Open your bibles to James Chapter 1.
As we continue our new series from the Book of James entitled Faith That Works.
Last week we introduced you to James.
R. Kent Hughes says “one thing is clear about the book of James—the dominant theme is;
“Faith that is real works practically in one's life. Faith that is true, is a faith that works.” R. Kent Hughes
From that, we came up with our title “FAITH THAT WORKS”
Each week we will examine the relationship between our faith and our works,
we see how the two intersect in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
James covers many practical issues that will show us how to have a living, visible, and productive faith in the midst of a broken and fallen world.
Today we are going to learn the purpose of our trials how to respond.
Will you stand with me as we read God’s word.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:1-18 ESV)
PRAY
The Story of The Unmoved Rock
Once upon a time, there was a man who was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man He had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sundown, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might.
Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture placing thoughts into the man's mind such as: "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it." Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure.
These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man even more. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum of effort and that will be good enough." And that he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.
"Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock a half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?" To this, the Lord responded compassionately, "My child, when long ago I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push.
And now you come to me, your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewed and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition, you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done. I, my child, will now move the rock."
Source unknown
James begins his letter by humbly introducing himself and then telling us he who he is writing.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. (James 1:1 ESV)
It is vitally important to understand who he is writing so James starts there. The Jewish Christians were persecuted in Jerusalem after the death of Stephen, they fled first to Judea and Samaria and then to communities around the Mediterranean. Tragically these Christians would not find too much relief wherever they went. Many were refused protection by those in Jewish communities and exploited by those in Gentile communities. So James waist no time getting to the point.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, (James 1:2 ESV)
Considering James’ audience he does not win any sensitivity awards here. The people who would read this letter were being persecuted, disenfranchised, and marginalized for their faith in Jesus and James says to “Count it all joy”. On the surface, it might seem to be insensitive but James is not saying that we are to enjoy our trials. He's not saying that we are to be happy when you lose your job. James is not saying to rejoice when your children get sick. He is not saying enjoy it when your spouse decides to have an affair. And it’s not about putting on a happy face and pretending that everything is OK. In fact, I don’t even think this verse should be the first thing out of a Christian’s mouths when someone who's going through a trial. The last thing people want to hear when their life is falling apart is “Count it all Joy Brothers”. James is encouraging us to embrace our trials not so much for what they are but for what God sovereignly plans to accomplish through them.”
…for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:3-4 ESV)
God's goal for every Christian is to mature in Him and grow in our faith. Unfortunately, maturity and a deeper faith is not always our goal. As I journaled through this section of the book of James and my confession and prayer was this:
"Jesus, my first response to trials is not joy. The truth is I typically only ask for my trials to be removed or fixed. But Jesus you allow various trials in my life because you want my faith in you to be strong, steadfast, and unwavering. You are the Lord over every trial. Help me remember that when I face various trials—big or small—to know they are opportunities to rejoice because I can trust in you. In my trials you want me to become more like you, strong in my faith, steadfast and unwavering, so that I may lack in nothing in this life. I pray this in the faithful and caring name of Jesus. Amen"
We live in a culture that believes our ultimate goal in life is to be successful, have a good job, to have a good family, a happy life, retire conformably and teach the next generation to make that their ultimate goal too. Then the trial hits our family, our job, our plans we have made and we are they devastated. The Bible says:
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. (Proverbs 19:21 ESV)
To understand and embrace what James is getting to here requires us to take a radically God-centered perspective on our lives. When our ultimate goal in life is to mature in Christ and deepen our faith. In this, we can rejoice because no matter what we are going through, that trial will teach us to know, love, and trust God more. Each trial is meant to increase our faith and strengthen you for the life God has for you. James says, “the testing of our faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Our trials are tests of our faith because God wants our faith to be strong, steadfast, and unwavering. I am a UFC fan. The more fighters are tested the stronger they become. There is no way a fighter can develop strong, steadfast, and unwavering skill without being tested. In Rick Warren's book the purpose driven life he tells us we are transformed by trouble. He says:
"No one is immune to pain or suffering and life is a series of problems. Not all of them are big, but all are significant in God’s growth process for you. God has a purpose behind every problem." Rick Warren
The Apostle Paul tells us
…We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5 ESV)
God uses our problems to produce endurance, to build our character, to produce in us a confident hope that is built on the Love of God. When you're going through trials you have reason to rejoice. Not because trials are pleasant or easy but because it is because God is with us and He has purposed these trials to strengthen our faith and make us more like Christ. So where are we to start when we are faced with a trial? James tells us to seek the Lord for understanding.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; [8] he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-7 ESV)
Our wisdom and understanding are limited to what we know, our perspective, and our experience. Our limited knowledge keeps us from understanding why all that is happening. Our limited perspective keeps us from seeing what's going on from every angle. And our limited experience keeps us from knowing how to handle every problem we face. While we are limited, God is not.
