Today, we’re starting a new series through the New Testament book of James called Faith & Works. I truly believe that you won’t find a more practical book in the entire Bible than James. Some of you may remember the For Dummies series of books that became popular 20-30 years ago and are still popular today. DOS for Dummies, Investing for Dummies, Home Repair for Dummies, Golf for Dummies, and the best seller in the series, Spanish for Dummies. Well, you could think of James as Christianity for Dummies.
James recognized the growing pains that the newly established, first-century church was facing, and so he wrote this epistle as a practical guide to these young believers. That’s why the book of James deals with topics like, trials, temptations, humility, pride, taming the tongue, prayer, patience, judging others, wisdom, wealth, and being doers of the Word. It’s going to feel at times like James is jumping around quite a bit and that he’s moving at a rapid pace. But the good news is that he’s addressing very practical, street-level topics as he teaches us HOW to put our faith in action and what it means to be obedient to the call of Christ in our lives.
Anytime we use the word obedience in church, there’s sure to be a Christian that stands up and yells, “legalism.” They want to shout that the Christian life is NOT about commands, and laws, and works. But James says, “No, actually it is.” You can’t just listen to the Word, you have to do it. If not, your faith is dead (or counterfeit).
So turn with me to James 1 this morning as we begin to explore the relationship between faith and works in our lives. James is the half-brother of Jesus and is the leader of the church in Jerusalem. He’s writing predominantly to Jewish Christians who were scattered after Stephen’s death. If you were with us during our Acts series, you’ll remember that Saul was ravaging the church and many of the Christians fled to safety. And so James, who was once a skeptic of his brother’s Messiah-ship, is now leading the Church that his brother is building. And in this epistle, James lays out a series of benchmarks for the testing of our faith…and he begins with something all of us can relate to – TRIALS.
James 1:1-12
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion Greetings 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 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. 7 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. 9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 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. 12 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.
I heard a pastor wisely once say that if you are a Christian, you are either IN a trial, coming OUT of a trial, or headed back INTO a trial. Can I get an Amen? In fact, I know some of your stories, and some of you seem to have trials stacked on top of trials…I think the appropriate term for that is a double-doozie.
Now I can honestly say that I have never prayed for God to send another trial into my life. God, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve had a trial, so I think you should bless me and send one my way…and make it a big one this time. I’ve never prayed that prayer. In fact, much of my life is spent working on trial AVOIDANCE...I like to think of this as preventative maintenance. But sometimes, trials can come with such force that they blow our preventative measures out of the water. And when that happens, it’s really easy to view trials in an incorrect manner…where instead of seeing them as something to be embraced for our spiritual profit, we can become very bitter, very quickly. So before we jump into the text, let’s make sure we are clear on what a trial IS NOT.
A trial is NOT the same thing as temptation—a temptation is not of God…in fact, it is the desire to move AWAY from God. Whereas a TRIAL is God moving TOWARDS you in order to mature your faith. Both temptations and trials are difficult, but a temptation is brought on by either Satan or our sinful hearts, while a trial is allowed by God in order to refine us and to make us more like Jesus.
A trial is NOT punishment—if you’re a Christian, the penalty for past, present, and future sin was paid for on the cross by Jesus (Romans 8:1). And I know a lot of people get confused about this and have wrong theology on this subject, but God does not punish his people punitively over their sin. Jesus already took your punishment.
And trial is not necessarily a consequence of sin—a trial CAN come in the form of correction from sin in which you are still engaged in, but hard times that come after the sin is committed is not a trial…it is the natural consequence of your actions.
So what IS a trial? A trial, as defined by the dictionary, is a test to assess some thing’s or some one’s suitability. In biblical terms, a trial does two things: 1) It tests the genuineness of our faith; 2) It serves to refine our faith. In fact, that’s the first thing we see in the text this morning, that we should…
1. EMBRACE TRIALS BECAUSE THEY MATURE US – vs 2-4
Let’s look again at verses 2-4: Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
When I was growing up, we had a huge garden…in fact, I don’t think I ever ate a store bought vegetable until I was 13 and we moved to a new home that didn’t have room for a garden. But when we had a garden, it was not uncommon to catch huge caterpillars called Tomato Hornworms. And we had these little bug catchers that we would put them in and watch them for several days as they would spin their cocoon. Now, maybe because we were boys, my brother and I never had the patience to watch one turn into a butterfly (they actually would have become large moths). But inevitably, we would wait a week or so and then tear into that cocoon to see what was inside…maybe even thinking that we could help it in its journey. But do you know what? Not a single one ever lived…because little did we know that God used the struggle in the cocoon to force fluid out of the body and into the wings of that newly formed butterfly. And that little creature couldn’t live outside of its own titanic struggle to leave its cocoon (I guess you can call me a butterfly killer).
