From Trials to Triumph

The book of James was written by James the half brother of Jesus (see Matthew 13:55 and Gal. 1:9). He was a firsthand witness of the sinless life of Jesus. It’s pretty shocking that even though James and his brothers and sisters grew up with Jesus, the Bible says that they didn’t believe in Jesus at first (see John 7:2-5). Mark 3:21 even says they thought Jesus was out of his mind! Their unbelief lasted all the way through Jesus’s earthly ministry, but they believed after Jesus’ resurrection (see Acts 1:13-14).

James, Peter, and John became known as pillars in the early church at Jerusalem (Gal. 2:9-12). James eventually became the “senior pastor” of the church at Jerusalem (Acts 12:17). We see James’ humility as he introduces himself in verse 1:

James 1:1 CSB

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: To the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings.

James describes himself as a “servant of God”. The Greek word used here can also be translated “slave” — a person who is legally owned by someone else and whose entire livelihood and purpose was determined by their master.

James could have introduced himself as Jesus’ brother, or Mary and Joseph’s son, or a witness to Jesus’ resurrection, or a key leader in the church at Jerusalem. Instead he introduced himself as someone who gave up all their personal freedom and totally under the control of his master.

In addition to serving the church at Jerusalem, James had a wider ministry. James said he was writing to the twelve tribes of Israel that had been scattered around the world. Over the previous several hundred years, various conquerors (including the Romans in 63 BC) had deported Jews from their homeland and spread them throughout the world.

Many other Jews had voluntarily moved to other countries for business or other reasons (cf. Acts 2:5–11). By New Testament times, many Jews lived abroad. The Greek word diaspora (“scattering”) became way to identify Jews living outside Palestine (cf. 1 Pet. 1:1). The way James describes those who he is writing to as “brothers” several times leads us to believe he was writing to Jewish Christians.

After introducing himself and greeting the believers, James got right to the point. He talks about the ways we can endure the trials we face in life starting in verse 2:

James 1:2 CSB

2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials,

James says the first way we can endure trials is to have a joyful attitude.

We endure trials with a joyful attitude

James says we should consider it a great joy when we experience trials. The word “consider” is a command and not a suggestion. Why does James have to command us to be joyful? It’s because joy isn’t the natural reaction to hardship.

If God commands us to be joyful then it is within the power He gives us to be joyful. God gives us joy when we trust in Him, no matter what we’re facing.

The word consider is a financial term that means “to evaluate.” Paul used it several times in Philippians 3 when he evaluated his life after following Christ and had a new purpose and direction. Things that were important to him before he thought of as garbage.

James says we should have great joy. Your translation might say “all joy” or “pure joy”. It’s not a half hearted joy or a joy mixed with grief. In other words, we shouldn’t fake it. We don’t do it out of obligation, but because we have complete trust in the Lord.

James says we should have joy not “if” we have trials, but “when” we have trials. Jesus said we should expect suffering in life.

John 16:33 CSB

33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

I think this is the hardest lesson for me to learn. I want and expect things to go well for me and I become discouraged when they don’t. We should expect suffering in our life instead of thinking it’s something unusual. Peter writes about it:

1 Peter 4:12 CSB

12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you.

James says we’ll have various trials. Your translation may say “divers temptations”. That word in the original Greek is literally translated multi-colored. Think of a tapestry that is woven from different colored threads. If you only look at the back side, you would see a mess, but from the front you see a beautiful pattern or picture. Each trial is different, but they are used by God to weave a beautiful picture of His grace and love. Corrie Ten Boom wrote a poem about suffering

My life is but a weaving Between my God and me.I cannot choose the colors He weaveth steadily.

Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow; And I in foolish pride Forget He sees the upper And I the underside.

Not ’til the loom is silent And the shuttles cease to fly Will God unroll the canvas And reveal the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful In the weaver’s skillful hand As the threads of gold and silver In the pattern He has planned

He knows, He loves, He cares; Nothing this truth can dim. He gives the very best to those Who leave the choice to Him.

So we face different kinds of trials for different reasons:

We experience trials because of the fall

Romans 8:22 CSB

22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.

The curse of sin brought pain and suffering into the world and we have to face sickness, natural disasters, the burden of work, and broken relationships.

We experience trials because of our faith

John 15:20 CSB

20 Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

Satan and the world is against us and we will face trials because of our trust in God. Satan will attack us when we serve the Lord. Friends and family will turn against us because of our faith.

We experience trials because of our failures

Hebrews 12:5–6 CSB

5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or lose heart when you are reproved by him, 6 for the Lord disciplines the one he loves and punishes every son he receives.

We bring some trials on ourselves because of our disobedience and sin. God loves us and will let us face the consequences of our sin so that we will turn back to him.

We experience trails because of our future

James 1:3 CSB

3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

The next way we endure trials is by having an understanding mind.

