INTRODUCTION
On May 29, 2013 I registered for an event called the “Tough Mudder.” The event that I participated in was a 12 mile run with about 15 obstacles sprinkled throughout. During the event, there are obstacles such as crawling through the mud on your stomach with electric wires above you… carrying sacks full of sand while you swim… running through fire… swinging on ropes… and climbing over 8-foot walls. In 2013, I did the race with a group of about 6 guys if I remember right. I was definitely the most out of shape and biggest guy. I trained for the event for about 6 months increasing the amount of time I could run and increasing my upper body strength. I lost weight and on the day of the race I was ready as I could be.
I had decided that “slow and steady” wins the race. I had three goals for my first of two Tough Mudder races I would run in 2013 and 2014: First, have fun. Second, I would jog the entire distance. Third, I would only skip 1 obstacle if any. I met all of my goals. I had to laugh because the fellows I was with wanted to walk between a few of the obstacles, but I would set out on a slow jog. The rest of them would not be outdone and so they ended up jogging as well. I made my goal of having an absolute blast. I made my goal and jogged the entire distance without walking. I made my goal of skipping only 1 obstacle.
I considered the whole day a success. How was I successful? I would like to say it was because I prepared very well and was in the best physical shape I could possibly have been in. I would like to say it was because I ate lots of pasta the night before and I had more energy than I needed. Truth is I was in moderately good shape and I was as tired as I have ever been at the end of the 12 miles. How was I successful? Perseverance. I decided that I would not quit. I wanted to master my body for this event and make it do what I wanted. I wanted my will to be strong to force me to take one step after another and to finish the race. Perseverance was what got me through this particular race.
READ James 1:2-4
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.
VIDEO ILLUSTRATION… Perseverance 1, Downloaded from https://www.facebook.com/ESPNRadio1017theteam/videos/1089716494565401/
VERSES 2-3
Verses 2-3 in James chapter 1 introduces us to pretty hefty ideas that are hard for us to wrap our heads and hearts around. We think that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. That’s the way life should work. That is ingrained in us for some reason and is some kind of default setting when it comes to dealing with life. That isn’t how life works unfortunately. I want you to notice that James does not say “if” we face hard times, but says “whenever” which indicates to me that such painful times and trials will come and they will come more than once unfortunately. “Whenever” is not a fun word because it says that difficult seasons are a reality in this life we live. Good times happen to all people. Bad times happen to all people. In fact, Matthew 5:45 says, “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
James tells us to consider it joy in our lives when we face trials because the trials that you and I face develop perseverance in us. I want you to notice that James does not say “if” we face hard times, but says “whenever” which indicates to me that such painful times will come and they will come more than once. “Whenever” is not a fun word because it says that difficult seasons are a reality in this life we live. “Whenever” is a “continuing ongoing” action word that is open ended.
Some of us are in a difficult season right now:
Maybe it’s in our finances and bills and we are stressed about making ends meet.
Maybe our marriage and arguments and differences are leading us to being someone we don’t recognize.
Maybe our health is not good and we have doctors poking and prodding and testing.
Maybe our spouse or parent’s health is not good and we lie awake at night worried about them.
Maybe our job is quite a chore or a co-worker is making life incredibly difficult.
Maybe a relationship has caused hurt and we are reeling from words or actions and don’t want to trust them.
Maybe you have prayed about something and it feels like your prayers are not being heard.
Maybe you listen to the news of our nation and you hear division, racism, stories of murders and shootings, and do not recognize where our nation is going.
Maybe a child or grandchild is worrying you or causing you angst because of choices they are making.
Each of these are trials that we may face at some point in our lives. I know there are people in this room right now facing trials of all kinds just as James says. His word to us as he keeps in mind everything that Jesus taught is to frame our trials with faith in mind knowing that the trial will eventually strengthen our faith.
READ James 1:2-4
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.
VIDEO ILLUSTRATION… Perseverance 2, Downloaded from
https://www.facebook.com/piapot.firstnation/videos/648002455683655/?v=648002455683655
5 THOUGHTS ABOUT PERSEVERING
Perseverance is not something that will happen in life on accident. People quit God all the time. People quit life all the time. Perseverance is a choice and an act of the will. Persevering in faith with God in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit is not only a choice and an act of the will, but is also humbleness to allow God to be God in the midst of a circumstance that seems out of control and hurtful. How can you and I persevere in the midst of a trial?
