A Lesson in Trials (Part 3)
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Alright, well my name is Cody…
Go ahead and turn to the book of James.
We’ve begun a series in the book of James and we are a few messages into it now…let me recap for you.
We began by learning that James is a book of wisdom, like the proverbs, written by James the brother of Jesus who was a prominent leader in the Jerusalem church.
We then began a small series called “A Lesson on Trials”.
In part 1 we covered that…Trials are certain. They come in many forms. They test your faith, produce steadfastness, and sanctify you. So, embrace them with joy, remembering God is sovereign over them.
Last week Shane Sikkema was with us and he taught us in verses 5-8 that if we lack wisdom in our trials we can seek it from God’s word, his teachers, wise counsel, and God’s son.
And tonight, we continue learning about trials in verses 9-12. So let’s read that. I’ll read you follow along.
Continuing on to Part 3 in verses 9-12
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.
So this message in reality serves as a partner to our first message about trials. Let me show you..Here’s a summary of the verses.
v. 2-4: Be joyful when trials come, because those trials create a steadfastness that leads to your sanctification.
v.9-12: What does steadfastness look like? Boasting in your trials to receive the Crown of Life.
Let me explain how I got this summary. You’ll see there that verses 9-11 are about boasting, whether it’s in humiliation or in exaltation (more on that in a few) and then verse 12 switches to calling it being steadfast…meaning, verse 9-11 are an example of what it looks like to be steadfast. You could go through the verses and say “let the lowly brother be steadfast in his exaltation…and the rich steadfast in humiliation” and it would be good. But James takes it a bit further…and gives steadfastness just a bit more color…a bit more nuance…a bit deeper of an understanding. What does it look like to be steadfast? Boasting.
So verse 2-4 James is essentially saying “take heart, cheer up, trials are a good thing that God uses in our life”…and in the verse we are exploring today James is saying “Don’t just cheer up about your trials…go full send…let that joy permeate everything…if you’re gonna let steadfastness have it’s full effect (v.4), then here’s an example of what it looks like”
If you remember in my first message I said to embrace trials…well this is what embracing trials looks like. It looks like boasting.
So that’s our first main point of tonight is boast in your trials.
Boast in Your Trials (v.9-11)
Now we need to start with a great understanding of the word boast. Because oftentimes we take the word boasting to be more like the word “bragging”.
Bragging is when someone has excessively proud and boastful talking. Meaning, bragging comes with a bit of arrogance attached to it.
But boasting in itself, does not have that connotation with it.
Boasting is actually more like, to glory in something, or to delight in it. It’s to take joy in something. (Almost like counting it joy)
In short, boasting is what happens when Joy meets action. It’s an action that stems from Joy.
So here’s the definition we are going with for boasting, as we read this passage and walk through it.
Boasting in trial is having a deep-seated joy that manifests outwardly in one's speech and behavior.
Someone might brag, because they are boasting in themselves…they are glorying in themselves, they find joy in their own praise…
And James is saying here that we are to glory in our trials. Not just that we are to count them as joy…that is be delighted AT them…but actually to find delight IN them.
The rich will have to boast/find joy in/glory in their trials of being humiliated. And the lowly will have to do the same at the trials that lead to exaltation.
But before we get into any of those specifics…I wanted to start at the end and work backwards. Let’s remember how one is able to count it joy. How is one able to count it all joy…and going even further, how is one able to boast in their trials.
By remembering the prize (v.12)
What is the prize? It’s the promised crown of life that God gives to those who love him.
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.
Many of us, when we hear the word “crown” we think of that gold jewell-encrusted crown. That a king wears. Something like this…
Picture of crown
But actually it’s more like this..
Picture of wreath
A crown is bestowed upon a king or queen who may have done nothing to earn it, deserve it, or even appreciate it.
But the wreath…that scripture talks about…like this one that is one at the olympic games…is awarded for perseverance, for steadfastness. And the one who wears it knows what it costs to obtain it…the one who wears it knows the weight of bearing it…the one who wears it has put in the work to be there to receive it.
And this isn’t the only place scripture talks about believers wearing the crown of life…
Scripture
9 “ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
What is Jesus literally telling the church…
Be faithful. Be steadfast. Persevere. Because if you do…I’ll give you the crown of life.
What is the crown of life?
It’s what it sounds like.
Eternal life.
Jesus is saying here…and James is also saying in our passage tonight…that if you persevere in your trial (that is love God in it and through it), if you remain steadfast in them…if you endure through all that life throws at you for the glory of God…then you will receive the promised crown of life.
