
God is worthy.
God deserves more than leftovers.
20. DON’T ACT LIKE YOU ARE DOING GOD A FAVOR
Showing up physically is not the same as surrendering spiritually.
You can be in church and still withhold worship.
You can hear the music and refuse to participate.
You can hear the Word while your mind is somewhere else.
You can be present without being engaged.
Pastor Robinson challenges the attitude that acts as if simply showing up means we have done God a favor.
God has been too good for us to sit on our praise.
ASK YOURSELF
What am I actually bringing God when I worship?
21. GIVE GOD A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE
Sometimes you will not feel like praising.
Praise Him anyway.
Sometimes you will be upset.
Praise Him anyway.
Sometimes you will be disappointed.
Praise Him anyway.
Sometimes you will come to worship carrying something heavy.
Praise Him anyway.
This does not mean pretending everything is fine.
It means recognizing that God's worthiness is greater than your current feelings.
The language becomes:
“I don't feel like it, but I'm still going to bless Your name.”
“I'm upset, but I'm still going to give You glory.”
“I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES.”
22. YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES DO NOT CHANGE GOD’S WORTHINESS
Think about what God has done.
Think about where He brought you from.
Think about what He forgave.
Think about what He provided.
Think about what He carried you through.
Think about His goodness.
Sometimes you need to think before you praise.
Because when you think about His goodness, gratitude begins to rise.
STUDY TRUTH
God has been too good for me to give Him leftover praise.
23. GOD REFINES US TO RESCUE US
The third major movement is:
HE REFINES US TO RESCUE US.
The sermon eventually moves toward redemption.
God does not merely want to improve us.
We needed rescue.
We needed salvation.
We needed redemption.
The message moves toward Jesus and the cross.
24. THE BOAT: MADE AND BOUGHT
Pastor Robinson closes with the story of a boy who made a little boat.
The boat belonged to him because:
He made it.
Then the boat became lost.
Later, the boy found it in a store.
But to get it back, he had to pay for it.
After paying the price, he could hold the boat and say:
“YOU’RE MINE TWICE.”
You were mine because:
I made you.
And now you're mine because:
I bought you.
That becomes the picture of redemption.
25. YOU ARE THE LORD’S
God made you.
But humanity became lost in sin.
God did not leave us lost.
Jesus paid the price.
You were:
BOUGHT WITH A PRICE.
Therefore, you belong to God.
He created you.
He redeemed you.
He rescued you.
He bought you.
DECLARE IT:
“I’M THE LORD’S.”
26. REMEMBER THE BLOOD
The closing movement of the sermon celebrates what Jesus has done.
The blood redeems.
The blood washes.
The blood cleanses.
The blood gives strength.
The blood reminds us that salvation cost something.
When you understand that you have been redeemed, worship changes.
You realize:
I belong to God.
Not because I have always gotten everything right.
Not because I have never failed.
But because Jesus paid the price for me.
27. “LET THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD SAY SOMETHING”
Redemption should produce a response.
If He saved you:
Say something.
If He delivered you:
Say something.
If He forgave you:
Say something.
If He bought you with a price:
Say something.
If you know you belong to Him:
Say something.
Praise becomes the response of someone who remembers:
I have been redeemed.
STUDY THE MOVEMENT
WHEN THE PROCESS HURTS:
Trust the process.
↓
WHEN YOU ARE STRUGGLING:
Become a student of struggle.
↓
WHEN GOD REVEALS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE:
Let the Refiner work.
↓
WHEN SOMETHING HAS TO LEAVE:
Remember that sometimes elevation requires separation.
↓
WHEN YOU MISS THE TURN:
Let God recalibrate you.
↓
WHEN YOUR PAST MAKES YOU QUESTION GOD’S LOVE:
Remember, He still loves you.
↓
WHEN WORSHIP BECOMES DIFFICULT:
Give God a sacrifice of praise.
↓
WHEN YOU FORGET WHO YOU ARE:
Remember that you have been redeemed.
↓
TRUST THE PROCESS.
WHAT IS THE PROCESS TEACHING ME?
What struggle am I currently walking through?
What is this season teaching me about God?
What is it teaching me about myself?
What strength might God be developing in me?
WHAT NEEDS TO BE REFINED?
What attitude needs to change?
What habit needs to change?
What thinking needs to change?
What has been tarnishing my relationship with God?
WHAT MAY NEED TO BE RELEASED?
Is there something I am carrying that is interfering with my growth?
Is something familiar keeping me from moving forward?
What do I need wisdom and discernment about?
What am I afraid to release?
WHERE DO I NEED RECALIBRATION?
Where have I missed the mark?
Where have I gotten off course?
What correction may God be giving me?
What is my next obedient step?
HE STILL LOVES ME
A mistake I need to stop allowing to define me:
Something I need to receive God's forgiveness for:
Finish this statement:
I may have ________________________________, but He still loves me.
AM I GIVING GOD MY BEST?
What currently receives most of my time and attention?
Has God been receiving my best or my leftovers?
What would giving God my best look like this week?
MY REDEMPTION REMINDER
God made me.
That means:
Christ redeemed me.
That means:
I belong to God.
That changes how I:
I’M THE LORD’S.
KEY STUDY TRUTHS
Don't skip the process.
The struggle may be developing something in you.
Become a student of struggle.
Don't only go through it. Learn through it.
God is not trying to hurt you. God is developing you.
You can come out better than you were before.
God refines us to recalibrate us.
Some things have to be removed.
Sometimes elevation requires separation.
Everybody cannot go where God is taking you.
A missed exit does not mean you lost the destination.
God can recalibrate you.
God refines us to reassure us.
He still loves you.
Don't confuse correction with rejection.
Give God your best, not your leftovers.
Give God a sacrifice of praise.
God refines us to rescue us.
You were bought with a price.
God made you and God redeemed you.
You are the Lord's.
TRUST THE PROCESS.
KEY SERMON LANGUAGE
“Trust the process.”
“Be a student of struggle.”
“God is not trying to hurt you.”
“God is just trying to develop you.”
“I’m better than I was before.”
“I came forth as pure gold.”
“He refines us to recalibrate us.”
“I have to separate you in order to elevate you.”
“Sometimes elevation requires separation.”
“He refines us to reassure us.”
“He still loves me.”
“Bring God your best.”
“A sacrifice of praise.”
“He refines us to rescue us.”
“You’re mine twice.”
“You were bought with a price.”
“I’m the Lord’s.”
STUDY TAKEAWAY
I may not understand everything God is doing in this season.
But I don't have to understand every part of the process to trust the God who is leading me through it.
When the struggle becomes uncomfortable:
I will become a student of struggle.
When God reveals something that needs to change:
I will let Him refine me.
When something needs to be released:
I will trust God with the separation.
When I miss the turn:
I will let God recalibrate me.
When my past makes me feel unworthy:
I will remember that He still loves me.
When I don't feel like worshiping:
I will give God a sacrifice of praise.
When I question my value:
I will remember that I was bought with a price.
The process may hurt.
I may cry.
I may not understand it.
But I believe God is developing me.
I believe God is refining me.
I believe God can redirect me.
I believe God still loves me.
I know I belong to Him.
And when I come through this season, my testimony will be:
“I’M BETTER THAN I WAS BEFORE.”
TRUST THE PROCESS.