Have We Trials and Temptations?- James 1:1–18 (Part 1)

The author of the hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” is a man well-acquainted with trials.

He fell in love with a young lady and was engaged to be married. One day, while riding a horse, she fell into a river, while Joseph Scriven stood on the banks of the opposite side, incapable of rescuing her. She drowned.

After this trial, Scriven found another young lady with whom he fell in love. Again he was engaged, and yet this young lady would contract pneumonia and eventually die.

One of the verses from the hymn What a Friend We Have in Jesus says,

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged, Take it to the Lord in prayer:

Can we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness, Take it to the Lord in prayer.

We have a wonderful gift in our trials (notice I am not saying enjoyable). They are wonderful, because despite the pain, their goals are to cultivate the image of Christ in us by the hand of our gracious and loving Father.

Sinclair Ferguson is correct when he remarks there are two ways way typically handle trials: forgetfulness or fixation.

In forgetfulness, Ferguson says,

“We say, ‘I am thankful that is over.’ We thought we had learned important lessons about ourselves and about the Lord—but we drift back into the same old routines.”

With fixation he says,

“We feed our minds and emotions on it until they become poisoned with a spirit of bitterness; we become spiritually warped because we have not been able to cope with our suffering, disappointment, or loss. Forgetfulness on the one hand, and fixation on the other thus stunt spiritual growth.” Ferguson, Maturity, 152

The question is how? How can we approach these unpleasant and sometimes painful experiences in a way that sees them as gifts?

We must develop God-centered living. In Holy Spirit-dependence, we must regularly take refuge in the Word of God as it shapes the way we look at the world.

That is our goal for the next few weeks as we journey through this first half of James chapter 1. In particular, we want, or need, or must see

God-centered living views trials as maturing-gifts from the Master.

“Inclusio is a device by which an author uses the same or similar words or phrases at the beginning and end (or near the end) of sections to mark those sections as constituting a distinct movement in the discourse.” Mark E. Taylor and George H. Guthrie, “The Structure of James,” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 68 (2006): 683

GOD-CENTERED LIVING IN TRIALS

God-centered living views trials as maturing-gifts from the Master

In order to develop this, or grow this mindset, it will take a particular state or mindset with regards to trials. It will necessitate a holistic view of life to include all kinds of trials. It will require a goal-oriented view of trials. Without any of these, we will never excercise God-centered living in trials.

I. The State Needed to Live with Trials (1:2a)

James 1:2 “Joy may be defined as a settled contentment in every situation or ‘an unnatural reaction of deep, steady and unadulterated thankful trust in God.’” Craig Blomberg and Mariam J. Kamell

But how in the world can we “count it all joy” when we face trials? Humanly speaking, it is indeed quite impossible. However, as we adjust and grow in our God-centered living, we realize a little more Who this God we serve is. Remember, James is a bond-servant (slave) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

A. The Basis for the State—A Biblical View of God

The basis for this state—a biblical view of God. James gives us a wonderful picture of this glorious God.

1:5- He is a generous giver

1:12; 2:5–6- He is a faithful rewarder

1:13- He is holy

1:14- He never tempts us to sin

1:17- He is a perfect and good gift giver

1:17- He is immutable (He never changes)

1:18- He is a saving God

1:20- He is righteous

1:27- He is our Father

2:5- He is a condescending God (He chooses the poor)

2:11- He is a communicating God

2:12–13- He is a Judge

2:23– He is a friend

3:9- He is a listening God

3:17- His wisdom is pure, gentle, peaceable, full of mercy, good fruits, impartial, sincere

4:4- He is an engaged God (spiritual war)

4:5- He is a jealous God

4:6- He hates pride and loves mercy

4:8- He is gracious, loving, and relational

4:10- He lifts us up

4:12- He is the only Lawgiver and Judge, Savior and Destroyer

4:15- He is providential/sovereign

5:7–8- He is returning

5:9- He is present and watching

5:11- He is sovereign over life

5:14–15- He is saving

5:17–18- He is a prayer-hearing God

I asked a moment ago, how in the world can we “count it all joy” when we face trials? My question is, when we consider the God who brings the trials into our lives, this God of whom we have spoken of briefly, How can we not count it all joy?

You see, we do not count the trials as a joy, we count (or, reckon, or understand) the trials to be a gift from God to help us know Him more and make Him known.

This is exactly what the apostle Paul teaches in Romans 8:28–29 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

B. The State Itself—A Joyful Contentment with the Work of God

The opposite of counting it all joy is to be miserable, to complain, to fight against the plans and purposes of God.

If God is indeed sovereign and providential, if God is truly using all things in your life to cultivate you into the image of the Son, then any rebelling against this divine plan is an attack on God himself.

The state we need to develop, to grow, is a joyful contentment. It is a state of mind that is based on the truth that our good and gracious God has brought this unpleasant experience to us to help us grow. We are not joyful for the sake of the trial itself. We are joyful because the trial-Giver is providing an opportunity to grow spiritually.

