Give Thanks For Hardship

Introduction:

“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”

Theodore Roosevelt

Hardship and difficulty are aways necessary to make progress. Lewis and Clark did not canoe all the way to the pacific ocean as they had hoped. Instead they were faced with the challenge of hiking through the rocky mountains.

A weightlifter has to push past his limits and shred muscle to build new muscle in order to become stronger.

Losing weight requires discipline. Working hard, making a living, raising kids, growing in your walk with Christ all requires some level of difficulty. You will face hardship in some way. And that hardship is necessary for growth.

Our text shows us today why we should give thanks for these hardships.

James 1:1–4 ESV

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Background

There are a few James in the Bible, but only one, who could just use his name and everyone know who he is. This is James, the half-brother of Jesus, leader of the church in Jerusalem.

What’s interesting about this James is how he came to be leader of the church in Jerusalem. Out of all of the disciples, none were chosen. You would think it obvious that Jesus picks His little brother, but James wasn’t a believer while Christ was ministering with His disciples.

John 7:5 “For not even his brothers believed in him.”

His brothers were trying to get Jesus to do signs to prove Himself to them. And they often ridiculed Him.

And yet after the resurrection…

Paul records all the appearances of Jesus after His resurrection. He lists off disciples and all sorts of people but in 1 Corinthians 15:7, James gets his own line. Not just the family. Not His mother and His brothers. Jesus appeared to James.

Obviously, Jesus had a plan. And part of that plan involved James leading the church in Jerusalem. This appearance to James was great moment of grace. Jesus could’ve rubbed it in his face, “I told you so.” But like the elder brother that the prodigal son needed, Jesus came after His little brother to restore him and give him a place in the Kingdom of God.

One last thing you need to know as you read these words is that James was killed for his faith. History tells us that many were turning to Christ and the leaders took James to the pinnacle of the temple and told him to stop preaching Christ as Lord. But he would not.

They threw him from the top of the temple, but it didn’t kill him. He got on his knees and prayed, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they rushed to him to stone him and one beat him over the head with a club and killed him.

This James tells you to James 1:2 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,”

No one is exempt from hardship.

“when you meet trials…” It’s going to happen. Anyone who has lived long enough to understand what is going on around them has faced hardship. You’ve faced disease. You’ve faced the death of a loved one. You’ve faced betrayal. You’ve faced division. You’ve faced loss of a job. You’ve faced financial or relational trials and difficulties. You’ve faced spiritual difficulty.

No one is exempt. I think this verse is necessary to comfort us. Sometimes we think hardship means that we’ve done something wrong, or that God has abandoned us. Hardships come regardless. Rain falls as a blessing on the just and unjust and so storms and difficulty fall just the same.

Give thanks because enduring hardship strengthens your faith.

James 1:3 “for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

That steadfastness means to stay or make a stand. In stories of heroes, you have one or more who stay behind to fight the monsters or enemies to give other people a chance to get to safety. Those are the guys who stand. Those are they guys who stay. They hold their ground.

In Lord of the Rings, the good people of Rohan are under seige by the evil orks and they seemed to be trapped in their final chamber with the last barricade beginning to fail. Aragorn learns that their is a secret mountain pass, but they wont make it out in time. The enemy would catch up to them. So Aragorn urges the king of Rohan to make a stand. Ride out and meet the orks in battle to draw their attention away from the women and children escaping through the mountain pass. And so they ride out to meet them in battle. They stood their ground.

This is what James tells us happens when we face hardship. When we trust God through the hardship it establishes our faith more. It makes our faith more able to make a stand. It makes us stronger.

So as you face hardship, give thanks, count it joy, because this is an opportunity for you to grow in your faith in God.

Think about what happens when you face hardship. What usually happens? You pray. Maybe you start reading your Bible more. Maybe you go back to church when you had been a little slack in that lately. Obviously some will make judgments on that. Oh you only pray and read your Bible when things get tough. While that may be true. Maybe this time you keep praying after the hardship. You keep reading your Bible, and you stay in church. You tell others about what God has done for you. What just happened? You grew in your walk with Christ. You grew in faith. Give thanks for that.

Give thanks because enduring hardship makes you more like Christ.

James 1:4 “And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

You have to suffer and face hardship because you don’t have everything yet. God’s not done with you and hardship is how He grows you into what He wants you to become, the image bearer of Christ.

Timothy Keller who died of cancer last year, gave an interview about his response to his diagnosis. He prayed initially for healing and wisdom on how to respond. He said God gave him a word, not literally, but that the Holy Spirit impressed on him the word sanctification. He believed that God allowed him to have cancer to help finish the sanctification process that God had for him here on earth.

Hebrews 12:1–2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

That endurance is steadfastness. Jesus stayed by looking ahead to what He was accomplishing through His sacrifice. Jesus stayed in the face of all of the wrath of God. Jesus stayed to face hell for you and me.

Jesus doing that is why we can give thanks for hardship and endure it knowing that we are enduring it with one who has endured far more to save us from sin.

You’re enduring hardship to become more like Christ. You’re standing to get rid of sin, fear, other priorities. You’re standing to become more humble and kind and compassionate. Things that often come through suffering and hardship. You learn to be compassionate towards others because you have had to be the recipient of compassion in your own hardship and suffering.

Look to Jesus though as you go throughout this week. Give thanks for what He stayed to endure for you. And let that empower you to stay and face whatever hardship life throws your way. God has allowed that hardship for your growth. Welcome it. Face it. And watch your faith grow.

Conclusion:

None of this of course is easy. That is why we have Holy Spirit reminding us of these things.

What hardship are you facing right now? How are you doing? Are you sitting there moping in it? Complaining? Questioning?

Or are you trusting God? Are you looking for a way to grow through it? Are you praying about it? Are you digging more into God’s Word for strength and wisdom? Are you relying on brothers and sisters to pray with you and stand with you?

Do you realize what Christ has done for you?

Jesus let Himself be fully engulfed with your sin. And then He let the wrath of God pour on Him all the punishment of hell. And then He died. He did that to save you from sin. He did that so He wouldn’t have to judge your sin and condemn you.

And He rose again to life showing that the work is done and that He is alive and that you can be too if you trust in Him and surrender your life to Him.