So James calls us to ask God. He possesses all knowledge, he has an eternal perspective, and in Christ, he has experienced every kind of test, (even the cross) and has prevailed. Verse 5 has to be one of the most encouraging promises of all scripture. Because God gives wisdom generously and He pours it out with no questions asked. Think about this. The God of the universe is saying, I will impart my wisdom to you, all you have to do is ask. And when we ask we better be ready for the answer. Jesus says things like:
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” (Luke 6:27-28 ESV)
That doesn't sound very fun or easy and it certainly doesn't sound like removal or a fix to our problems. But God wants us to draw near to Him and ask for help to understand. God has given us His word, His Spirit, and His people. These are the means by which God imparts His knowledge, His eternal perspective, and His perfect experience to His people. The next thing James teaches us is to rely on God during our trials.
Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. (James 1:9-11 ESV)
James reminds us here that the poor are rich because their problems are leading us to trust in God and not in ourselves. It's a paradox commonly used by Jesus. The poor or rich in the richer poor. This was the point of the story of the rich young man who came to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to sell everything he owned and follow him. Jesus tells us the rich young man went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. This resulted in Jesus telling us:
“Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:24-28 ESV)
The point James is making is our dependence on God goes beyond our salvation. We need God every day and there are trials He will allow us to go through that was never meant to be solved by money or any other human effort. Only through faith in God. Then James finishes his thought by telling us who will be eternally rich.
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12 ESV)
The person who is truly blessed is the faithful one who at the end of a life filled with trials God gives the crown of life. The Apostle Paul writes:
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 ESV)
What both James and Paul are getting to is faith in all of the promises of God is what believers are to hold on to. And even though our faith will be tested because of Jesus our trials will not be the end of us. When we suffer, God will not forsake us because Jesus was forsaken in our place. Even when we face death we will have nothing to fear. Because there is a crown of life awaiting us in heaven. This is the good news of the gospel; Jesus bore the penalty of death on our behalf and secured for us a resurrected life. James says blessed is this man. This person can remain steadfast, faithful, strong, secure, under trials Why? Because this person has faith in Jesus. Paul reminds us of this in Romans:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 5:35, 37-39 ESV)
Jesus is sovereign over our trials and through them, he will test our faith so that we can be stronger, steadfast, and unwavering. Our trials are always purposed to draw us closer to God and never put there to tempt us to turn away from him. Look at verse 13
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:13-15 ESV)
Here James warns us about giving in to temptation during a trial. God’s purposes for trials are good and righteous and they are there to deepen our faith. James says each one is tempted when he was drawn away and enticed by his own desires. Temptation is like bating a hook to catch fish. No fish knowingly bites an empty hook. The idea is to hide the hook and tempt the fish with food leading them unknowingly to their death and on my plate. Temptation is the same way, it appeals to our desires, it attracts us, but hides the fact that it will kill us. Think of this in the context of a marriage. When the trial comes in the middle of a marriage God wants to use that to deepen your faith in Him and strengthen your marriage. James is saying here to beware of the sinful desire that might tempt you to want something sinfully different. James says and doesn’t dare to blame God when this happens. His desire for trials is to increase our faith and strengthen us. When we give in to temptation it’s because our sin lured and enticed us to desire for something else. But James tells us not to believe the lies. They are covering up the hooks that will lead to our death.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures. (James 1:16-18 ESV)
We can combat the temptations of our lives during the trial by believing the unchanging truth that God is good and the source of everything that is good. Trials in our lives are proof of God’s love for us. We can count them all joy because God has purposed to make us more like Christ, strong in our faith, steadfast and unwavering, so that we may lack in nothing in this life.
PRAY
RESPOND IN WORSHIP
