Profiting From Trials
James 1:2-4
Introduction
A young, Christian man went to an older believer to ask for prayer. "Will you please pray that I may be more patient?" he asked. The aged saint agreed. They knelt together and the man began to pray, "Lord, send this young man misery in the morning; send this young man suffering in the noontime; send this young man disaster in the evening and despair before bedtime." If you are serious about wanting patience you are going to have to go through things that will teach you, how. When James wrote this he wrote it as a command, he didn’t say if you can, if you are able, but this is what you should do. And usually, and I am guessing that James’ integrity would not allow otherwise, someone who writes something like this is someone who practices it as well. He has gone through it!
I. Trials will come (Verse 2)
a. Count it all joy…
i. Trial will come and when they come…Count it ALL joy!
ii. Not part of it, not the easiest portion of it, but the whole process of the trial
iii. When problems and trials are gaining ground and are clipping our heels how many of us are elated to the fact that we are about to go through a tough season
iv. How about just glad… How about just a smirk?
b. When You…
i. There are spiritual expectations and inevitabilities… “when you”
1. Expectation: When you pray (Matt 6)
2. Expectation: When you fast (Matt 6)
3. Expectation: When you gather together
4. Inevitability: When you hear of wars and rumors of wars
5. Inevitability: When you see Jerusalem surrounded
6. Inevitability: When you see these things happening
7. Inevitability: When you go through trials
ii. They are unavoidable, perhaps prophetic that trials will come
c. Fall into…
i. The wording that is used is that you fall into something that is all around you, in other words you cannot avoid it
ii. Know Jesus Know Peace No Jesus no peace…Sounds perpetual!
iii. That’s the kind of bumper sticker that makes back-sliders…
iv. The ultimate Christmas card… Matt 10:34
v. You have to earn that bumper sticker I could give some out right now to those who have earned it… He is all sufficient
vi. Most of us wouldn’t get one because we haven’t yet learned it
d. Various trials
i. Trials will come in many disguises
1. Financial…Marital…Illnesses…Societal…God’s calling can bring trials
ii. When trials come knocking don’t try to hold the door shut, find out who it is and let them in, very anti-prosperity isn’t it.
iii. It’s not a question of how long can you wait, it is a question of how will you come out of it when the wait is over. What will you look like? Not how long I can wait, but what will I look like
II. What you should KNOW about trials (A Purpose behind your trials) Verse 3
a. Know you are being tested by God
i. If you are receiving a test there is a teacher who is giving it…
ii. This is God’s desire that you go through this trial for a reason
iii. We tend to say and think, “The devil is all over me.” when we go through trials…
iv. How many times did Job blame Satan, rebuke Satan, or give him any credit for what he was going through?
v. Job never gave any of the blame to Satan. It was God whose hand came off for a moment that Job may be tested.
vi. We stand with our fist to the air screaming louder and louder I rebuke you Satan, (which is not found in the Bible) you are under my foot and you will not oppress me any longer, I have got you by the throat and I am wringing your neck, no your not you are pretending that you are, which does nothing… (Jude 9; Romans 16:20 We do not do the crushing)…
vii. Job did not rebuke Satan, Job didn’t curse God, but Job did rebuke his wife, because she gave him some bad advice (Job 2:9,10)
viii. And God is saying will you please chill out the only time you need to speak to Satan is if he is tempting you with a sin to do wrong not in the face of trials which I am bringing you through that you may be stronger.
ix. Temptation says, "Do this pleasant thing; do not be hindered by the fact that it is wrong." Trials say, "Do this right and noble thing; do not be hindered by the fact that it is painful."
b. Know what is being tested your faith
i. Trials themselves is not a test as to whether or not you have faith, but to strengthen the faith you already have
ii. Maybe that is why there is also a gift of faith to help us endure bigger trials
c. Know that this test should produce patience
i. This kind of patience is not the same kind we see in Galations 5 regarding the fruit of the spirit, that one also called long-suffering. (Two different Greek words)
ii. The Galations 5 patience is the kind you should be showing someone else; remember it is also called long-suffering. It is the kind of patience you need to have when other people don’t think like you.
iii. The kind of patience that we are talking about here in James 1 is the kind that exemplifies endurance
iv. When your running a marathon you have a kind of patience to finish the race
III. Patience finished work (Verse 4)
a. But let patience have it’s perfect work
i. We pray strange prayers, don’t we?
ii. I am talking about the “God let me prayers…”
iii. Let me be nice to that person… Let me love them
iv. As if God is going to hinder us or make us be kind…
v. “Let me be patient” God is not going to go alakazaam you will be patient
vi. Instead He says why don’t YOU LET PATIENCE HAVE ITS PERFECT WORK. Allow yourself to be patient, be kind…
vii. We ask God to give us special powers that we should be stirring up in ourselves… He doesn’t make us Walk in the Spirit He commands us to Walk in the Spirit (Galations 5:25)
viii. It is like fear. I am going to Commonwealth Chapel and into a position that I fear. I know God has not given me a spirit of fear, I have been able to get that one all by myself. I have to allow myself to be unafraid and trust in Him.
b. Perfect (mature)
i. Some of us can go through trial after trial and still never grow up in Jesus
ii. We haven’t learned anything
iii. We wonder why we are going through this over and over
iv. When maybe you didn’t learn the first time
v. “God allows a make up test, until you get it right”
c. Complete
i. If Jesus begins a good work in us, is He faithful to complete? Yes.
ii. Can we ruin it? Yes. By giving up and not letting Him complete the task in us.
iii. We can walk away and say forget it I can’t hold on any longer
d. Lack nothing
i. When it is complete we will lack nothing…
ii. That is a big statement. Jesus wants us to be in want of nothing.
iii. When we have our completed dependence on Him what would we lack…Nothing
iv. When we have finally reached the point of a psychological conclusion deep in our hearts and minds that there is no trial big enough that I can’t stand through, because Christ has worked that out in me to its completion there is nothing that we will lack
v. All of Faith is there… trusting Him
vi. All of Wisdom is there… Knowing He will act
vii. All of knowledge is there… My cares are cast upon Him, because I know Him
Conclusion
Challenge: Embrace trials knowing that the result will be God.
