SERMON OUTLINE:
• Rejoice (vs 2).
• Recognize (vs 3).
• Remain (vs 4).
• Request (vs 5-8).
SERMON BODY
• You probably know the saying;
• "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade"
• The idea behind that proverb is simple;
• Lemons suggest sourness or difficulty in life, while lemonade is a sweet drink.
• And the saying is making the point;
• Be positive in the face of adversity or misfortune.
• So, "When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!"
• If we are honest it is easier to smile at that statement than to practice it,
• But the basic philosophy is sound, in fact, it is Biblical!
• The Bible is full of people who turned defeat into victory and trials into triumph
• Instead of being VICTIMS, they became VICTORS.
• Now James in his letter (chapter 1 verses 1-12);
• Gives us four key words ifif we are going to turn our trials into triumphs,
• Four commands to obey.
(1). Rejoice (vs 2).
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters] whenever you face trials of many kinds”
• Remember this letter was written to Christians who were suffering for their faith.
• Verse 1 informs us that James wrote to the 12 tribes scattered abroad.
• These people were facing trials for one reason and one reason only – their faith!
• Now because we are God’s scattered people and not God’s sheltered people,
• We must experience trials.
• We cannot always expect everything to go our way.
• Some trials come simply because we are human.
• i.e. things like sickness, accidents, disappointments, even seeming tragedies.
• We live in a fallen world so expect things to go wrong!
• Other trials come because we are Christians.
• i.e. So many of our brothers and sisters in the world face persecution for following Jesus.
Ill:
• Just recently on Palm Sunday (9 April), in northern Egypt
• 44 people died following blasts on two churches in the St. George's Coptic Orthodox church;
• In Tanta, in Gharbiya governorate in the Nile Delta region
Ill:
The Open Doors Website says (http://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/trends.php)
“In some ways the 2017 World Watch List has a depressingly familiar feel. For the fourth year in a row, the level of overall persecution has risen. North Korea is still number one. Islamic extremism continues to strangle the expression of the Christian faith. Millions of Christians around the world now live their lives against varying levels of discrimination, discovery, violence and arrest…”
It goes on to say:
“Yet, there is some good news - above all, the fact that the church is growing. There has been a remarkable growth in believers from a Muslim background (BMBs), not least from those who, having encountered extreme Islam, choose Christianity instead. And all around the world, persecuted Christians are continuing to discover a depth, a strength, a brightness to their faith that can only be found in the darkest times.”
• God’s scattered people are not God’s sheltered people:
• As Christians we will experience trials.
• We cannot expect everything to go our way.
Note: Now this verse is full of gems, full of important little words;
• The first one I want you to notice is the word, “Consider”,
• Some translations have the word “Count” as an alternative.
• This word, “Consider”, or “Count” means, ‘to think, regard, to look upon’.
• It is a financial term that means to evaluate.
• In other words our outlook determines the outcome.
• Let me say that again, our outlook determines the outcome.
Ill:
• Corrie ten Boom in her book ‘The Hiding Place’
• Relates an incident that taught her always to be thankful.
• She and her sister, Betsy, had just been transferred to Ravensbruck.
• This was the worst German prisoner of war camp they had ever seen.
• As they entered the barracks, they noticed two things;
• It was extremely overcrowded and it was infested with fleas.
• That morning, their Bible reading was in 1 Thessalonians and the passage they read had said;
• “Rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances”.
• Betsy told Corrie to stop and thank the Lord for every detail of their new living quarters. Corrie at first flatly refused to give thanks for the fleas,
• But Betsy persisted, and Corrie finally succumbed to her pleadings.
• During the months spent at that camp,
• They were surprised to find how openly they could hold Bible study & prayer meetings;
• Without the guards interference.
• It was not until several months later that they learned why;
• The reason the guards would not enter the barracks was because of the fleas.
• TRANSITION: to rejoice is to recognize in trials that God is in control;
• He has not forgotten you, he is working out his glory in your life.