God is not allowing pain or anguish or hurt or doubt or illness or financial strain or loss because He is sadistic or mean or unaware of what is happening in our lives. God’s plan and purpose is that through all things you and I would become more like Jesus. We don’t start out holy and being like Jesus. We all still make mistakes no matter how mature a believer we are. You can be a Christian for decades and still hurt feelings or make mistakes or fall into sin or deal with doubt. You can be a Christian for decades and still deal with financial issues or be blindsided by a medical diagnosis. It happens. God Almighty uses these awful things to complete our faith and make us more like Him. We must persevere through the issues we are facing that will form us… not into the best version of ourselves… but more like Jesus Christ. The goal is always to be more like Christ. How can you and I persevere in the midst of a trial?
#1 PRAY TO PERSEVERE
I personally have found that one of the hardest things to do in the midst of a trial is also the best thing. In the middle of a trial, you and I might find it difficult to pray. We find it difficult to pray because maybe we blame God for what is going on or we think it is all unfair and He should have intervened already. Strong emotions can be an obstacle to prayer. Prayer can be hard during trials.
Yet, it is during trials of many kinds that you and I need to draw near to God in prayer. Drawing near to God in prayer enables us to persevere. We need to talk with Him. We need to yell at Him. We need to cry to Him. We need to share our pain and joy and struggles with Him. We need to share our hearts with God so that He can begin to align our hearts with Him. That is the end result of prayer… our hearts becoming more aligned with God’s will and He helps us endure the trials of many kinds that we will face.
Ephesians 6:18, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”
1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray continually”
Jude 1:20, “Dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.”
#2 ACTIVE RELATIONSHIP IN THE LORD
Perseverance is an action word. Other words that mean the same as “perseverance” are also action words. “Hold fast” are action words. “Persistence,” “Determination,” and “Grit,” are also action words. As we are seeking to persevere in all kinds of trials, we need to be active in our relationship with God.
When I think about our relationship with the Lord, I think of the relationship like any other even though God Almighty is not like any other. You and I need to talk with Him, share with Him, and have an active relationship with Him in ways that He has provided for us to interact with Him.
Read Scripture and think on it even when you don’t feel like it.
Pray even when you have doubts about God and what He is doing and you are hurting.
Go to Sunday School and be around other Christians even when a trial is going on.
Confide in Christian friends and let them listen to you and pray with you and encourage you.
Come to worship services even when you know you are in pain and having a trial.
Listen to worship music as you drive even if your spirit feels drab in the midst of what is going on.
Tithe even though you aren’t sure what is going on with your bills.
You and I are made to have a relationship with God and when life gets tough we need to lean into God rather than pull away from Him. The harder the road the more we need God in the drivers’ seat driving our life!
#3 KNOW IT WILL GET BETTER
A thought that can guide us when we are stretched thin is that life will change and get better. There are seasons to life that do change. King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3 wisely says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”
At times it is difficult to know it will get better in the midst of the death of someone we love, feeling uprooted, feeling hurt, being torn down, weeping, mourning, scattered stones, loneliness, feeling like giving up, feeling thrown away, enduring silence, feeling hate, and enduring war. Seasons do change. Hard times do make way to better ones.
Better days may not come when we want them to or how we want them to. The Israelites endured 40 years of wandering in the wilderness before they were ushered into the Promised Land. The Israelites had to wait 70 years in exile away from home before they could return and rebuild. Jonah had to wait 3 days in the belly of the whale. Jesus had to wait 30 years to begin His ministry and to even begin to fulfill His purpose. Hold on to hope because God’s got a plan to pull you through and His timing is perfect.
Isaiah the prophet reminds us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. 9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (55:8, NIV1984).
#4 KNOW IT WON’T GET BETTER
“Wait, wait, wait,” I just said, “It WILL get better” and now I am saying “It WONT get better.” Yep. I am saying both. The larger reality of our lives is that we live in a fallen broken messed up hostile world where sin abounds and sin breaks into everything.
There is a thief that comes to steal, kill and destroy.
