Trials Are Life - Giving And Life - Changing

TRIALS “ARE” LIFE-GIVING AND LIFE CHANGING

JAMES 1:2-4

Pastor Greg Mc Donald

How many here have ever seen a golf ball...or held one in your hand? Probably all of you. Well, did you know that when they first manufactured golf balls, they made them smooth. But later on it was discovered that after a ball had been roughed up, they could get a lot more distance out of it. So they started making them with a dimpled cover.

That’s just the way it is with life...it takes some rough spots in your life to make you go your farthest. That’s what we will discover today from the book of James. But just going through tough times doesn’t mean anything if we don’t make proper use of those trials.

READ James 1:2-4

The book of James points out to us the first priority for the church...for those who are under the Lordship of Christ..is that Christians must look after themselves. Not in self-centeredness...but in moving ourselves toward the goal of maturity.

This is what James strikes away at right from the beginning. The goal for us, as Christians, is to become mature in the faith...not lacking in anything. And the pathway to that maturity is through testing and trials.

This alone is enough to get many to not like the book of James right off the bat. But it gets even worse because he says the rocky road that we travel on this journey to maturity is to be one of joy.

Now I don’t know about you...but I don’t get a great deal of joy from going through difficult times. And this whole idea of joy...pure joy when facing trials sounds a little crazy. I can understand the idea of not letting troubles destroy us...but to consider it pure joy...that can seem like a little much.

But James is not saying we should have some kind of superficial party when adversity comes...or that we should plaster a fake smile on our faces to look religious to the world when we’re hurting deeply inside. But he does say that we should consider it pure joy because there’s something here that is greater...something very important taking place that is for our benefit.

In v.2, where it says trials of many kinds...it means just that. Anything and everything that can happen would fit into this category. And James seems to hit the nail on the head because this is an accurate picture of life in this past week where anything and everything negative that can happen - did! AMEN?

James is being realistic here because he recognizes the fact that trials of every shape and size will come...but along with that is the belief that there is a meaning behind all these experiences. And to James, it is these trials that hold the clue to the meaning of life.

But this meaning of life is not a clue that James uncovered after years of research and study...this is a truth that was common knowledge to all Christians...at least as he sees it. In verse 3 he says, "Because you know " C’mon, you know that!

So what is the important truth that we are to rely on to help us as we face our trials? There are 3 statements that stick out of verses 3 & 4 that will show us some very important truths. (Read verses 3-4)

1) First...in the trials of life our faith is being tested for genuineness. Our faith is being put to the test. But it’s important to realize that this is not referring to the faith we have that somehow our circumstances will change for the better. He’s not talking about faith for individual trials or difficulties. James is talking about our Christianity...our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

And James recognizes that the natural effect of trials is to put a real strain on our ability to keep our faith and trust in God. We’ve all met people who would agree with the words of one elderly man who said this, "I used to go to church, but 5 years ago my wife and my only daughter died within 6 months of each other. After that it didn’t seem worth the bother."

This kind of statement is repeated too often by people all around us whose faith collapsed because of some great sorrow...or pain...or disappointment...or whatever. We say that we believe that God is our Heavenly Father, who loves us and cares for us....but as long as we remain untested on that point - our belief falls short of a strong, steady conviction.

America said that they believed that God is our Heavenly Father! (There believing now)

But, as Christians what happens when the day comes...and it will...when our circumstances seem to mock everything we say we believe...when life gets so cruel and God seems a million miles away... when we pray and cry out for a God who doesn’t seem to hear or even care.