• Now concerning trials & difficulties,
• The apostle James tells us two facts concerning troubles.
(1). THEY ARE INEVITABLE (VS 2):
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds".
• Note: James didn't say: "IF you face trials".
• But, "WHEN".
• It's not encouraging news,
• But be warned at times difficulties will head your way.
Notice another of those word gems, in this verse:
• The words "Many kinds" or "Various":
• The Greek word translated here is the one from which we get the term "Polka dot".
• Ladies may have owned a skirt or a blouse;
• And men may have had a shirt that was polka dot.
• The ideas behind this word picture is;
• That our lives will be spattered with trials of all different shapes and sizes.
• Now having told us the bad news, that is, troubles are inevitable,
• The apostle then goes on to tell us some good news:
(2). THEY HAVE A PURPOSE (VS 3-4):
"Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything".
• Now to discover that purpose we need to view our difficulties:
• Not just as bothersome inconveniences,
• But as a test designed by God.
• Now don't misunderstand me;
• God is not out to torpedo our faith,
• He is for us and not against us!
• Note: Again we have here another word gem,
• The Greek word used for "Testing - Dokimos" actually means "Approval".
• The word was often found on pottery that had been,
• Unearthed by archaeologists, in the Near East.
• It meant the item had gone through the furnace without cracking,
• It had been approved.
• As Christians, it's often only by going through difficulties;
• That we improve and become the finished article:
Quote:
“The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
That stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.
The man who never had to toil
To heaven from the common soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man,
But lived and died as he began.
Good timber does not grow in ease;
The stronger wind, the tougher trees;
The farther sky, the greater length;
The more the storm, the more the strength;
By sun and cold, by rain and snows,
In tree or man, good timber grows.
Where thickest stands the forest growth
We find the patriarchs of them both;
And they hold converse with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and of much strife —
This is the common law of life”.
• TRANSITION: through the difficulties and trials of life:
• God is developing our characters. making us more like Jesus.
(2). Recognize (vs 3).
“because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
• In this verse James then gives us some advice on how to Rise Above Troubles:
• He tells us not to get depressed or to continually moan
• At the difficulties you may be facing:
Ill:
• Some junior school children lined up in the school hall for lunch.
• At the head of the table was a large pile of apples.
• The teacher made a note: “Take only one, God is watching.”
• At the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.
• A boy had also written a note, it read:
• “Take all you want, God is watching the apples.”
• TRANSITION: Now unlike us God is able to watch more than one thing at once!
• And as believers we believe he is watching, caring for us day by day.
• Problems, trials and difficulties may take us by surprise;
• But they do not take God by surprise!
In fact, the apostle James reverses human thinking in this verse;
• He tells his readers that, trials are really working for us, not against us.
• They are allowed to happen by God not because he does not care,
• But because he does care!
• James says, he knows what He’s doing.
• God loves us and he allows trials to come into our lies;
• Because they are one of the ways we will grow (put on spiritual muscle);
• And become more godlike in our character.
Ill:
• Maybe you have visited a shop that sells tapestry’s or floor rugs?
• When you look at the undersides of the rugs they are not very beautiful:
• The patterns are obscure and the loose ends of yarn dangle down.
• But you can’t judge the worker or the work by looking at the wrong side.
• TRANSITION: In the same way, we are looking at the wrong side of life;
• Only the Lord sees the finished pattern.
• So let’s not judge him or his work from what we see today.
• He is not finished with us yet!
Note: That is why we can be positive even in our trials:
• In verse 3 the apostle writes: "You know".
• God is not absent, he is not distant, he has not abandoned us;
• Rather he is at work for our good even through these difficult tests,
• These trials are not meant to destroy our faith;
• But rather they are allowed to strengthen us.
• Faith always has to be tested.
• Otherwise it is just academic,
• It is in our heads but does not work itself out in our lives.
Ill:
• Think of Abraham in the Old Testament;
• Abraham is revered by all Jews, Christians (and Moslems);
• When God called Abraham to live by faith,
• He tested him in order to increase his faith.
