THE PURPOSE OF TESTS
JAMES 1:5 11
Read James 1:5 11
Last week we studied verses 2 4 and saw that ...............(v.2) Almost a remake of Bobby McFarren's song "Don't worry Be happy" right? consider it pure joy...be happy....
Today we come to a passage that is often quoted but usually out of context. But that is not all that surprising since many view the book of James as a bunch of wise sayings all stuck together in one small book with little or no common theme or purpose. But that, as I mentioned last week, is not the case at all. One thought builds upon the other.
James has linked v. 5 back to v. 4 by a word common to each...not lacking anything...if any of you lacks. This is the connecting idea...this is what brings the two verses together and continues the very same thought he began in verse 2.
Now remember that James is writing a letter...but I'd like to paraphrase the thought James puts forth here in verses 2 11...maybe like he would speak to them in a personal, less formal way than a letter.
Keep in mind he's already told them to consider it pure joy when things get tough because when you trust God and do things His way it will make you mature and you won't be lacking anything you need to reach that highest level of maturity.
But now he says to them..."All of you should look forward to that day when you will stand complete, lacking in nothing. But right now there is something I'm pretty sure that you know yourself to be lacking."
And he says, "It may be that you can't see life like I've pictured it. You're in the thick of such a tangle of circumstances that there is no way it can seem like anything but trouble. By no stretch of the imagination can this seem like anything but a total mess without any possible purpose or any good to be found in it. So the bottom line is simple...you need wisdom....the wisdom that sees all of life as serving the purposes of the Lord."
But then he allows them another possibility. He says to them, "but your situation may be different...there may be one other scenario here. You may accept the fact that your circumstances are designed by the Lord to exert those pressures and bring about those tests that...somewhere along the line...will bring about an increase in maturity.
But just seeing things from that perspective doesn't make it easy or clear about which way to turn. There is more than one path ahead. And as mentally prepared as you are to persevere...to keep on no matter what...you don't know which is the divinely appointed way forward. Bottom line...you need wisdom.
Now, what does the Bible mean by wisdom? What does James teach about God in these verses...and what does he teach about prayer? In some references wisdom has a very general meaning.
Acts 7 tells us that Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. And it simply means that Moses was an educated man. Jesus also impressed people as being a learned person. But it is clear from other passages that the word sophia or wisdom has a much more specialized meaning than this.
In both Old and New Testaments we have reference to the wisdom of Solomon...which wasn't education but the ability to practically apply what he knew to the everyday problems of life. And that's where knowledge becomes wisdom.
The wise person will be able to see life as James has pictured it in verse 2 4...which means that even in the midst of trials and testings they are able to make personal decisions and to shape their lives in such a way that they will enjoy the progress towards the maturity that he's promised. That kind of wisdom is a gift from God.
There is a real simplicity in this teaching of James...whoever lacks wisdom can ask for it, and God will give it. Just like that! Now that sounds simple...in fact so simple that it may seem totally unrealistic. But in fact it teaches us something very important about God...something we need to be reminded of constantly. It is in the very nature of God to give...God is a giving God!
And then James goes right on to teach us that God's bounty is without restriction...He gives to who??? to all...and not just gives a little but generously. God's giving knows no earthly limitations....He gives to all. And it also know no heavenly limitations.
Let's look at this word generously. This translation may be as close to the Greek as we can get, but the actual thought is much richer. This word is the adverb of the adjective Jesus Himself used of a sound eye. And it means "single"...not plagued by double vision or anything else that would diminish clarity of sight.
And the noun is used of single mindedness...which refers to our devotion to the Lord...or as found in Ephesians 6:5 of a slaves loyalty to a master. Now, what this all means is simply this....
When it says God gives generously, it means He gives with a single minded concern for the other person...with His mind set on this one task as if there were nothing else to do. That is how the giving God gives with a selfless, total concern for us...and with an exclusive preoccupation, as if He had nothing else to do but give and give and give again.
But there's more. God's welcome mat is always out...His welcome never fails. Verse 5 says He gives generously to all without finding fault. And James calls to mind anything and everything we know of that would stand in the way of our ability to ask freely...and anything we might think the Lord would hold against us.
Nothing will ever change the fact that God is a giving God...and nothing will change the fact that when we honestly seek God's wisdom, He will give it generously...without finding fault.
Now...verse 5 shows us the unquestionable sincerity of God, who has a great desire for us to progress to maturity...and He won't hold back from us the wisdom we need to reach maturity. In other words, God is more than willing and certainly able to give His wisdom to us so that we can become mature Christians who lack nothing.