To wet your whistle of our study of the Book of Job, Eric Ortlund writes,

“And surely this leads us, without trivializing the suffering that can meet us, any more than God trivializes Leviathan, to engage with life in God’s world with a joy and confidence we would never otherwise have—to agree with God’s perspective on his world and live as if it were true?” Eric Ortlund, 150

“God’s standard is not perfect performance in pain but faithfulness.” Eric Ortlund, 181

The state itself is joyful contentment. Joy not in the trial, but in the Trial-Giver. Do you think Joseph had this mindset, though he did not have this revelation?

Joseph no doubt did not enjoy his time in the pit, listening to his brothers concoct his doom. Nor did he enjoy his time being wrongfully accused, or his time in jail, or his time being forgotten for two years.

He did, however, have the state of joyful contentment, which is why he could say to his brothers, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” (Gen. 50:19–20, NASB)

This is the state needed to live with trials. We cannot have this state until we begin to grow in our view of God according to His Word and then from that view live with joyful contentment. We also cannot have this state without being followers of Jesus Christ, which is why James addresses my brethren.

II. The Expanse of Trials Faced—Various Trials (1:2b)

God-centered living views trials as maturing-gifts from the Master, which necessitates a God-centered and joyful contented state. But this God-centered and joyful contended state should be all-encompassing, that is, it should realize the expanse of the trials—various.

The “consider it all joy” occurs “when you encounter various trials.”

A. The Certainty of Trials—God-ordained gifts

First, regarding the expanse of trials, we should remember what James is saying. When you encounter trials, not if.

It is a terrible byproduct of modern society, so averting to any semblance of pain or discomfort, when Christians expect life to be easy peasy lemon squeezy. Instead, we should realize that this life is difficult, difficult, lemon, difficult.

You see, God the Father cares more about cultivating the image of God the Son in you by God the Holy Spirit than He does our comfort and ease.

A. W. Tozer puts it this way,

“If need be, God will interrupt your life in any way imaginable without asking your permission.” To which Erin Straza adds, “It is God’s severe mercy to interrupt us, to inconvenience us, to break us out of our comfort habits…” Erin Straza, 46

Can you see how life-altering these blessed teachings of James are? Can you also see how difficult (nay, impossible) they are? Unless, of course, we truly are the slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Trials are certain, but the next point James raises is perhaps more astounding—our joy is not limited to one kind or type of trial, but to all of them.

“Problems are to be viewed with joy not because we actually enjoy them, but because they are part of God’s plan for us.” William R. Baker

B. The Variety of Trials—Every Challenge

This includes all kinds of trials. The question then becomes: what is a trial, or temptation?

First, it may be helpful to clarify what James is describing. In our minds, we often connect temptations to sin, and that is true in many instances in the New Testament, including James 1:13.

There is a different idea captured in the same word, and that is testing, or revealing the character of something. We have this idea captured beautifully in 1 Peter 1:6–9.

So this trial is purposeful and all encompassing. It can be anything.

Being cut off in traffic can be a trial. A fussy baby can be a trial. Dealing with medical insurance companies are definitely trials.

Sitting beside someone you do not particularly get along with at church can be a trial. Listening to this sermon can be a trial!

These are tests, not on which we are to perform, but to reveal the nature of our faith. Like gold being tried by fire, God uses the trials we face to remove the dross of ungodliness from our lives until the purity of Christ is found in us.

We are beginning to have God-centered living when we change the way we view trials.

This is the state needed to live with trials. We cannot have this state until we begin and grow in our view of God according to His Word and then from that view live with joyful contentment.

Equally important is viewing trials in a biblical, expansive way. Every trial or challenge we face is a gift by the Master to grow and mature us. Which brings us to our third and final consideration this morning: the Goal of Trials—maturity.

III. The Goal of Trials—Maturity (1:3–4)

Were we just to focus on the state needed to live with trials and the expanse of trials faced, we would be better prepared to live a God-centered life.

We would still be at an advantage over people like Job (to whom James refers to regarding Job’s endurance in 5:11).

However great this may be, our good and perfect gift-giving Father, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow, tells us through His slave James that our trials have a goal: maturity.

James tells us that, while we are counting it all joy, we are to know that the testing of our faith produces endurance.

Simultaneously we live in this state based on a biblical view of God and a joyful contentment in the midst of trials, whatever those trials may be and know, or realize, or reckon, that there is a goal: maturity.

James 1:3, “This verse introduces the rationale behind the command of the previous verse: why we should count it all joy.” Craig Blomberg and Mariam J. Kamell

The “testing of your faith” produces, James tells us, endurance. We discussed endurance with a great deal of attention in our study of 1 and 2 Peter, but to refresh our memories, endurance is the ability to remain under a burden.

Being faithful under the burden ultimately produces maturity.

A mature Christian is one who, upon facing any trial, is able to do so knowing that it is a gift from the hands of the Master, chiseling away every inch or spec that does not resemble the Master’s Son.

“This word [perseverance] summarizes what a Christian should become, stressing ‘the incremental character of the process’ in which ‘perfection is not just a maturing of character, but a rounding out as more and more ‘parts’ of the righteous character are added.” Peter Davids

God-centered living views trials as maturing-gifts from the Master

How is your view of trials?