We endure trials with an understanding mind.

We don’t take joy in the trial itself, but in the opportunity it provides for us to grow in our faith and our relationship with the Lord. James says we know that trials test our faith and produce endurance. The word “know” means to understand something with more than just “book knowledge” but with personal experience.

We can have joy in trials because we understand their purpose. Trials test our faith to confirm it’s real and to help us develop into the mature disciples God has called us to be.

Romans 5:3–4 CSB

3 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.

The only way God can develop patience and character in our lives is through trials. We can’t develop endurance by reading a book, listening to a sermon, or praying a prayer. We have to go through the hard times in life, trust God, and obey Him.

James 1:4 CSB

4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

Verse 4 says we let endurance have it’s full effect or your translation may say have her perfect work. We have to let God work in our lives through our trials. That brings us to the next way we endure trials with a willing heart.

We endure trials with a willing heart.

We live in the shadow of Bryant Denny stadium and are all familiar with Nick Saban and “The Process” he used to develop championship teams.

The Process is simply Saban's core belief that the willingness to prepare in a methodical, daily basis is the key to success. Saban believes those who focus on the result and not the consistent preparation that is necessary to achieve the result are doomed to be disappointed.

It’s the journey that’s important. You can’t worry about end results. It’s about what you control, every minute of every day. You always have to have a winning attitude and discipline, in practices, weight training, conditioning, in the classroom, in everything. It’s a process. - Nick Saban

We aren’t playing for national championships, and I’m not suggesting that Nick Saban is a theologian, but I think his process has some similarities to the way God uses trials to develop us. Players on Saban’s teams understood that hardship and adversity were all part of the process of getting better. They expected to work hard and face difficult times. When we understand that trials are used by God to become mature and complete then we can experience joy while we trust God to help us.

And we do need God’s help to endure trials. James explains that God is willing to help us endure trials if we have a believing heart. Let’s pick up in verse 5:

James 1:5–8 CSB

5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, 8 being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.

We learn in these verses that we endure trials with God’s help.

We endure trials with God’s help.

God is willing and able to give us wisdom to so we can understand how to use the circumstances for our good and God’s glory. We have access to the wisdom God promises, but only if we ask in faith. We must believe that God will answer our prayer for wisdom.

James compares someone who doubts God to the ocean waves whipped up by the wind. Our family went on a cruise a few years ago and the ship went through a big storm. The ship rocked back and forth so much it was hard to walk down the halls. We went to the top deck and saw the wind and waves crashing against the ship.

We get tossed around like a ship in a storm when we doubt God. It was doubt that caused Peter to sink in the waves as he was walking to Jesus on the water. It’s a sign of immaturity. Paul had a similar idea of growing up into maturity:

Ephesians 4:14 CSB

14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.

Let’s continue in verse 9 to find out the next way we endure trials:

James 1:9–11 CSB

9 Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation, 10 but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field. 11 For the sun rises and, together with the scorching wind, dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance perishes. In the same way, the rich person will wither away while pursuing his activities.

James says that we should endure trials with a humble spirit.

We endure trials with a humble spirit.

He starts in verse 9 with a description of a brother in humble circumstances. Your translation may say a brother of low degree. Even though a believer might be viewed like Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:13 “... we are like the scum of the earth, like everyone’s garbage” they can rejoice or boast in their position as a child of God.

Sometimes God uses poverty to make us mature. Even if we don’t have material things, we are blessed by God by His love and grace.

Ephesians 1:3 CSB

3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ.

We’re tempted to think all our needs can be met if we just had more money. A relationship with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, is more valuable than anything we can have here on earth.

For those who are rich, James says they should be humble because trials teach them that we can lose everything but still be loved by God.

We all tend to trust in material things, but we should only trust in God. James uses the example of beautiful flowers growing in a field until the sun dries them up. Our possessions can disappear just like the flower on the grass.

When you lose your loved one, money doesn’t comfort you. It doesn’t help when you lose your health or are hurt by a friend. Trials are the great equalizer for the rich or poor.

Whatever we’re going through we should remain humble and learn to be content with our situation so we can agree with Paul who said?

Philippians 4:12 CSB

12 I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.

James tells us what happens we we endure the trials of life in verse 12:

James 1:12 CSB

12 Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

We endure trials with hope.

We can look forward to spending eternity with the Lord once our trials are over. James is talking about those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He says that those “who love him” will receive the crown of life.

I’ve heard a saying that for a Christian, this life is the worst it will get. For an unbeliever it’s the best it will get. In other words, everyone who puts their faith in Jesus can look forward to spending eternity in heaven with Him. Those who don’t trust Him will spend eternity separated from God in hell.

That’s why it’s absolutely necessary for you to make the decision to follow Jesus. Your life hangs in the balance. Please hear me when I say that we aren’t going to make it to heaven based on doing good things or going to church.

