Untitled Sermon (4)

James 1:1-5

Intro: Bless the congregation, speak on, my family (including myself).

1) Have any of been married the idea that life becomes significantly easier once we begin to follow Christ?

a. That suffering would suddenly disappear?

b. I ask because there are some, including myself, that once bought into the faulty & incorrect belief that life becomes progressively easier once we commit to following Jesus.

2) Church if you have bought into that idea, I suggest you divorce it immediately because not only will you find yourself frustrated & disappointed, but you’ll also learn that this idea contradicts scripture.

a. According to Acts 14:22, The Messengers & Apostles of Jesus stated to the disciples of Christ that, “We MUST suffer many things on our way into God’s kingdom.”

b. According to Jesus in John 16:33, “In this world you WILL have tribulation!!”

3) Brothers & sisters, as God’s anointed & chosen God, we will suffer many things if we desire to walk in God’s will.

a. It is inevitable.

4) So, the next question asked is this, how are you responding to the trials?

a. Trials = referring to any affliction, suffering, & persecution of any sort that challenges your faith.

b. Which would Include, loss of loved one, sickness, abuse for religious beliefs & so much more.

5) Once again, how are you responding to your trials?

a. With frustration or faith

6) Through today’s study, I hope you’re encouraged to reevaluate your perception of trials by viewing them from Godly & Heavenly perspective.

Let’s Read our text from James 1:1-5… James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. 2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that (the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

The Author: James

1) James was a leader of the Christian community established in Jerusalem.

a. Where he served as a prominent faith filled figure & leader for 20 yrs.

2) Naturally after serving 20 years, it’s clear that James had intimate knowledge of the trials his people faced on a day-to-day basis…

a. Trials such as poverty, persecution, and abusive treatment from the rich & wealthy.

3) So, James, from a heart filled with love and concern for his Christian family, was prompted to take action by writing a practical letter of faith.

a. A letter centered on living out your faith & being doers of the word of God & not hearers only.

b. He encourages them to take action by first promoting this unnatural idea of counting it all joy when (they) encounter all kinds of trials…

4) For James, difficulty in the Christian walk is a reality that God’s people can’t escape.

a. That’s why He states that “when”, not if, but when you meet trials of all kinds, consider it all joy.”

5) When the recipients of this letter heard this command from James, I wonder what their initial response was to this charge of being joyful in trials.

a. Naturally speaking, Joy & suffering have no relation.

b. Joy is on one end of the spectrum, while suffering is on the total opposite end & they will never meet in the middle…

6) In fact, rejoicing in trials is unnatural & a contradiction to our basic instincts.

a. Think about it, when you were met with undesirable circumstances as a child what was your built-in response?

b. Were you instinctively joyful or did you naturally pout, cry, and grow frustrated?

c. It’s human nature to express ourselves according to the situation.

7) So, James, knowing human nature, commands these Christ followers to not respond naturally but spiritually in the face of difficulty.

a. Which would require these believers to “Count or consider it all joy.”

Leading our Thoughts

8) This word “consider” is rich in meaning,

a. “Consider” carries the idea of thoroughly examining & evaluating something.

b. “Consider” also carries the idea of leaders with authority like high-ranking officials, royalty, and military commanders who.

9) So, the idea that “consider” seems to communicate is that one must take the authoritative position of leading their thoughts.

a. Now why is that important that we take the authoritative position of leading our thoughts?

b. Because, when we are in a crisis, a time of extreme difficulty, there is always a temptation to allow our feelings, fears, & frustrations to control our mind.

10) And if we give our thoughts over to your feelings, frustrations, & fears, then I guarantee that we will never consider rejoicing in suffering because we will be blinded by the circumstances.

a. And blinded to God’s activity in the middle of it all.

b. That’s why it is imperative that we take control of thoughts by leading them past our feelings, past our fears, & past our frustrations, to a place where we can examine our suffering from the position of faith.

11) Hear me when I say this, feelings are real, they are God’s tool that allows us to judge our situation.

a. Feelings are good & useful for evaluating circumstances but unfortunately, feelings give a limited perspective.

