James 1:1-11
Morning Greeting:
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.”
What a challenging thing! But what a desirable thing! Trials are a near constant in life, oh what joy we miss out on by not counting it all joy. Counting it all joy requires wisdom from God to see the good that he works in our lives through trials. And God promises that if we ask Him for wisdom, in faith, that we will be given wisdom.
What trials do you face today? I don’t know. But I hope that as we come to God in worship today, and as we hear from His word, that you will be able to count it all joy.
Song opening:
“Awesome God” – *Read Lyrics* – Amen! What an encouraging thought! What trials or troubles need we fear with God’s divine and watchful care over us? Let’s sing to the Awesome God.
Sermon Introduction:
For the last year or so our dominant focus has been upon Jesus – learning to admire Him, learning to follow Him, learning to trust Him, learning to worship Him. And so our focus should ever be upon Jesus Christ. We are not called Christians for nothing. He is our motivation for what we do. He is the one who instructs us on what we do. And God has saved us through the work that Jesus did for us on the cross.
Without that focus upon our Savior, our Christianity can become lifeless, joyless, hopeless, and loveless. Rules and conduct without a relationship with Jesus ultimately becomes a joyless burden. Without focusing upon Jesus, we forget the why of things. Why should I love? Why should I serve? Why should I forgive? Why should I worship? Why should I sacrifice? When you lose the reason, when you become distracted from your Savior, it won’t be long till your obedience starts to falter.
And so, we’ve been going through Luke. And we will continue to go through Luke. And we’ve talked about joy, and hope, and peace and other good fruits – all found in Christ. And we’ve talked about worshipping God – and the primary reason to worship God is because of Jesus Christ. Let’s not forget it.
But now, while keeping our eyes still upon Jesus, I think it’s time to shift focus a little bit back onto what practical Christianity looks like.
And I can think of no better book to learn about wise and practical Christianity than the book of James.
The book of James was probably the earliest New Testament letter written – around 48AD. And it was written by Jesus’ brother according to the flesh. James, as I mentioned in an earlier sermon, eventually died as a martyr because of his faith and testimony regarding Jesus.
I think it is very cool to see what James has to say about himself in the opening words of the letter. He doesn’t announce that he’s anybody special – even though he was. Apart from being Jesus’ brother according to the flesh, he was also the principal authority at the church in Jerusalem.
But instead he just introduces himself as a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remarkable too, that he puts God and the Lord Jesus Christ on an equal field by saying that he serves both.
Since the letter was written so early, it’s no surprise that it is addressed to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion. This is a reference to the tribes of Israel, who had been dispersed throughout many lands long ago when the tribes of Israel were first conquered in part by Assyria and then in whole by Babylon.
During the earliest days of the church, it was almost exclusively Jewish. The first day of the church – the day of Pentecost – began in Jerusalem. Jesus’ ministry was throughout Israel. When Jesus gave His church the great commission to spread the Gospel, He told them to go first to Jerusalem, then to Judaea, then to Samaria, then to the uttermost parts of the world.
The church had only been around 18 years when this letter was written. Of course, there were Gentiles that were part of the church, but they were still a very small minority. And James, being the chief authority in Jerusalem, had a ministry focused particularly on Jewish believers. So the recipients of the letter were Jewish Christians.
But of course, because both Jew and Gentile share the same Savior and are united together in the church and made one body, which is Christ’s, what James writes to Jewish believers will be applicable to us too. Rejoicing in trials is not for Jewish Christians only, but for all Christians!
It just helps us to notice the original audience to help us interpret the letter better.
Alright, and with that – let’s dig in! And start learning wise and practical Christianity from the book of James!
Read Text: James 1:1-11
Verses 2-4
Trials. Life is filled with trials. How easy it can be to grow weary and collapse under trial, or to lose your joy under trial, or to fail under trial. I don’t think any of us are strangers to trials. Trials can present themselves through relationships, through loss, through deteriorating health, through the suffering of a loved one, through persecution, through discouragement, lots of things – too many to list. That’s why James just says “various trials.”
Yeah, James is practical. We all face a lot of trials in life, trials can be very hard sometimes, and we could all use a lot more joy in our lives. And so James says “count it all joy.”
Why should we have joy in the midst of trials? Because trials produce fruit in our lives. First, the testing of our faith produces steadfastness. Endurance. The Greek word is υπομονην and means endurance in the face of difficulties. It is like that old saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Although, that depends upon how we respond to a trial. A negative response to a trial could make you weaker. But a joyful response and endurance in faith makes you stronger.
From there you are able to grow into maturity. When steadfastness has its full effect, “you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Now, he says “perfect and complete” but we must balance this with what James says in chapter 3:2. In chapter 3:2, James says “we all stumble in many ways.” Sinless perfection is not what is in view, but rather Christian maturity.
To emphasize that, another Greek word I’m going to throw at you, “perfect” here is “teleios.” Teleios means to reach completion – not perfection. It is to complete or reach the end goal. And the following word is ολοκλερος, which means to be sound or whole.
So you reach the end goal and are sound and whole – i.e, become a mature Christian, lacking in nothing.
Trials, they can be hard, but we can and should find joy in the midst of them – because trials purify our faith, make us more steadfast, and develop a sound and whole Christian maturity in us.
Trials have the potential to produce Christ-like character in us, if only we endure them in faith.
