James Week 2 - Trials
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Trials
Trials
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
12 Blessed is the man who remains 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.
James doesn’t address himself as the brother of Jesus, but rather a servant or slave
The Greek word he uses is δουλος which is often translated as servant, slave, bond-servant
It shows that you are literally indebted to someone/something
James then moves immediately into his content, not one to waste time.
He says we should count it all joy when we meet trials
Notice he doesn’t say that trials will be easy
Or that you’ll be able to handle all of them
It is important to note that James did not say that a believer should be joyous for the trials but in the trials
He simply says to count it as joy
It is clear that the reference here is to external trials, or tests of stamina (peirasmois) whereas later in the same chapter (James 1:13) the verb form (peirazomai) of that noun is used to speak of inner temptations, or solicitations to sin.
What purpose is trials?
What purpose is trials?
Test our faith (Exodus 16:4)
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.
Keep us humble (2 Corinthians 12:7)
7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
Take our satisfaction off of stuff and onto God (Hebrews 11:24-26)
24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
Give us a desire for God (Philippians 1:21-24, 2 Corinthians 4:14, 16-18)
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.
14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.
Show what we really love (Genesis 22:1, Luke 14:26)
1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
Prepare us to help others through their trials (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
Produce strength for greater service to others (2 Corinthians 12:15)
15 I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?
Make us rely on God (2 Corinthians 1:8-10)
8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.
Strengthen our prayer life (2 Corinthians 1:11)
11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
Make us more like Jesus (James 2:4)
4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
It’s important to remember why James tells us to "persevere with joy" during trials:
Trials are certain. You are going to have them! You can't control trials, but you can control your response.
Scripture commands us to have joy in trials.
Joy comes from God, not from your circumstances. So if you have/know God, then that produces joy in life despite what is happening around you.
You have the family of God to help you find joy in God (that's why being a part of a local church and being in an rGroup is so important!)
Joy is a great witness to the world. There is nothing more powerful and awe-inspiring that a person that is suffering and going through trials, yet still remains faithful to God. Your attitude and response to trials is one of the most powerful witnesses you'll ever have the opportunity to show. Don't waste it!
Verse 5 is maybe one of the most quoted verses from the book of James.
Some people take this as an on-the-spot prayer when you have a big decision.
That’s possible, but here’s another consideration: the wisdom that God has generously given us is primarily written in the Bible. God has already given it to us, we just have to search the Word.
Have a problem? Search the Word.
Confused about a decision or issue? Search the Word.
The broader principles found in the text often point us towards the specific answers we want in daily life.
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
How do you view your relationship with Jesus? With God the Father? Which of these words applies best: volunteer, citizen, employee, slave, fan, or friend?
Do you see your faith as an effort to appease God's demands, or as an exercise of love for him?
How would your life change if you began to think of yourself as a servant of God?
How would your life change if humility was your dominant characteristic?
Name a situation in which you can clearly see the benefit of remaining faithful despite trials and opposition.
How have you used a trial that you've been through to accomplish something on the list above? How have you been the benefactor of someone else's trials?
When do you find it most difficult to hope in the Lord during a trial?
What do you think being "perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" means?
Have you asked God for wisdom in trials? What has been your experience with that?
Suffering breeds desperation. So why is desperation with God a good thing?