Growing and Maturing
October 28, 2012
James 1:2-5
Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next, well, let me tell you his story . . .
The problems began when Chippie’s owner decided to clean his cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose so she could quickly clean his cage. Then the phone rang. She thought she could pick up the phone and balance the vacuum tube. But she’d barely answered the phone, when she heard that “whoosh” sound. Before she knew it, Chippie got sucked in.
She screamed, hung up the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie -- still alive, but stunned.
Since he was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, and held Chippie under the water. She realized Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . . she reached for the hair dryer and blasted poor Chippie with hot air.
Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.
A few days after the trauma, Chippie’s owner said, "Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore -- he just sits and stares."
It’s hard not to see why. Sucked in, washed up, and blown over . . . That’s enough to steal the song from any heart.
“Sucked in, washed up, and Blown over.” Maybe that sums up how many of us feel at times.
It describes the certainty of trials and feelings of powerlessness they bring. James reminds us of the reality that even in the Christian life, there are troubles, trials, tribulations and temptations. However, the Christ follower doesn’t have to be a victim of their circumstance, but can have victory even in difficult times. James tells us no matter what we’re going through, we can experience victory through faith in Christ.
Listen to the words of James ~
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James has some very sobering words for us this morning. He tells us we will go through trials in life. Note James says, ‘Whenever’ you face trials . . . not “if you go through trials.” Or you may or might, or if your one of the lucky ones, you will be skipped. He tells us troubles, trials, testing, and temptations are not electives, but part of the core curriculum of life. There will be various types of trials. They may involve the pain of a chronic illness or an untimely death. Some know the heartache of a broken marriage or a short-circuited romance. Trouble may come from a family member. It could be addiction issues. Some struggle with problems in business and finances. Others combat lingering depression, or other ailments.
We will all have troubles in life. Nobody is exempt. I don’t care how saintly you are, nobody is immune. Jesus’ words in John 16:33 are sobering, In this world you will have trouble. But thankfully, that’s not all He said!
We can all name trials we’ve gone through or are presently going through. If I asked you, “Would you like to go through that again?” We would say, “No way.”
In the midst of our trials and life storms, we aren’t very thankful. Some want to follow the advice of Job’s wife, “Curse God and die.” And if we were to be really, really honest with one another, sometimes that seems like the best answer. After all, if you’re a believer in Jesus, then what better place to end up in, than heaven. We don’t want to suffer through our trials, we’ll do anything to avoid them, which also leads us into trouble.
Some of us are currently going through trials and storms, which makes us feel like we’re under a very heavy burden. It hurts. It’s unpleasant. Sometimes we despair, we cry, we’re angry at the burden. And sometimes we’re angry at God.
Then James makes what may appear to be an outlandish statement at the end of verse 1. He says ‘consider it nothing but joy’ to go through those trials. So next time a loved one or a good friend is suffering, throw that at them, “hey bud, what’s your problem, you should be thrilled God picked you to go through this trial.” Say it . . . then run.
Think back on your trials and think about the things you learned from those trials. Maybe you can think of times when you’ve suffered or when things haven’t worked out the way they should, but now that you look back on it, you can see where you’ve learned and grown.
You see, the joy James is talking about here is not our being a cheerleader “Rah-Rahing. He’s speaking of a deep peace that comes from knowing that trials will help grow our character. We learn that Romans 8:28 is true: We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Life situations may not always make sense, but God has a plan for our lives; and faith and trust are vital to finding that peace and joy which comes in the midst of suffering.
So, what does James mean when he exhorts us to consider that our trials should be nothing but joy? By following James progression in verse 3, we begin to catch on. James tells us these trials will produce endurance or perseverance.
Let me unpack this according to what Paul said in Romans 5:3-5 ~~
3 Let us rejoice in our sufferings; knowing that suffering produces
endurance,
4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
This is what James has in mind. You see, in spite of our sufferings and trials; we’re able to rejoice, first and foremost because we never lose sight that Jesus is with us. He died for us and sent the Holy Spirit to be with us, to teach us, to lead us, to comfort us, to bring us His power, strength and courage, as well. We should never feel abandoned by God. He never will.
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “anyone who is in Christ is a new creation, the old is gone, and the new has come.” We are given the resources to have joy and peace, because we have Christ. He’s the author and giver of those inner characteristics which can’t be purchased anywhere, they’re a gift from God. So, after we begin our life in Christ, we have the ability to face life with new power and ability we never knew was available to us, and which too many Christ followers continue to under-utilize.
Because we have Jesus, we have this opportunity to experience inner peace and joy, even when we suffer. Paul gives us a great process which leads to recovery.
You see, when we suffer, we’re forced to begin the process of enduring and persevering through the difficult times of life. As we move through those stages, often times without realizing it, we gain new inner strength, courage, power and resolve we never knew we had. As we continue to move along; our character begins to change. We don’t realize it at first, until others comment about it to us. We’ve grown in maturity in Christ. This is what James meant when he explained we grow and mature and are made complete.
This process improves our witness for Jesus Christ. I’ve witnessed it at our church. I’ve seen some people suffer and endure trials in their lives, some who still are . . . yet, I see genuine smiles and displays of joy. And this joy only comes from God; all occurring in the midst of pain. That’s a testimony, the world needs to know about.
Finally, Paul adds, after going through the suffering —
you’ve endured, you’ve persevered, your character has grown, and now your ready for the final stage — hope.
Think about it, after going through this process, and you see the light at the end of the tunnel, you’ve gained hope, because you see a future. And when you have hope, Paul reminds us, you will not be disappointed.
Because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. What a great reminder of God’s presence and love. God pouring His love into your heart, through the Holy Spirit; it’s just like fresh water being poured out of a 5 gallon pitcher into a 5 gallon glass. Better yet, it’s like getting a Gatorade bath. It’s like an endless supply of water or Gatorade being poured over you. It’s God generously and graciously pouring His love into us, helping us to cope with the difficulties of life.
So, let me give you 3 suggestions on how to allow this joy to made visible.
(1) Try to see the big picture. So many times there are circumstances we don’t see because we have such a small perspective. Much like a child who doesn’t comprehend why they can’t have something or why something hurts, we need to trust that the Lord knows best and has a bigger view of life than we do.
(2) Actively look for the positive. Look for the things you can gain from the experience. Many times it’s not your position but your perspective that makes the difference. James doesn’t say the trial is a joy, rather, he urges us to be filled with joy in spite of the trials. Look at the circumstance as a possibility of bringing some good. It’s been said, "We are all faced with a series of great opportunities, they’re just disguised as unsolvable problems."
(3) Use your suffering to comfort others. Because of what you go through, you will be better qualified to help someone who has a similar problem. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:4- God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. (NLT)
We will all go through the difficult times, in the end, it becomes a matter of what we do with the troubles that come our way. We’re going to watch a short video of people who were bold enough to admit their troubles, but also, proclaim their victories.
VIDEO -- These are called Cardboard testimonies.
Remember Jesus told us, in this world we will have trouble?
That’s depressing, but He also said, 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
