BLESSED ENDURANCE (JAMES 1)
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On August 6, 2018, I went to the host church to for the Hong Kong – Kowloon Revival Meetings. The speaker who was recently ill passionately quoted Zinzendorf’s philosophy of life: To preach the gospel, to die and to be forgotten.
I reacted immediately because I did not want to forget my wife who passed away two years three months ago then. At the end of the sermon I bravely yielded and said to God, “OK, I ALONE will to be forgotten.” Three days later I had a minor stroke, confined to the bed for three days to taste what it was like. Worse I was not given food or drink with one CT scan after another to make sure the bleeding on the left side of my brain did not continue after that aberration.
In the hospital were cleaners and staff not on the medical side who were swift to get their daily chores done and strip patients of their dignity. Unfortunately I was placed with old folks who were mostly bed-ridden and needed cleaning. I often had to be careful they don’t strip me of all my clothes, but I must confess I was down to my briefs trying to fend them off. I never thought I would be thankful that I had nothing to eat or drink because I did not have to go to do the big business on the bed.
We all face trials, temptations and tests every day, saint or sinner, young and old, rich or poor. Some toughen us, some strengthen us and some soften us. Some folks remain faithful, fruitful and Some suffer and sulk, some suffer and sigh, and some suffer and succeed.
What kind of attitude must we have facing suffering? Where is God when we suffer? What resources do we have? Where is God when it hurts?
Be Triumphant in Trials
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 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. 9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.
One day there was young man, a traffic officer who happened to be riding in a public transport to work and on the road, it happened that the bus he was riding on came across a terrible accident where people we scattered on the road , because people like to stir! This young man himself when he reached the scene started panic, , because he was alone, and not only that he was also but he had forgotten of the power he had as traffic office simply because personally his life that was in a ruff stage, the challenges of life were weighing on him like a heavy rock; and when bus came to the incident nobody knew what to do because he himself felt helpless and he called for people to phone the traffic office but people we suppressed, some tried to channel the cars but they couldn't do it! It was only when one granny came to him and asked of him if he could lend him his uniform so that she could control the traffic, and that's when it came to his sense that he had the power to change the situation.
https://books.google.com.hk/books?id=S9_RDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT59&dq=trafficoffice+but+people+were+suppressed&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjBx8m7sPPRAhWBybwKHXykCPEQ6AEIHjAA#v=onepage&q=trafficoffice%20but%20people%20were%20suppressed&f=false
Consider (v 1, hegeomai) is an imperative, translated as think (Acts 26:2), esteem (Phil 2:3), suppose (Phil 2:25), count (Phil 3:7) and rule (Heb 13:7), of which the last one (rule) is also translated as Governor (Matt 2:6) and chief (Luke 22:26). It is used in English for “hegemony” or “dominance.” It is a forceful and fierce shift in thinking, not a fun or feeble detour. The early church faces various temptations (vv 2, 12) – from persecution, poverty and other pitfalls. The more the pressure, the more the perseverance. The verb form “tempt” occurs thrice in verse 13 and once in verse 14. James did not say trails are good but to turn it into joy with or in the knowledge that it will produce patience, also translated as patient continuance (Rom 2:7) or enduring (2 Cor 1:6) elsewhere in the Bible.
The verb “produces” is in the present tense, not future. It is existent, effectual and enduring. This kind of patience is activated with the grand “hina” purpose to mature/complete (teleios) and unimpaired (holokleros). One is the process and external, the other is the person and internal. Mature (James 1:4, 17, 25) makes its most entry in this chapter. So the purpose of acquiring true patience is to not to leave a person defenseless, deficient and detrimental. Positively it could make a person rich, reasonable, rounded, resilient and resourceful.
To the person who lacks wisdom, which is the alternative – skill, discernment, practice and application, possibly in the context of suffering, there are two things to do: (1) ask from God, and (2) ask in faith. One is the source and the other is the synergy – in faith. “Back and forth” is from the noun ‘wind.” The verb therefore means “windy.” Typhoon 10. Wave does not do justice to the word; it means raging (Luke 8:24), or surge of the sea.
The brother of low degree does not rejoice for his exaltation not the rich’s end.
Exalted (hupsos) means hyper, the heights or heavens. It is to climb, ascend and soar to a respected position.
In contrast to the positive and patient, peaceable and productive approach is the painful, proud and petulant route is to take pride. Take pride (v 10) means boast (Rom 2:17), rejoice and glory (Rom 5:2-3). It is an imperative and the same verb in imperative occurs three times elsewhere in the Bible to glory in the Lord (1 Cor 1:31, 2 Cor 10:17) and glory not in men (1 Cor 3:21). It is to shout for joy, sing for joy or skip for joy. It is to be excited, ecstatic and eager.