Let me get really plain.
Your perseverance in trials…directly shows your salvation.
That’s why Jesus tells the parable of the seeds that are thrown onto the ground…some die…some are choked out…some grow a little then can’t withstand trials…and only some persevere. And that perseverance shows the sincerity of their eternal life.
To get it into a point for tonight…boast in your trials…
If you love him (v12).
It says it right there in verse 12. God has promised this crown of life…to those WHO LOVE HIM.
How do we show we love him??
A few ways for sure, but this passage makes clear that one of those ways is remaining steadfast…persevering…a part of persevering is boasting in the work God is doing through trials in our life.
So how do you do that? Well praise God, James gives a couple examples for what it might feel like. And he starts with those that are “lowly”.
If you are lowly (v.9)
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,
Lowly essentially means poor…or of humble circumstance or posture. It’s the exact same word Jesus uses when he says “I am gentle and lowly”…meaning he is not seated on high out of reach…but he is the most humble and accessible.
James says if you are lowly…then count trials as your exaltation. Boast in trials because it is God proving you, testing you, and lifting you up, that what exaltation means.
And I want you to see here…that verse 9 is pretty short. And there are almost no examples given. Why?
Because if you’re lowly (poor, in great need) then the idea of receiving a crown is pretty legit to you.
Long story short…
-It’s easier
If you already have nothing, keeping your eyes on the promised prize and being reminded of it through trial is pretty encouraging.
So…if you are lowly, it can be easier.
Then James goes on to hit the other side…and spends just a bit more time on this one. He talks about those who are rich.
If you are rich (v.10)
10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.
Right there, same sentence, he’s already explaining a bit more as to “why”. That’s why we see the word “because” in there. He doesn’t explain why the lowly would need to…but he does explain why the rich would need to. The fact is… all of us are like flowers in the grass that will pass away…but the one who needs to be reminded of it, according to James, is the one who so easily forgets it. Why do they forget it?
Because they’re rich.
They have what they need.
And because of that, James is saying…it’s harder for them. And he continues that thought in verse 11.
-It’s harder (v.11)
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.
James is saying the rich man needs to keep in mind that his riches are actually worth nothing…
It’s the age old saying. He who dies with the most toys still dies.
So James is reminding the rich that in order to persevere…they will need to recalibrate their mind and soul to focus on the true treasure, the true riches of knowing Christ for eternity. It’s exactly like the story of the rich young man that approached Jesus.
Scripture
20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
So are we tracking so far?
The lessons we need to know in this passage about trials are to..
Boast in your trials, by remembering the prize.
Boast in your trials if you love him.
If you’re lowly, it’s easier.
If you’re rich, it’s harder.
So…I think we have a final question to answer as we wrap up tonight…
So which one are you? How do you know that? How do determine it?
The nice thing…is that it doesn’t matter too much…because the call is the same. BOAST.
But I want to make sure we have some practicals…so let’s help evaluate what category we probably find ourselves in more often.
Let’s start with the rich.
If you’re rich…trials often feel like humiliation.
For example: when your car breaks on the side of the road, losing a relationship/friendship
Cody’s opinion: Most of us American probably fall in the rich category.
But I don’t want to just focus on the rich category. Wanna make sure we hit it all. So what does it look like to boast in trials from the lowly side?
I would say that this feel more like getting kicked when you’re already down.
In extreme examples… it’s going through a famine when you already didn’t food enough to provide in the first place. You’re already trusting in God and he’s just putting you through something to trust in him even more.
In a more realistic example:
You’re in a place where connecting with people has been hard for you, and then you have to go through a life circumstance that makes it even harder (ie. moving)
Another example:
You’re struggling with your health…you already don’t feel like you have good health…and then something else comes along that makes it worst.
You’re already trusting in God and yet you have to trust even more.
So in both of these…how does one glory? If you’re here tonight, and I described you in one of these trials…how do you begin boasting right now?
We end the same way tonight that we ended a couple weeks ago. By changing the narrative in your mind of what’s happening to you.
Teddy Bear Picture Again
Your joy…will lead to an actual boasting as you remain steadfast. A boasting that goes from just emotion and feeling to actual talking. It’s getting to a place of being able not only to find joy in your trials…but speak with joy at what God is doing or could be doing in your trials. Let’s end with this…and example of a people who were doing just that.
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Announcements:
Baptism
3C Retreat, only two more Thursdays after This
Farewell
Upcoming Events