Here’s the same upside down logic of the Christian life—to wish for a life free from trials and struggles, is a wish to never grow...to remain a spiritual baby. Listen, if God ever puts me in charge, I’m going to use candy to help us grow spiritually…that’s the platform I’m running on. But since that’s not likely, we need to embrace what James says in verse four…that the full effect of the sum total of all the trials in your lifetime is that you will be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. On your very last day, if you were to count up all the thousands of trials that you experienced in your life, you need to know that ALL of them were meant for your good. You need to believe that God had his hand in ALL of them as he was conforming you into the image of Christ.
Tom Brady, arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, has played in 9 Super Bowls while winning six of them. But listen to what he said when asked about all his career wins: “I didn’t learn [nearly] as much from my wins as I did my losses.” That’s exactly the point that James is trying to make…that seasons of adversity produce more spiritual growth than seasons of blessing.
I love James’ language in verse 2 when he says “when you go through various trials...” The one consistent thing about trials, he says, is that they are varied in how they show up. Some are big, life-altering trials and take months to work through. Some are small and can be handled in a day’s time. But no matter how big, small, complicated, or devastating the trial, God intends to perfect you through each and every one of them. About two years ago, God allowed me to experience an entire year of what felt like debilitating anxiety. It was crushing. And yet I look back at that time as a time of profound spiritual growth. My body faltered, but my faith flourished. In times of economic collapse, I’ve seen people learn that God, not their money, was their sustainer. I’ve watched people lose things that were precious to them, only later to give testimony to the fact that Jesus was all they ever needed. I’ve watched strong people, become totally dependent on Jesus…and I’ve watched their faith flourish.
Right at the very beginning of this letter, we get a glimpse that James is a step-on-your-toes kind of pastor. “Count it all joy,” he says when talking about facing trials. He doesn’t say, “Have a steely resolve.” He doesn’t say, “Put on your game face.” He says, “Count it all joy.” This was a punch in the gut moment as I studied this week. When trials overtake me, would people still describe me as a person of joy?
Now, let’s be careful NOT to put words in James’ mouth. He’s not using the word happy…happiness is generally an emotion that occurs when we FEEL good. Trials don’t FEEL good. But he does say to be joyful. So what is joy? Joy is the settled confidence that Christ is at work in us.
So practically speaking, how do we find joy? It’s simple, we ask God for it in the midst of our trial…because clearly it’s something supernatural. And we stop wallowing, and whining, and complaining…those things are joy killers. Just like salvation, joy is a free and perfect gift from God, and we must reach out and accept that gift. Grab onto it like a lifeline. Choose joy…over bitterness, anger, and sorrow. Make a decision to choose joy every day…no matter what. Because he’s growing you, not in SPITE of your trials, but BECAUSE of your trials.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed this or not, but the last couple of years have been kind of rough. And one of my concerns is that Christians have not responded any better than non-Christians. We complain just as much. We are just as nasty on social media. We are just as divisive when it comes to politics…because we haven’t chosen joy. And I am PERSONALLY ashamed of all the opportunities that I’ve missed to show the world the real, tangible difference that Jesus has made in my life. I think James is saying that being a joy-filled Christian may be one of the most evangelistic things you can do right now. And it’s not that you would all of a sudden feel this exuberant joy as you’re going through a tough time. It’s that you would sit back and contemplate that God is sovereign over all of your circumstances, and that you can resign yourself to have a new perspective on your trials that would produce in you a new measure of joy in Jesus.
And so we embrace trials. And what else do we see in the text about how to view our trials?
2. TRUST GOD’S HEART WHEN YOU CANNOT SEE HIS HAND – vs 5-11
Let’s be honest with each other…in the moment, we don’t always see our trials the way God sees them.
• We are near-sighted and pessimistic
• We get discouraged to the point where we can’t even think straight
• We wonder if God’s in control
• Sometimes we even question if God is still good
And we end up failing to remember that God is refining us and calling us to trust him. How can we know that we’re not trusting him?
• We complain…a lot
• We blame him…instead of trying to learn
• Our prayers are “God, remove this trial,” instead of “God grow me in the midst of this.”