Pass away (v 10) is pass (Matt 5:18), come forth (Luke 12:37) and transgress (Luke 15:29), used for the passing away of heaven and earth (Matt 5:18) and generation (Matt 24:34). We are physical and not permanent, temporal and not timeless, definitely not eternal, endless enduring or everlasting. A similar verb to “pass away” is “fade away” (v 11), which means die, wither, depleted (consumed). The three fold outcome of the sun is dry (wither), drop (fall) and die. The flower’s internal (wither), vertical (fall) and external (beauty/face) failed. The first (pass away) has to do with time, but fade away” has to do with physical, not chronological.
Be Transformed in Thinking
12 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. 13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
Many of us know Rick Warren because of his book “Purpose-Driven Life,” "but many did not know of his 27-year old son in 2013 committed suicide due to mental illness and personality disorder. Rick Warren spoke five months after his son’s death:
“I never questioned my faith in God. I questioned God's plan. There's a big difference. I know God is a good God. ... But not everything that happens in the world is God's will. Everything that happens in the world God allows, He permits, because it couldn't happen without His permission. But we live in a world where there are free choices, so if I choose to do wrong, I can't blame God for that. So God isn't to blame for my son's death. My son took his own life. It was his choice.”
https://www.christianpost.com/news/pastor-rick-warren-answers-why-doesnt-god-tell-you-why-something-happens-164977/
Blessed is the person who perseveres (v 12) in temptations. Perseveres (hupomeno) means endure (Matt 10:22), tarry behind (Luke 2:43), abide (Acts 17:14) and patient (Rom 12:12). It is strength in suffering. It literally means under (hupo) plus behind (meno), to last, outlast, and outlive difficulties, dangers and even death, because the crown of life appears one other time in Revelation: “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Rev 2:10) A crown means conquest, a commendation and a certification.
Everybody wants somebody to blame. The phrase “God is tempting me” is absent from older manuscripts. The latter part is more important: God cannot be tempted by evil. In Greek “not tempted” is an adjective. The true translation is, God is “untempt able” by evil. It means that there is no presence of evil with Him, in him or from Him – no part, portion or piece or percentage however minor, minimum, minute or miniscule. Not only is he beyond evil, he is the conqueror, counter courted cancel corner coexist confound contest compel .
Desire (v 15) is translated as lust (Mark 4:19) and covetousness (Rom 7:8), the seduction or enticement of more power, pleasure, possessions, profit and popularity. Desire leads to depravity followed by death, futility then fatality, trap before termination.
The purpose is for us to be first-fruit not so much as the goods but the best!
Be Teachable in Testimony
19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. 26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. VM
A humble servant girl arose and went down the aisle to the front during one of Charles Haddon Spurgeon's great sermons. "I have been converted," she said simply.
"How do you know," he asked, his keen eyes searching her face, "that you are converted?"
The little servant girl looked up at him shyly. "I am quite sure," she replied, "because now I sweep under the rugs! I used to be careless when I did the sweeping."
Quick (v 19) means swift in KJV, or fleet, i.e. (figuratively) prompt or ready. Angry (orge) is more wrath than anger. Vine’s says “wrath is the strongest of all passions.”
Quick to listen Slow to speak Slow to become angry
Rational Verbal Emotional
Thinking Tongue Temperament
Comprehension Communication Character
The reason (gar) is given in verse 20: because (gar) human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Human anger and God’s righteousness do not mix, not compatible or companions or coequals. Anger is ok, but not human anger.
The imperative in verse 21 is humbly “accept” the word planted in you. So far James had been talking about one’s behavior; now he speaks about being, the word engrafted, what is organic instead of what is outside.
What is doer and what is listener (22)? Some people are all talk and no action, all talk and no substance, all talk and no walk, all talk and no bite, ?????? ???? ??. In America we say put up or shut up.
Doer Hearer
Obedient Output Input
Fruitful Forgetful
Active Passive
Looking at himself Forgets
Perceive No perspective
View No review
Sight No insight
Inspection No introspection
Examination No self-examination
A listener perceives but has no perspective, views but has no review, has sight but no insight, has inspection but no introspection, examines but has no self-examination.
Conclusion: Have you been discouraged and defeated by the trials and troubles you faced? Do you blame God and bargain with Him? Commit your suffering and sadness to Him. He is the deliverer and defender of our lives. Ask Him for patience and peace in the face of panic, pessimism and