Application:
And so, I don’t know what trial you are going through right now, but chances are good that you are going through something. Work, health, discouragement, you know. I want to tell you, just as James did, that trials are an opportunity to make us into more mature Christians. We get to become sound, whole, lacking in nothing as we endure trials. Therefore, have joy. God is using the hardship for good. Trust in Him, have joy, endure.
Verses 5-8
While still in the context of trials, James tells us that if we lack wisdom we should ask God for wisdom. And that command comes with a promise. If we lack wisdom, and if we pray in faith, God will give us wisdom. God gives generously to all without reproach.
A word of caution here, though. Do not doubt God – but do doubt yourself. Because we all sin and stumble in many ways, an idea you have in your head may or may not have come from God. The best way to be sure about that is from God’s word. If you pray to God for wisdom and you find clear instruction from God from His word, then do not doubt. God’s ways are higher than our ways and God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Trust in God and do what He declares to be wise.
But if you have an idea that comes to you, do try to evaluate whether the idea comes from yourself or from God. As I said, examining God’s word is key here. God’s word is inerrant and infallible, the final standard for our faith and practice. And if you determine that the wisdom is from God – trust Him. Trust God. Do not doubt.
Doubting God results in the opposite of wisdom. You become a double minded person. You aren’t rooted in the purity and perfection of God’s wisdom, so as ideas and things come about, they cause you to move this way and then move that way, driven about like a wave at sea.
Furthermore, the promise to give us wisdom is based upon faith. The promise is not simply if we ask for wisdom we will get it. The promise is that if we ask in faith, then we are granted wisdom.
The Bible doesn’t say that He will on no account give us wisdom if we lack faith. Maybe He will, maybe He won’t. But such a doubting person has no promise from God to receive wisdom.
Application:
And so, if you’re facing a trial, ask God for wisdom, ask in faith, and God will give you wisdom. Do not doubt God, but do doubt yourself. The best way to check if the wisdom is from God or not is if the Bible supports it. This is especially good to do in the midst of trials.
Sometimes things can get a little complicated as we try to navigate a trial and we need God’s wisdom to help us to do well.
Another reason to ask God for wisdom could just be that you are having difficulty finding joy in the midst of a trial. Asking God for wisdom can help to give us the proper perspective about the trial so that we can rejoice in the midst of it.
Verses 9-11
Someday, poor or rich, we will all pass away. In our lives today, there is something of a social structure built around wealth. It’s been this way as far back as the history that I know about and continues to this day. Those who are wealthy, in so far as this world is concerned, tend to live in an exalted position. They receive more honor and more comfort. And those who are poor tend to live in a more humble position. They receive fewer honors and less comfort.
Did you know that social classes are not going to exist in heaven? Most especially not around money. If you are wealthy now, and I would say that most of us in here are probably wealthy whether we realize it or not: if you own a home and are regularly fed then you are wealthy by most standards today.
But if you are wealthy now, enjoy some status, some honor, some privilege, a lot of stuff: well, that stuff isn’t going to follow you into heaven. Today, you get to enjoy a kind of elevated social class. In heaven, that will not be so.
In heaven, we will all be lifted up – but what that will mean for the rich and the poor is that they are now honored the same, so one is exalted and the other is humbled.
This is very practical wisdom for our outlook upon life and the kinds of trials you might face.
Application:
First, let’s talk about if you are poor. If you are poor, then there are certain sins that could be easier for you to struggle with than a rich person might. Covetousness, envy, anxiety, discontent. That doesn’t mean rich people don’t struggle with those, only that it can be easier for the poor to. And there are certain physical and emotional trials that can accompany that lack of financial security.
But for you, there is reason for boasting. An exaltation is coming, and in part has already taken place. You aren’t always going to be poor and lowly. In fact, even now, you have rich blessings in Christ. You might be poor in the world, but you are rich and blessed in Christ. And there are coming to you even more riches and even more blessings in Christ.
You don’t need to be discontent, or anxious, or to covet – you have everything you need and all the best things in the world because you have a relationship with God. And you don’t need to be sad or resentful over seeing the present exaltation of the rich – God will one day bless you and give you a mansion in heaven.
Now on the other side, let’s talk about if you are rich in this life. A rich person has other sins that they might struggle with. For one, they might be pursuing worldly prestige – they are rich because they are focusing on the things of the world. And that is a problem because Jesus said that you cannot serve both God and money. A rich person could also struggle with pride – “ah, see how important I am, my things are of the best quality, I have earned this, I am better than other people.” And a lack of spirituality can develop as the rich have their things to distract them.
For the rich, they have reason to be humble. The worldly prestige and the accumulation of things are going to perish. This is a healthy reminder. All that nice stuff that you have and have worked so hard for, well, I hate to break it to you, but it’s going to wither up and burn up in a scorching heat when God remakes the heavens and the earth. I don’t care what your house is made out of; it isn’t going to be around when we enter into eternity.
And if you look down on someone on account of they don’t have as much as you, well, do be aware that you will be seeing them in heaven for eternity and that’s not how things are going to work in heaven.
So, be humble and pursue Christ.
Application:
Whatever your circumstances – whether you face your trials as a rich person or as a poor, whatever kind of trial you face – count it all joy. God is doing a good work in you. Your wealth could be an opportunity to humble yourself before God and your poverty could be an opportunity to rejoice in God.
If you lack the ability to “count it all joy,” then ask God for wisdom. He has promised to give us wisdom. But ask in faith and with no doubting.