• We blow up at others because we’re under duress…and we subsequently blame our anger on our circumstances, not our sinful hearts
• We withdraw emotionally from those we love
• We look for changes in scenery (maybe this means leaving a job or even a spouse)
• Our prayer life goes in the toilet
This last one to me, this is the ultimate sign of quitting. We stop communicating with God. We fail to lay our burdens at his feet. Our prayerlessness becomes the ultimate sign of our lack of trust. But James has a word for that too…look at verse 5: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Now, if you’re not careful, verse 5 almost feels like a totally disconnected thought. But taken in the context of various trials, James is saying that we lack wisdom. Imagine that, we lack wisdom. Why is that? BECAUSE WE’RE NOT GOD. Because we have limitations. Because we’ve not been there before. And since these things are true of us, we need wisdom. But God is not sitting up in heaven stiff-arming us, not wanting to give us wisdom for the journey ahead. James tells us to ask and God will give generously without reproach. Without reproach means he won’t be irritated that we are coming to him. He won’t look upon our request as something petty that he can’t be bothered with.
If you have a little person that lives with you, then chances are that they are close to driving you insane with their incessant asking for things. We’ve all seen the poor mother in the grocery store whose 4-year-old won’t stop begging for candy. But God, as our perfect heavenly Father, delights in our requests. He delights in my neediness and dependence. I may not be able to see his hand, or how he’s at work, but I can trust his character when he promises wisdom in the midst of a trial. The God of the universe is saying that he wants to give us all the wisdom we need for the situation we are in—but with one condition. We have to ask. And the truth that we can ask and God will give generously without reproach is one of the most beautiful and encouraging truths in the entire Bible.
This week, the words of this old hymn have been rattling around my head.
What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer
Oh, what peace we often forfeit
Oh, what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged
Take it to the Lord in prayer
And so that means that we search for wisdom BEYOND the advice of Google, BEYOND the advice of friends, and even BEYOND the wisdom of professionals. We go to the TRUE source to find wisdom…and we find it simply by asking.
But in verse 6, James addresses another issue with our prayers: "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." James is saying that sometimes we pray for wisdom and don’t really believe that God will give it to us. In the midst of our trials, we see God as someone who takes away…and not as someone who gives. And instead of a settled confidence that God is working all things together for our spiritual good, we appear “tossed about” and frantic. We fail to wait, to inquire more, and to be patient. I read this week that patience is a testimony of the fact that we trust the character of God who is always on time. And so we ask in faith and with patience that his timing is perfect.
And so what have we learned so far? We’ve learned that we’re to embrace trials as God’s method of maturing us. That we’re to display JOY in the midst of trials (which is a settled confidence that God is sovereignly allowing circumstances in our lives to grow us spiritually). That we can trust the heart of God even when we can’t see his hand at work. And that when we can’t see his hand at work, that we’re to prayerfully ask for wisdom. And that brings us to this final thought this morning which is this…
3. DON’T RUN – vs 12
You can agree with EVERYTHING we just taught this morning and be biblically well-informed about trials…and still not get the perfecting benefit of what God is trying to accomplish in your life. And the reason is because we’ve run away before he can complete his good work. 12 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.
The Bible speaks of five different crowns that Christians can receive in heaven. The Crown of Life is actually a symbol of receiving the glorious reward of spending eternity with Christ. So what is James saying here in verse 12? He’s saying that the ability to endure a trial—literally to remain under the weight of the trial—is a sign that a person is truly saved. A person that endures trials, will ALWAYS produce fruit. But it’s hard for an apple tree to make apples if it’s running down the road. And if there is no fruit from enduring faith, then there will be nothing to harvest when Jesus returns. That’s when Jesus will say, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” You see, trials are not only meant to grow our faith, your willingness to remain under them by faith, and not run away in bitterness and anger, is one of the most powerful tools in providing your assurance of salvation.
I was in Michigan this past week speaking at a Christian school fall retreat. And over and over I spoke on the subject of sanctification…the fancy term for the process of becoming holy. Literally, sanctification is the time in between giving our life to Jesus and when we step into eternity. And the reason that God doesn’t whisk us away to heaven as soon as we’re saved, is because he desires to change us…to conform us to the image of Christ. And one of the tools that he uses in the process of making us all look like Jesus is trials…which are the tangible gifts of God’s grace and mercy. And they prove that he loves us too much to leave us where he found us. "Brothers and sisters, count it all joy…"
Life Group Questions
1. Read the Text
2. When considering trials, how do unbelievers you know attempt to make it through painful circumstances? How have you persevered through trial? Any areas for change?
3. Talk about how believing in God’s sovereignty through our trials is crucial to persevering faith.
4. List some ways painful circumstances and unanswered questions can actually strengthen your faith.
5. What role does knowing our final reward (crown of life) play in enduring trials today?
6. How should the need to persevere in faith affect the way we counsel those who have just recently professed Christ?
7. Are there any trials that your group members are going through now that the group can pray for?
