Title: James - Dealing with Trials
Theme: To show how to deal with trials.
Text: James 1:1-4,12
James 1:1 ¶ James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. 2 ¶ My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
I. The Christian
1 ¶ James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
A. Conversion-the author James
brother of Jesus called the just
1. did not believe in Jesus until after the resurrection John 7:2-5
Mark 3:20-21,31-35
2. But we see him with the disciples praying for the spirit in Acts
1:14
3. leader in the early church, Gal 2:9,Gal 2:12, Acts 21
4. well known throughout the church and would not have to describe himself
B. Servanthood
An important element in the Christian walk. We are all called to be servants. Servants of God first of all and then servants to one another.
The word servant here is a Greek word doulos it signifies absolute obedience, total surrender and complete loyalty. This is a hard thought to grasp. Most of the time we just want to allow partial control but a Christian is to give total control over to God.
This seems to be harsh and cruel until you realize you can then walk shoulder with men like Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Paul, Peter, James, John and finally Jesus.
C. Fellowship
Here speaks of world wide fellowship. This is what God was doing when he scattered the Jews all over the world before the birth of Christ. First in 722 BC by the Assyrians then in 605-587 BC by the Babylonians. God was preparing for worldwide fellowship but different from what mans plans had been before the tower of Babel. God was wanting to get the gospel out to all the nations.
This is the same today. We have a worldwide fellowship with all Christians around the world. It is not just limited to Spartanburg area, nor to South Carolina, nor to America, nor to North America, but to all the world. It is a great mystery that has been revealed through the coming of Jesus Christ.
This is why it is continued today with the missionaries all around this world. God has not rejected any nation but only some have rejected Him.
After James establishes his self and in a sense his audience he begins to deal with one of the major problems in the Christian life. It is one that has been debated and questioned through the centuries. It has driven some away from Christianity and held others to it. It is the same thought that Jesus used when he told his followers to “count the cost” also to “take up your cross and follow me”. James tries to answer the question of trials and temptations.
2 ¶ My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
The word temptation here means testing in the sense of strenthing and purifying. It is as one who will test a bridge or project to see if it is stable and try to find its weaknesses so they can be strengthened.
We know the other temptation is the fact of one who is tempted to sin but he will deal with this later on in vs. 13-15.
Genesis 22:1. And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, [here] I [am].
But he gives us some instruction. We are to have joy when we fall into these temptations. We are to have joy when we find the weakened spots in our lives. Before a general goes to war he looks at all his weak spots. There is a lot of training to try to overcome these. Then he tries to illiminate them.
It is better to find the weakness early than when we are in a battle for our lives with Satan. As I have said many times, “God is sometimes preparing us through temptations for a future event”. He many times is bringing us through the fire. But oh how nice it is when we finally make it and are hardened.
1Corinthians 10:13-AV There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].
The whole idea is thinking forward. Sometimes all we have to dwell on is heaven but what we do is think forward. As a Christian I have no doubt in my mind that no matter what I am faced with I can always say it will get better. I don’t care how bad it gets.
This is what we see in the next verse.
Romans 8:28* And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.
I believe that this is what Joseph was tring to tell his brothers in Genesis 50:20 when he said
But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Why should we joy because we are building patience
1. patience of enduring: To know as I said earlier that it will always get better so we can face this trial. To know that God will not put us too much than we can bear will help us face this trial. That is patience.
2. Patience-waiting on the Lord and his work
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
The goal of building patience is that we may be perfect. Perfect is a right relationship with God desiring to please Him with all you heart, soul, and mind. When we are perfect then we are complete (entire) and wanting nothing. We are as Paul who said he learned to be content in no matter what condition he was in. To be a abased or to be full.
As we know God expects perfection or maturity.
Many of the people in this world goes through the same circumstances. The difference is the attitude. Patience gives us a different attitude. Attitude toward life, attitude toward people, attitude toward death. When you know that you know that you know then it makes a difference.
12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Then when all is said and done we will receive what we have been waiting for. The crown of life. A crown. The symbol of joy, royalty, victory, and honor. All these will happen. You say well I don’t see them now. But you will if you trust the Lord. One day there will come a time when we will go to a place where there will only joy. No more sorrows or pain. Then we will be crowned with royalty. We will have victory. Victory over this world, victory over death, victory over this body. Finally honor. We will be honored. As the book of Revelation talks about “to him that overcometh”. Oh what victory there will be and we will have eternity to celebrate it.
Can just lift up your praises unto him.
How about you, do you feel that you are going through an unbearable trial? Something that seems to be too much? God cares.
