(If you feel this sermon is helpful, you are welcome to visit https://danachau.thinkific.com/ for a free online course.)
The Path to Perfection: Mature views
James 1:12-18
We continue our study in the letter from James. This series is titled The Path to Perfection. Perfection here is referring to a mature faith lived out in daily life.
This letter is very helpful in dealing with trials and temptations. How many of you have dealt with trials and temptations this week? How about this morning? No pointing fingers.
The author of this letter is Jesus’ half brother, James. After Jesus’ birth, his mother, Mary had children with Joseph. We read in Matthew 13:55-56, “Isn't this [Jesus] the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us?”
The letter of James was written during a time when Christians were persecuted. James 1:1 reads, “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion.”
The “twelve tribes” refers to Jews. These were Jewish Christians dispersed during persecution. And as these Jewish Christians dispersed and moved into new communities, they faced enormous trials and temptations.
They lost their homes and possessions. Many were starting from poverty in foreign lands. And rebuilding their lives seemed to take its toll on them.
They were losing faith, even faith in God. Some blamed God for their misfortunes. Even for the temptations they faced.
What was James solution for these Jewish Christians? If we don’t read carefully, we may see a list of unrelated instructions in this letter. When we do read carefully, we will see James writing this letter is to help them and us come to a mature faith in God that makes a positive difference in life.
The text for this morning is from James 1:12-18. (Scripture readers)
James wants us to know that mature faith in God will enable us to deal with trials and temptations successfully. That mature faith believes God intends trials and temptations to build us, not to break us.
Now why is this important to know God intends trials and temptations to build us, not to break us? Because everyone will face trials and temptations. To not think so is naïve.
Here is why else it is important to know God intends trials and temptations to build us, not to break us. Trials and temptations can break us. They can rob our lives and our families of many good things if we do not handle them well.
For the student, a series of difficult classes can be obstacle to your dream college or career. For the man who gives into lust, will experience poor self-worth and not become a husband who truly love our wife. Trials and temptations can stop us from pursuing our dreams, start us down a dead end, cause us to lose hope.
So what can we do to not let trials and temptations break us, but build us? here’s what James 1: 12-18 says. Have a mature view of trials, of temptations and of God.
First is a mature view of trials verse 12
An immature view of trials thinks, “blessed is the man who has no trial.” Or, “blessed is the man who is rescued from his trial.” To the immature, nothing good can come from trials.
A mature view of trials says, "Blessed is the man who remain 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 crown of life in this context is probably the award for spiritual maturity and not referring to eternal life. And a sign that we remain steadfast under trials is that we grow to love God rather than grow distant from and bitter at God.
I read about a Christian who got into the peach growing business. He worked hard, invested everything he had in a peach orchard, which blossomed beautifully. But when a frost came, it destroyed his entire crop. He became upset at God and decided to stay away from church.
After a few weeks his pastor met with him to find out why he had not been at church. The young man said, "Pastor, I'm not coming to church any more. God doesn't care for me, or He would not have let a frost kill all of my peaches."
The Pastor replied, "Bob, God love you more than he loves your peaches. You see, God understands that while peaches will grow without frost, His children cannot grow without trials. God is not in the business of growing peaches; He's in the business of growing His children."
Ray Stedman said, “Trials are the fertilizer that makes faith grow.” How does this work out practically? How do we have trials build us rather than break us?
In the face of trials, ask God for help. Jim Rohn said “Don’t wish life were easier, wish you were stronger. Don’t wish you had less problems, wish you were more skillful.
James said in vs 5 and 6 ask for wisdom and faith. Wisdom reveals what actions to take. Faith gives us the courage to take the actions.
Your trial could be loneliness, difficult school teachers, illness in the family, financial problem; you fill in the blank. Everyone faces trials. We live in a broken world.
A mature view of trials include these truths: God permits trials in our lives to blessed us. Not to break but to build us. To grow our faith in Him rather than grow far from Him.
First is a mature view of trails. Second is a mature view of temptations. Verses 13 to 15
Here are immature views of temptation. Since God is in control of everything, He’s responsible for our temptations. Or the devil made me do it. Or once I'm tempted, I am helpless to give in to sin.
Here is the mature of view of temptation. It starts from my wrong desires, and if I act on my wrong desires it become sin and if my sinful actions goes unaddressed, it will destroy me.
A mature view of temptation calls us to own up to our part. It does not call us to solve what we cannot solve. But we can intervene at 3 possible stages.
Stage one: Wrong desire. It may be within our power to change a certain wrong desire. Sometimes wrong desires simply come from a wrong belief. Knowing the truth from God’s word can help in that case. But it’s not always this simple.
Stage two: Wrong action. It may be within our power to resist acting on the wrong desire. We may desire to punch someone out but we could resist. We could forgive.
Stage three: Death (separation from God, Genesis 3). If it is not within our power to change our desire and we have given into the temptation we can intervene by receiving God’s forgiveness made available through Christ’s death on the cross.
Our temptation may be anger, lust, greed, gossip. Have we owned our desires and actions? Unless we do, we will be powerless against temptations. But when we own up, we can grow in new desires, godly character and in greater faith. God does not want temptations to break us but to build us.
Third is the mature view of God. verses 13, 17–18
The children were lined up for lunch in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. After watching them for a while, the supervising nun wrote a sign and posted it on the apple tray: “Take only ONE. God is watching!”
The children kept moving down the lunch line, where at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. One of the children looked at the cookies and then wrote a sign that read: “Take all you want. God is watching the apples.”
An immature view of God is that God is only interested in catching us do wrong. Or everything is from God, both, good and evil . Or that God’s is fickle. He loves you at one moment and not the next. These are all immature views of God.
A mature of view God is that God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one with evil. James stating that in the positive is: Everything God gives is good.
In verse 18 James uses the Gospel as an example of God’s good gift. Jesus Christ is symbolized by the word of truth. And God is restoring all of creation through Jesus Christ beginning with us as the firstfruit.
Why is it important to know that God is good? That he only gives good gifts? Because when we go through Trials and Temptations, God wants us to turn to him for help not to run from him for fear. He wants to build our faith in him, not break our faith with him.
One of the young adults asked me what I am learning from my trial with Parkinson’s. I said I am learning to trust God‘s word that he cares for me even though I don’t see his care in the way that I want care to look like. I want God to cure me not grow me.
A man was shipwrecked on a deserted island. He prayed that God would send a ship to rescue him. That night a storm rolled in, and a lightning struck the hut he had built to house all his earthly possessions. As the hut burned in flames, he lost all hope.
The next morning, a ship came to his rescue. The crew had spotted and sailed at night toward the fire and smoke.
What is our view of God when we go through trials? What is our view of God when we face temptations? Do we want to get out of our trials and temptations? Or do we want to grow from our trials and temptations?
When we have a mature view of God, that he is good, and that he is on your side and he is wanting what is for your good, then you can believe trials and temptations are not intended to break us, but build us, not to turn us away from God, but to mature our faith. To take another step down the path to perfection.
(If you feel this sermon is helpful, you are welcome to visit https://danachau.thinkific.com/ for a free online course.)
