Trials Cause Maturity

Who is James?

Before we get into the meat of the text, we have to pause and look at verse one and answer the question who is James.

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

James is the author of this book. It is very simple to see this because the very first word is “James.” The problem is that this was a very common name back in the Biblical times. In the New Testament, there are 6 people stated that are named James.

How do we know which one wrote this book?

We see on how James worded it here, that there was no need for him to state who he was. This means that he would have been “famous” to the people in the church.

This is like if I said there was this great basketball book and on the front all it said where the name of the author should be is “Kobe.” You guys would know that the book was written by Kobe Bryant.

It is the same thing here, this James is famous enough that he does not have to say anything else because he is known.

Because of this, that limits the James’ to two options. It is either Jesus’s brother who was James, or it was a man named James of Zebedee. So now that we have narrowed it down to two people, we have to find out which one of these that it could be.

Now we have to pull in the rest of the New Testament and see what it reveals to us. In Acts 15:13-21, we see this man named James who says that the church should write a letter to people in other towns to warm them of their sin and tell them about Jesus.

So here we see that James the brother of Jesus says that he wants to write a letter to let people know about Jesus, and here we are.

James calls himself a servant of his brother.

This is important because James did not believe that Jesus was God when Jesus was still alive. We see in John 7:5 “(For not even his brothers believed in him.)” that James did not think that he was God.

Now after he had died, risen from the dead, James sees that he is really God and wants to tell people about him.

You might say well wouldn’t his brother seen all the things that he had done and believe at a younger age? Well maybe you can assume that, but think if it was your brother. If Logan did a magic trick and was really wise and told Lillian that he was the son of God would she believe him? Absolutely not!

Who is James writing to?

James is writing “to the twelve tribes” but what does that mean?

James had a heart for the Jewish people. He was a Jew and he did not believe in his own brother.

So when he says that it is the twelve tribes all around, he means that he was trying to get any Jewish person, any person who could trace their heritage back to the twelve tribes to read this.

This does not mean that we cannot apply all of this information to our lives.

This book is very practical and explains what faith is well.

Some people even call in the Proverbs of the New Testament.

Just like Joel talked about how the book of Titus is written to Titus, but we still apply all of the information. Even though this is written to the Jewish Tribes, we still can apply this to us today.

Joy during Trials (vv. 2-4)

James 1:2–4 CSB

Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

What is the hardest thing that you have ever gone through?

Break-up’s? Y’all ever been through one of those? They are no fun at all.

Someone passing away? Man my grandpa passed away just a year ago and that was tough.

What about some other hard things?

Failed a test?

Got rejected on a date?

Anyone been punched before?

We all go through things, but the Word tells us that in various trials we need to consider it joy.

That is HARD!

Do you think that I was filled with joy when I got the phone call that my Grandpa passed? No, I was sad.

Do you think I was filled with joy when I got punched in the face? No, I was mad.

You might be saying man, I don’t like this book because it says when life throws a curve ball it tells me that I have to be a NPC that always smiles and is happy no matter what. But that is not what it is saying.

What does it mean then? What is this joy?

This is more of a state of being rather than emotional.

This is looking at it through the lens of :

man, that relationship ended, but what if God has something better.

My grandpa passed, but he is in heaven, a way better place, no longer experiencing the pain that he did here on Earth.

Or maybe you do not know the reasoning yet or might not, like getting punched in the face. Taking a step back and forgiving the person, not letting it ruin your day.

Jesus got angry. He got sad. He flipped tables when they were selling stuff in the temple and he cried when his friend died. It is okay to have emotions, but your overall state should be joy.

There is a whole book in the Bible called Lamentations, who knows what a Lament is? The definition is a expression of grief and sorrow.

It is okay to have emotions

It is not how we should feel emotionally, but how we should think spiritually about our circumstances.

This is NOT a fake it until you make it situation.

If you are broken, you are welcome here.

Do you know why? We are all broken, we are all sinful.

The church is not a gathering place for the perfect, it is a hospital for sinners.

All of us are sinners that all go through life, the ups and downs, the twists and the curves.

We all will go through trials.

Trails are a guarantee.

But trials are ultimately good.

It is impossible to mature spiritually without trials.

This is why James is saying this though. It is so important to remember who he is talking to. He is talking to Jews who are scattered. He is talking to God’s people. Saying hey, people are going to not like you. Christianity was so heavily persecuted during this time.

Every area believed in multiple Gods.

Christianity said their is only one.

They refused to worship the emperors and kings.

They were just different and there was so much persecution for so many different reasons.

Without these trials though, we would not mature.

We have to lean into the hardships and find the joy within them.

We are promised trials, but with God we can find the joy even in the hard times.

Trials come because they cause endurance. What does it mean to have endurance?

Being able to withstand hard things, not once, but over and over again.

When life does not go your way, you look at it with joy. Then it doesn’t go your way again, you look at it with joy.

Illustration

This happens over and over again, until we are mature. God is transforming us in these moments when we seek joy.

Just like coal, that is turned into diamonds over pressure and time, God is moving in us when we seek him, and seek his joy.

God is not saying that he is going to make you perfect and sinless when he says perfect and complete. But, becoming mature in him, where you are striving to him and not other things.

When you seek Christ in difficult moments, you will grow in him. Lean on him. Ask him for things, maybe even ask him for wisdom.