• God always tests us to bring out the best;
• Satan tempts us to bring out the worst.
• The testing of our faith proves that we are truly born again.
• And that we belong to him.
• TRANSITION:
• The only way the Lord can develop patience and character in our lives is through trials.
• Endurance cannot be attained by reading a book,
• Endurance cannot be attained by listening to a sermon,
• Endurance cannot be attained by even praying a prayer.
• Endurance can only be attained as we go through the difficulties of life,
• As we are forced to trust God, and obey Him.
• Even when life does not make sense!
• The long term result will be patience and character.
• And by knowing this, the apostle James says we can face trials joyfully.
Our values determine our evaluations.
• If we value comfort more than character,
• Then trials will upset us.
• If we value the material and physical more than the spiritual,
• We will not be able to count it all joy.
• If we live only for the present and forget the future,
• Then trials will make us bitter, not better.
Ill:
• Remember the words of Job in the Old Testament (chapter 23 verse 10):
• Job recognised God’s purposes in His sufferings.
• He could testify:
“But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”
Ill:
• No goldsmith would deliberately waste the precious ore.
• Instead He puts it into the smelting furnace;
• But only long enough to remove the cheap impurities;
• After this he pours out the pure molten ore to make a beautiful article of value.
• It has been said that the Eastern goldsmith;
• Kept the metal in the furnace until he could see his face reflected in it.
• TRASNSITION: God allows his people to go through the furnace of suffering;
• Until we reflect his glory and beauty.
(3). Remain (vs 4).
“Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Ill:
• Sir Winston Churchill took three years;
• Just to get through the ninth year of his education, (eighth grade),
• The problem was he had trouble learning English.
• So it was kind of ironic that years later Oxford University;
• Asked him to address its students and body of lecturers and officials.
• At one of their commencement exercises.
• He arrived with his usual props. A cigar, a cane and a hat;
• These always accompanied Churchill wherever he went.
• As Churchill approached the podium, the crowd rose in appreciative applause.
• He settled the crowd and stood confident before his admirers.
• Removing the cigar and carefully placing the top hat on the podium,
• Churchill gazed at his waiting audience.
• Authority rang in Churchill’s voice as he shouted, “Never give up!”
• Several seconds passed before he rose to his toes and repeated: “Never give up!”
• His words thundered in their ears.
• There was a deafening silence as Churchill reached for his hat and cigar,
• Steadied himself with his cane and left the platform.
• His commencement address was finished.
• TRANSITION: that is what the apostle James is saying:
• “Never give up!”
• Because "Perseverance MUST finish its work".
• NAS: "LET endurance have its perfect result".
• KJB: “But LET patience have her perfect work”
The term translated as, "Let or Must" means "cooperate".
• The point is we are to accept the testing rather than fight against it.
• We need to allow it to do its job in our lives.
• Patience is only produced if we submit to God’s will.
• God cannot build our character without our cooperation.
• If we resist him, then he chastens us into submission.
• But if we submit then he can accomplish his work.
• He is not satisfied with a halfway job. God wants a perfect work.
Ill:
• An elderly Christian man in Communist-controlled Budapest;
• Was asked about the effects of persecution & discrimination on the lives of Christians:
• He replied:
• “It is like the deep, fast-flowing Danube River.
• The banks of the river were artificially narrowed throughout the city of Budapest.
• As a result the river’s fast waters dug deeper into the river bottom.
• Believers under restrictions and persecution have limited freedom,
• But their narrowed lives have found great depth by going deeper in Christ.”
• TRANSITION:
• Scan down to verse 12, where that truth is emphasised.
“ Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
• The word translated as ‘testing’ in verse 3;
• Is the same word in verse 12 translated as ‘stood the test‘
• Or some translations have the word ‘approved.’
James says those believers who stood the test are rewarded.
• That reward is threefold:
• Firstly, by growth in Christian character.