But verses 6 8 raise a serious question about our sincerity. Do we really want to go forward with God? Are we totally committed to His way of seeing things...and to His will for our future? Or are we keeping a door open to the world? Are we trying to keep one foot in each side?
God's mind is perfectly clear...but is there a possibility that we are double minded? Faith is our absolute confidence that He will give what we ask. Absolute confidence...I know that I know...I am persuaded...not a shadow of a doubt. But is that how we look at our circumstances?
In verse 8 James uses the word double minded...dipsychos...which literally means "two souled" or "divided soul." It means to be facing both ways. It's what Jesus referred to when He said we can't serve two masters.
But James the goes on to illustrate this with the thought of a wave being blown and tossed about...something that a Galilean would naturally think of. But what does this mean?
Waves have a normal, consistent flow...as anyone who has ever been to the beach would know. And a ship can ride along real smooth when the waves are calm. But when the wind really picks up and catches those waves...it can toss you around like a cheap carnival ride....sending you first one way and then the other. Back and forth, back and forth......
Now, this happens spiritually when our faith suddenly hits a lot of turbulence...things begin to happen to make us doubt...and pretty soon we don't know for sure what we believe. That's when faith is reduced to wishful thinking...which is not really faith at all.
And when we get to that place, two results will follow. First...the power of prayer is made ineffective. Verses 7 8 say it pretty clear..READ
Jesus taught the same thing when He said that those who forgive can confidently ask for forgiveness...but those who don't forgive will go unforgiven. Or that the unmerciful will find no mercy.
It's the same as being double minded. It's like God is telling us, "How can I give you forgiveness when you are not really concerned for forgiveness. Why should I give you mercy when there is no place for mercy in your life?" And the problem is not intellectual doubt...it's not that we don't know what God can do...the problem is with our moral and spiritual commitment...our loyalty to the Lord.
The second result of the doubting and double mind is a widespread instability that affects our whole lives. Verse 8 says "unstable in all he does." And there are some pretty spiritually unstable people right here within our congregation. If we're not secure in out relationship with God, then we're not secure at all.
James is speaking of a person who falls apart when difficult trials come...or one who can't seem to keep a steady course because of this difficulty or that problem. And this can affect all of life's experiences. It's what makes people very insecure...even when things are going fairly smooth. And that is at the core of many of today's problems.
At the very core, it's a problem of finding meaning. So many people ask the question.."Does my life have any real meaning? I go through life day after day but what is my real purpose...does my life really count for anything?
Many people find themselves at the point where they can barely face the daily grind of making ends meet. Or maybe they've been dealt an especially savage blow by sickness or disease in themselves or their family...and they don't have the resources to handle it.
James is saying that there is a wisdom that comes from God that can more than handle any of these situations...and it is given to those who deep in their hearts have loyalty only to God. Listen....people who are troubled like this have gone astray from God. If you have no inner peace or outer restfulness...you've fallen away from God.
I'm not saying that you are necessarily backslidden...but you are not in the kind of intimate relationship with God that is focused and centered entirely on Him. You are probably relying on human resources to get you through...and it just won't work.
James says that our first thought should be to look at our relationship to God. If life is "getting to us" ... if the ability to cope, to get through all the hassles we face, is getting more and more difficult...then this is the crucial question. "Is our heart one with God?"
Notice I didn't say "Is your heart right with God." I'm not talking about salvation right now. The question is one of complete and total loyalty...of being focused...like we mentioned earlier about how God is generous focused only on our individual needs.
But a second question follows that..."Are we proving our allegiance to God in the place of prayer?" That is where we'll find the wisdom that will hold us on a steady course throughout all the storms that come.
God will give us the ability to see things as they really are...to stop living by what appears to be true according to the world and its standards...and live according to what is true according to His word and according to our real relationship with Him.
Now, verses 9 11 give contrasting circumstances...between rich and poor. And it shows us that the problems each face are equally difficult. I know some of us would like to try out the problems rich people have...but this paragraph is an illustration that takes us back to verse 2 that says "count it all joy" when you face whatever trial it is that comes your way.
There's one thing I want to constantly remind you of that James tells us...the great goal of all life is Christian maturity. All of our efforts should be directed toward that goal. And what James is saying is this:
Life's pleasant moments are made even more sweeter when we keep in mind that they lead to this great spiritual destiny...and life's most difficult moments are to be endured patiently...remembering that patience and persistence turn sorrow into stepping stones.
That is wisdom...keeping life in the perspective of eternity. Wisdom is taking the knowledge we have and applying it in a practical way to life's problems. So what is the knowledge we have? ....
It's the knowledge that God is a giving God...that He allows trials and testings to come our way so that we can develop perseverance...and that as we stick with it...maturity will be our reward, and our goal will have been achieved.