The Need for God’s Wisdom (vv. 5-8)

James 1:5–8 CSB

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. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.

In verses 5-8 James starts to talk about wisdom. It might seem like he completely shifts gears from trials to wisdom, but there is still one thing in common.

James does not want you to lack anything.

He says this in the end of verse four.

Now he says if anyone lacks wisdom.

We are always going to lack wisdom though. God will always be wiser than anyone here on Earth.

No matter how hard we try, we will never have the wisdom we want and need.

God is telling us to ask him for wisdom, to be able to fill this void. We will never be complete without asking for it.

We have to ask.

There is not an ask in the world, no question too big for God.

He wants us to come to him in faith and ask for his wisdom, for him to lead us and to guide us.

God is generous and he gives to us when we ask.

Rule #1: We Must Ask.

So I have to ask God, that is simple, yes, but there is more.

When we ask we have to do so in faith.

God does this because if he did not everyone would be asking. An atheist could ask and get wisdom.

God wants HIS wisdom to be given to HIS people.

That is why it has to be done in 1000% faith.

Faith, faith, and more faith.

Rule #2: Ask in Faith.

So what happens to the people who do not have faith?

Well the scripture tells us.

That person is like the sea, being tossed by the winds.

The sea is scary. It is super scary back for them. This is because of how unknown the sea is. It is chaotic, it does what it wants.

Going out so far into the sea where you cannot see land is scary. You might tell me no, Braden you are wrong. I went on a cruise once and it was the best week of my life.

Guess what? That boat is one giant, so it is not going to be affected by the storms and two it has GPS.

People feared the sea because it was unpredictable.

People did not know if they would go out and die in their small boat.

Or is they would go out and get caught in a storm and lost.

Either way, you never knew what was going to happen with the sea.

It is the same way. You never know what is going to happen to a person without faith. You must ask in faith, because if you do not have faith you are unpredictable.

You can change your mind, you can get lost, but it is so easy to become double minded without faith.

Verse seven tells us that a person who asks without faith and does not believe in God should not expect anything from the Lord

Let thank sink in for a minute.

A person who is a doubter should not expect anything from the Lord.

We talked some on Sunday about how the word of God convicts. Knowing that in my moment of doubting I should expect to receive nothing from the Lord.

But that is the same on the contrary.

God is always with his faithful followers.

Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.”

So when you face the trials that we talked about earlier, you do not fear because you have God. When life does not go your way. When you get knocked down. When you get broken up with, your car gets stuck in the snow, you see it as joy.

You have his wisdom because you asked him for it. He is walking along side of you.

And this is all because you followed him IN FAITH.

He gives to all who ask in faith.

Take away: Ask God for Wisdom in faith, lean into him, and he will provide.

Godly Status > Earthly Status (vv. 9-11)

James 1:9–11 “Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation, but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field. 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.”

This section compares two people, the humble and the rich. James was really nice here by saying the “humble person” because he was trying to be nice and say the poor or the less fortunate.

He compares then and says that he humble person should boast.

What does it mean to boast in being poor.

James is saying do not lament in poverty.

You have to be able to find joy in the hard times. Even in poverty.

This is not what the poor would have thought.

It would be hard to find joy.

They thought that God has blessed the rich people and gave them a lot. This is not what Jesus taught though.

Matthew 19:24 “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.””

Jesus came and said that the poor are the more fortunate. They know they need God more than the rich.

But there is a message for the rich as well.

They should boast in humility.

The rich people need to bring themselves down.

Just like Jesus said they have a harder time entering the Kingdom of heaven.

But they focus on their riches, their things, but not God.

It is hard to focus on God when you feel like you have all you need.

They cannot find with joy in their things, they need to find their joy in the Lord.

When you find your joy in things that are not of the Lord, you are like a flower.

Well flowers are pretty! That is cool.

Well with the help of a quick google search you will see that the lifespan of a field flower is only a few days to a few weeks.

That is in normal conditions.

But this passage says that the hot sun and the scorching winds come, they not only are strong enough to kill the flower, but also the grass around the flower.

The flower head falls off.

Its brown and ugly.

Then all of the sudden, no one wants to be a flower.

This is the same with money.

It is cool to have all of the things.

To have the nice car.

The mansion of a house.

The pool and hot tub in your back yard.

But it is easy to focus on “things.”

All of our Earthly things will perish, but God always remains.

a relationship with God is way more important than anything else.

The Promised End Result (v. 12)

James 1:12 “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.”

When you have a relationship with God, he promises to be there.

God sees his promises through!

Through trials to help you see joy.

Through wisdom to those who ask.

Through salvation to those who believe.

It is not only in this life, but the life to come.

Conclusion

We are all going to face trials.

I know it is hard to see things as pure joy, but God is there.

I know it is hard to ask for things when life is tough, but God is there, ask him for wisdom.

And I know life is hard when you are chasing after other things, but God is there. He wants a relationship with you. He wants you to let him in and receive the crown of glory. To have salvation in him and him alone. To those who love and believe in him, we are promised this.

So if you have placed your trust in him, great.

Keep fighting the good fight.

Keep finding joy, keep asking for wisdom, keep pursuing him.

But if you never have.

There is a God who wants to show you have to find joy and fight your battles with you.

So if you have not, why not today, come talk to me or a leader and we would love to help you through that.