• Secondly, He is rewarded by bringing glory to God.
• Thirdly, by being granted a crown of life when Jesus Christ returns.
• When believers persevere through trials God gives His approval.
• Although we do not like them or want them;
• Always remember that trials are working for us, not against us.
(4). Request (vs 5-8).
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
• God wants us to request His help in our trials.
• When we are going through tough times we should pray?
• Verse 5: "Ask of God".
• In other words; bring God into the equation.
• Without his perspective the ability to endure becomes elusive,
• And the goal of maturity may never be reached.
• And James goes on to tells us what to pray:
• Ask God for wisdom.
Ill:
• Somebody once said that the difference between knowledge and wisdom is this.
• Knowledge is the understanding that a tomato is a fruit,
• Wisdom is the understanding that you don't put tomatoes' in fruit salads.
Ill:
• Someone has said that knowledge is the ability to take things apart,
• While wisdom is the ability to put them together.
• TRANSITION: The two are in not in conflict:
• Wisdom is the right use of knowledge.
Ill:
• An elderly couple in a small Church were going through great trials.
• She had had a stroke, her husband had gone blind,
• Over the next few weeks, the husband health then rapidly detreated;
• And he was admitted to a hospice where he would soon die.
• The pastor of her church went to visit the wife;
• And he assured her that he was praying for her.
• The wife then asked him a question that took him by surprise:
• She queried him and said, “What are you asking God to do?”
• The pastor replied:
• “I’m asking God to help you and strengthen you”
• She then said: “I appreciate that, she said, but pray about one more thing.
• Pray that I’ll have the wisdom not to waste all of this!”
• TRANSITION: She knew the meaning of James chapter 1 verse 5.
• That is why we need wisdom when we are going through trials?
• Of course we need strength, and grace, and or even healing or deliverance?
• But we desperately need wisdom, so that we will not waste the opportunity;
• Wisdom helps us to understand how to use these circumstances;
• For our good and God’s glory.
Notice:
• James not only explained what to ask for, wisdom,
• But he also described how to ask - We are to ask in faith.
Ill:
• In one hot country a drought continued for what seemed an eternity,
• This left a small community of Christian farmers in a quandary as to what to do.
• Rain was important to keep their crops healthy;
• And sustain the townspeople’ s way of life.
• As the problem became more acute,
• The leaders of the Church called a prayer meeting to ask for rain.
• The need was great and so the Church was full;
• As the leader of the Church was looking around the congregation he noticed something.
• What he noticed was an eleven year-old girl sitting quietly in the front row.
• What got his attention was in her hands was a bright red umbrella.
• No one else in the congregation had brought an umbrella or a coat etc.
• All the people came to pray for rain,
• But only one little girl came expecting God to answer.
• TRANSITION: We are to ask in faith!
• We are to ask believing that God will answer.
• We are not to be like corks on the waves:
• Up one minute, down the next; tossed back and forth.
• Verse 8 gives us a name for the person, they are called "Double minded".
• God wants us to be focussed on him.
Notice: There is a promise to the person who handles their trials correctly.
• The first promise is happiness:
• "Blessed" or " or "Happy many times over"
• That quality will not come from circumstances but from God.
• Circumstances are always changing but God is constant.
• The second promise is a "Crown of life".
• James isn't referring to a future crown, that is given to us in heaven.
• I believe he is referring to the crown of a rich and full life,
• To be enjoyed here and now.
Conclusion:
• We have listened to the apostle James talk about turning trials into triumph.
• Firstly, we should Rejoice that God is in control of them.
• Secondly, we should Recognise that He has a plan to conform us to Christ’s image.
• Trials are working for us not against us.
• Thirdly, we should Remain there until God brings us out.
• We need to let the trials produce their work, spiritual growth, patience.
• Fourthly, Let us ask God for wisdom in our trials;
• Because God wants our trials to make us better not bitter.
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=52sUUpm99OPu32M4TsBhcoP5cpuxpU8b