12) A perspective that’s focused solely on the situation at hand.

a. Ex: Have you ever been in a situation and felt like you couldn’t get through it?

b. According to your feelings you were at a dead end in life & had no way out.

c. But that’s not how faith operates.

13) Faith allows you to feel the way you feel but will move you beyond what you see and feel, by allowing you to zoom in & focus primarily on God’s involvement.

a. For God is actively working behind the scenes, something we should know if were constantly “considering”.

14) Considering that God’s hands are actively involved in our undesirable situations, working it out in our favor.

a. For He is working all things out for His personal glory & for your good.

b. Which is all the reason for us to “consider it all joy.”

15) What type of joy? All joy…

a. Not a partial, not an incomplete joy, but a joy that’s full, pure, in whole.

b. A joy that our Lord 7 savior desires for his people.

16) Listen to Jesus speaking to His disciples in the Gospel of John chapter 15:11.

a. “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

b. Jesus personally experienced the fullness of joy & desired that His followers would do the same.

17) Now, something that should keep at the forefront of our mind is the quality of joy being mentioned here.

a. The joy that James mention is the joy that only Christ can offer and not what the world prescribes.

b. What the world calls “joy” is what I like to call a generic or off brand type of joy.

c. A joy defined as feeling of happiness based on personal success, good fortune, & possession of what your heart’s desire.

d. It’s a joy based on positive circumstances, which is a temporary joy because life isn’t always good.

18) Don’t get me wrong Church, I love off brand & generic types of things.

a. For example, I don’t need fruit loops, just give me loops.

b. I don’t need frosted flakes, just give me flakes.

c. For cereal and many other products, I don’t the generic off brand kind, but when it comes to joy, I will never settle for anything less than what Jesus has to offer.

d. For He offers a joy that’s not based on circumstances but a joy that’s rooted in knowledge.

Transition: A fact proven by James in verse 3. “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, (Cause of joy) 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”

Purification process Vs. 3

1) For James, genuine, high-quality faith is a tested faith.

a. For how can you know the quality of a thing unless it is put to the test?

2) Precious metals, such as gold, contain (junk like material & impurities) that significantly lower the value of the metal.

a. So, to remove these unwanted materials, a metal worker will place the solid precious metal into a container called a crucible.

3) This crucible is then placed in a fiery furnace and heated to the boiling point of the Gold, melting the gold into a liquid form.

a. Then once the gold is in its liquid form, the impurities float to the surface & are exposed to the metal worker who then proceeds to scrape it off the top.

b. And after the impurities are removed, & the gold cools down.

c. So, what you have at the end of this purification process is gold of greater value, because the garbage materials have been removed.

d. For it is the tested Gold that has greater value

4) Brothers & sisters, I’m here to tell you that our faith is much more valuable than gold.

a. But just like gold our faith must go through the fire of purification process.

b. Why? To prove how genuineness and authenticity of our faith in God.

5) When life is good & there are no major issues, it’s tempting to believe that our faith is pure, without spot or blemish.

a. But what happens when our faith is tested in the furnace of life?

b. What happens when the heat is turned up and you begin to melt?

c. Will our faith prove to be of the purest kind, or will we quickly discover the filth in our faith?

6) Filth such as fear, worry, doubt, insecurities, anxiety?

a. If we aren’t aware of the junk in your faith, tests will quickly expose us to this worthless material by causing it to rise to the surface.

b. It’s the fire that reveals the true condition of our faith, not the times of peace.

c. We learn nothing about our faith when life is all good.

d. For It’s through the fights in our relationship, the financial struggles, the constant disrespect of our children & through the loss of loved ones that we learn the extent of our faith.

7) Classic example. Peter, man great of faith, a disciple of Christ, a leader who participated in laying the foundations of the Church.

a. Through testing, this great man of faith realized early on that his faith had room to grow.