God won’t let us in heaven even if we think we’re better than the next guy. God says we’ve all done bad things called sin. We have disobeyed God and the penalty for that disobedience is spiritual death and separation from God forever.

The Bible is perfectly clear that the only way to be saved from hell is to ask God to forgive you for your sins, believe that Jesus died to pay the penalty for those sins and was raised from the dead. You have to trust Him with your life. So please don’t put the decision to follow Jesus off another day. We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow.

For the believer, we have the hope of heaven. We can endure trials because we know that they are only temporary. We’ll get new bodies and won’t have to worry about pain and sickness. There will be no sadness and we will be perfectly satisfied to worship Jesus forever.

My grandad was a special person. We called him Paw Paw. He was the hardest working person I’ve ever met. He was a preacher and had the best sense of humor. I remember going to his house when I was young and listening to him talk about the Lord.

He loved southern gospel music and would blast it over some speakers he had in his yard for the whole world to hear. He especially loved songs about heaven. One of his favorites was Moving up to Gloryland by the Cathedrals.

I love to think about a paradise (I love to think about a paradise) Somewhere beyond the blue (Somewhere beyond the blue) A mansion waiting in the distant skies (A mansion waiting in the distant skies) Maybe next door to you (Maybe next door to you)

We'll go parading through the distant stars (We'll go parading through the distant stars) Right down the Milky Way (Right down the Milky Way) The planets Jupiter, Neptune, and Mars (The planets Jupiter and Neptune and Mars) Won't even be halfway (Won't even be halfway)

[Chorus] Oh yes I'm moving, moving, moving, moving Moving up to gloryland Oh yes I'm moving, moving, moving, moving Holding to His nail-scarred hands Don't know when I'm leaving but I'm ready to go When I get to heaven I'll be welcome I know Oh yes I'm moving, moving, moving, moving Moving up to gloryland

I made my reservation long ago (I made my reservation long ago) The day I gave up sin (The day I gave up sin) And when my mansions ready this I know (And when my mansions ready this I know) I'm gonna move right in (I'm gonna move right in) I have a vision of a happy place (I have a vision of a happy place) Where friends and loved ones meet (Where friends and loved ones meet) Right on the corner of God's avenue (Right on the corner of God's avenue) And hallelujah street (And hallelujah street)

I didn’t understand his obsession with heaven when I was younger. I guess I was too busy thinking about the rest of my life to think about it. Now that I’ve reached the halfway point in my life and I’m dealing with pain, sickness, the loss of people I love, and concerns about the world I understand why he thought so much about heaven.

You know that our two daughters have special needs. I’ve watched them struggle with the challenges they face since they were babies. They are an inspiration to me because of the way they face their challenges with the Lord’s help, but my heart breaks for them every time they face a problem because of their disabilities.

I long for heaven where they will be healed and have perfect vision! I can’t wait for the day when they don’t have to struggle with the challenges they face every day. I want them to experience the rest that will come from being at home with the Lord.

I know that many of you are facing trials in your life. I want to remind you of the hope that comes from trusting the Lord with your life. If you have given your life to Him, you have the hope of heaven where we will be reunited with loved ones and won’t have to suffer the trials of this world anymore.

Revelation 21:3–4 CSB

3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.

Let’s wrap things up today with verses 13-18:

James 1:13–15 CSB

13 No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. 14 But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. 15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

James teaches us in verse 13 that God doesn’t tempt us to sin through our trials.

We can’t blame God for our temptations.

Human nature is to blame something else and not ourselves for being tempted and giving in to it. We want to blame God for our problems, but God is holy and cannot sin.

Verse 13 also says that God isn’t tempted by evil and he doesn’t tempt other to participate in it. We’re much different. Verse 14 says that all of us are tempted by our own evil desires. We have a sinful nature that is part of our very soul.

God allows trials in our lives but not with evil intent. He allows us to face temptations to be used for good if we will trust him Him to help us overcome them.

1 Corinthians 10:13 CSB

13 No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.

Finally, we’ll take a look at verses 16-18.

James 1:16–18 CSB

16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

James teaches us that instead of God being responsible for temptation and evil, He is the giver of all good things. If it comes from God ite must me good even if we don’t see the goodness in it right away.

God is the giver of all good things

God loves us and wants what is best for us. This passage says every good and perfect gift is from the Father of lights that never changes. The Father of lights was an ancient Jewish title for God referring to Him as the Creator. God promises to give us what we need:

Matthew 7:7–11 CSB

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.

Application:

See your trial as an opportunity to grow.

Take your problem to God in prayer and ask for wisdom.

Depend totally on God to help you.

Don’t become bitter and blame God for your trials.

What trials are you experiencing right now?

In what area(s) does God want you to grow through these trials?

What Scriptures can you find relating to this issue?

Are you bitter about the trials that you are facing?

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