There is sickness that comes to hurt, pain, and kill.
There is selfishness that comes to wreck, isolate, and demean.
There is a disaster that comes to stress, destroy, and unbalance.
James talks about “trials of many kinds” and “testing” that will come our way.
This means we should come to expect that this life will be fraught with pain and frustration. No one’s life is perfect no matter how it looks on Facebook. No one’s life is perfect no matter what they tell you. No one has perfection this side of Heaven. So, instead of making an idol of an easy life, grow in the reality that things will never be fully “right” on this earth, but they will be in Heaven. In the midst of this fallen busted up jankety world, we can hold fast to hope in the way Jesus taught us to by praying to Him, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
#5 PERSEVERE WITH OTHERS
We should not try to navigate difficult seasons on our own. There are no healthy followers of Jesus Christ that are lone rangers. Going alone, you will be unnecessarily broken in ways that an encouraging faith-filled Jesus-believing community can help. Facing contrary voices, doubts, and difficulties with others allows us to grow and prosper in our faith and allows us to hold fast to hope. The others help us persevere when we face trials of many kinds.
King Solomon said: Ecclesiastes 4:12 “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” The Apostle Paul said: Galatians 6:2 “Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Perseverance isn’t found simply through some kind of relief, but it is found when others walk with us through real stress, anxiety, hurt, and emotional trouble. Perseverance is found in community… in others who also believe in Jesus and can encourage us in our faith. They can encourage us to keep putting one faithful step in front of another.
Church is important.
Sunday School is important.
Fellowship times and Bible studies are important.
Developing deep relationships with other Christians is important.
All of these are important for perseverance.
READ James 1:2-4
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.
VIDEO ILLUSTRATION… Perseverance 3, Downloaded from
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=344765462853548
VERSE 4
James talks about trials coming to us in verse 2. He speaks about testing of our faith and perseverance being developed in verse 3. It is in verse 4 that James tells us about the end result of perseverance in our lives. The end result of perseverance in our lives is a mature and complete faith that lacks nothing.
The sad truth is that trials of many kinds make us a better person in Christ when we allow God to mold us and shape us through the trials. We come to understand God more fully. We internalize who Jesus Christ is to us when our world is collapsing. We draw comfort from the Holy Spirit when our heart is in 100 pieces. We come to understand the role of faith more after it has been tested. A person of faith who has been through trials is a person of faith with maturity to trust God more and more. Each experience grants us endurance in faith where we have a deeper level of trust in God… this is important in the Christian walk. I believe James says that a person who can trust God without stopping, no matter the trial or test of any kind, will be perfectly complete in faith.
CONCLUDING ILLUSTRATION
On May 29, 2013 I registered for an event called the “Tough Mudder.” I had decided that “slow and steady” wins the race. I had three goals for my first of two Tough Mudder races I would run in 2013 and 2014: First, have fun. Second, I would jog the entire distance. Third, I would only skip 1 obstacle if any. I made my goals in 2013 all the way until the last obstacle.
The last obstacle was a huge ramp that you had to run up and grab the top. I persevered for 12 miles. I jogged for 12 miles. I overcame every obstacle or at least tried to overcome every single obstacle. I tried to run up the ramp. I tried to run up the ramp. I tried to run up the ramp. 5 times I exhaustedly tried to run up the ramp and grab hold of the top. I could not do it by myself. It wasn’t until I had the cheering of the fellas who ran with me and a helping hand at the top that I was able to reach the top of the ramp. To be honest, I still didn’t get all the way up the ramp, but I touched the top and that was good enough for my tired body.
READ James 1:2-4
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.
GOSPEL MESSAGE AND INVITATION
I wanted to mention this morning one area of our lives that no matter how hard we try we will never be successful. None of us no matter how hard we try will be morally perfect. All of us make mistakes. No matter how hard you persevere you can’t be perfect and you can’t earn Heaven no matter how much you persevere and do good works. Romans 6:23 says very clearly that we all have earned separation from God because of our moral mistakes, but we have the gift of salvation through what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, made a way for us to have a relationship with God because we can’t earn it. Jesus persevered for us and died for us. Jesus persevered on the cross for you and for me to forgive us of our sins.
CONCLUSION IN PRAYER