8) In the Gospel of Matthew ch. 15:29-33, after Jesus miraculously feeds 5,000 men, He commands His disciples to get in the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side.

a. Shortly before sunrise, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.

b. And when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, assuming they saw a ghost.

c. But Jesus quickly assured them that it’s just me, the Lord.

d. Which then prompted Peter to ask “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.”

9) Then Peter (in good faith), got out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus.

a. Vs, 30 Highlights that that Peter, seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?

10) Now did you notice Peter’s emotional state, how He was frightened, afraid?

a. Then the test highlighted the doubt that contaminated his faith.

11) Is there anyone here who is drowning in a situation, and you have cried out on many occasions saying “Lord, save me?”

a. Did He respond by pulling you out of the situation or is He allowing you to remain in it?

12) If yes is your answer, that God is allowing you to remain in the fire after you have cried out to him, then it best that I stop and say this say this loud and clear.

a. God’s willingness to allow your suffering is not necessarily a sign of His anger or punishment for some sin, but rather a sign of His amazing grace.

13) Hear me clearly, God allows the use the test to breakdown & dismantles our faith, but He is edeveloping a stronger, lasting, & thriving faith.

a. A faith that can be twisted & bent but will not break under heavy pressure.

b. And that type of lasting faith Church can only be achieved through experience.

c. Notice in vs. 3 of James, “For you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”

Enduring Faith =

d. Lasting faith

e. That doesn’t fold or breakdown.

f. Endurance will get you there.

14) Increase of character & new dimensions to your faith

15) The fact that our suffering is not in vain, but there are heavenly & holy purposes involved.

a. Blessing

Wisdom in prayer Vs. 5

1) I mentioned at the beginning of the message that being joyful is unnatural to us.

a. It’s not practice or discipline that comes easy.

2) James, a man realizes this, and he seems to anticipate a question that someone would possibly be asked of him…

a. “James, how is it possible to see my trials as an opportunity to rejoice?

b. I’m operating in faith, but I don’t seem to possess the ability or wisdom to do such a thing.

c. I have the knowledge and faith to hear what you’re saying, but how can I put this knowledge to practice?”

3) So, as a great leader, James probably responded like this, rejoice, have hope, for God will graciously supply all your needs.

4) Let’s look at vs. 5 again…

a. “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

b. Let’s also read James Ch. 5:13, “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray.”

5) In both verses we hear James giving the Church sound advice on how to handle suffering.

a. Stating that in such difficult circumstances believers should ask & pray to the God who is the giver of all good things.

6) Have any of you ever seen a camel’s kneecaps, camel’s knees?

a. A camel’s knees are extremely thick, callous, rough.

b. There are two primary reasons that such thick & rough knees are needed.

c. 1 – it stops the desert sands from burning their knees when they bend down.

d. 2 – Camels carry a burden such as people & luggage.

2) Did you know that James, the author of this letter, was given the nickname camel knees.

a. According to early Church tradition, James spent so much time on his knees in prayer that his knees became rough & callous like the knees of a camel.

b. That’s a true man of prayer, but can I say that about any of today?

3) If I were to roll up your pants leg and examine your knees, what would I find?

a. I could imagine there would be some ashy knees in here because if you like me, you don’t have time to lotion my knees.

b. Or would I find some ashy, dry, hard, musty knees because you understand the power of prayer?

4) Even James in chapter 5:16 this letter stated that, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

a. But why is it effective because God will respond.

5) Let’s read vs 5 of chapter 1, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

a. If we pray to God for wisdom, the ability to rejoice in trials, God will respond. But how?

6) 1 –Generously = freely, without expectation of return

a. 2 –Without Reproach = never make His people feel bad or shame us

b. 3 – And whatever is asked by the righteous person, “it will be given to that person.”

The same God who promised His people that, He would never leave nor forsake them, is the same God that is actively engaged in your life…

Every believer in Christ has the personal responsibility to or thoroughly examine & evaluate their suffering from God’s P.O.V.

our thoughts are clouding by feelings & frustrations

Only genuine faith can survive this process.

Conclusion = God is still in control; He has abandoned you in this season of testing but is graciously working out things out your good & His glory.