Loving God Under Trials

Introduction:

Anyone who has lived in this world for more than a few days knows trials are a part of life and no matter who you are or how much money you have or how spiritual you are you can’t get away from trials

On Sunday we looked at importance of having the correct perspective as we go through our trial

The purpose of the trial is to cause growth and maturity and to bring about that Christ like character, but with the wrong perspective or the wrong attitude the trail can cause us to grow bitter and even become angry towards God

Recap from Sunday morning:

Joy in the trial because God has allowed it to create growth in our spiritual life

If we allow the trial to have its perfect work then we shall be complete lacking nothing

In our trail we are told to ask for wisdom

How? In faith, without doubting

The way we count our trials as joy is through our heavenly perspective. God is sovereign and He has allowed the trial to help us, not hurt us.

1. (V9-11) Perspective of rich and poor

a) It’s believed that James is stating a general truth that applies to the rich and the poor

Material riches are worthless in the face of death and judgement

2. (V12) Blessed is the man who endures temptation

The mark of of someone who is truly saved is someone who endures temptation, they’re not perfect, but they stay in the fight against sin

a) Blessed

Jesus says In the Beatitudes in Matt 5, Jesus declares that people who experience various kinds of difficulty or undesirable circumstances are in fact blessed by God

The purpose is to approve us; that through the testing we would be revealed as genuine and strong in our faith.

b) Temptation and Trial are the same Greek word

The Trial is an external test, while temptation is an internal test

c) Endures: Persevere under the trail

Resist, stand firm by holding ones ground

Jesus was tempted and He endured

Matthew 4:1 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

Matthew 4:2 “And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.”

Matthew 4:3 “Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.””

Matthew 4:4 “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ””

d) The man who endures is blessed

Blessed because of the godly character you receive from the trial for person who endures

Blessed because you receive eternal life

e) To those who love Him

This describes the motive for resisting temptation, because of our love for God.

The passions of sinful temptation can only really be overcome by a greater passion, and that is a passion for the honor and glory and relationship with God.

When reminded of God’s love and forgiveness it should motivate us to love Him through obedience

1 Samuel 15:22 “So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.”

2.1 (V13) God cannot be tempted by evil

a) “God cannot be tempted by evil,” James focused on God as the self-sufficient Sovereign of the universe.

Conversely, the accounts of Jesus’ wilderness temptation focus on God-Incarnate who experienced all the essential physical and psychological needs associated with humanity—including hunger, fatigue, and the desire for self-preservation. Thus, the biblical truths that God cannot be tempted and yet Christ was tempted are complementary, not contradictory.

2.2 (V14) Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desire

a) Temptation is not sin

b) God given desires

We have God given desires, such as to eat when your hungry, or drink when your thirsty and without that God given desire you would die

c) Drawn away carries with the idea of the baiting of a trap and enticed, in the original Greek means to bait a hook

The hook is concealed with bait making it look appealing

Illustration: The bait conceals the hook, the fish comes along and see this delicious piece of bait. The fish bites on the bait and now they are hooked and drawn away

2.3 (V15) When desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin and sin brings forth death

a) James describes this process of sin in four stages

Desire (V14)

The normal desires of life were given and without them we would die)

Deception (v14)

Temptation always carries with it natural bait that appeals to our natural desire

Disobedience (V15)

Desire conceives a method for taking the bait and the act results in sin

Death (V15)

Disobedience gives birth to death

“Whenever you are faced with temptation, get your eyes off the bait and look ahead to see the consequences of sin”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

b) James ends v16, Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren

He is motivated to warn because of his love for the brethren

2.4 (V17) Every good and perfect gift is from above

We take for granted so many blessings, such as; rain, without it we not survive, but more importantly Jesus Christ

God even gives gifts to those who hate Him

His nature is unchanging

3. (V19) Swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath

a) We may respond to trials by complaining about them and becoming angry over them.

James advised his readers to remain silent ("slow to speak") and calm ("slow to anger"), and to listen submissively to ("quick to hear") the Word of God.[

b) This is also true in our dealings with people who have differing opinion than us

Most arguments happen because we act in the opposite order

Wrath / Rage doesn’t help the situation, it only makes it worse

Being swift to hear is the key to ending arguments

Illustration: In our early years of marriage most of our arguments were simply misunderstandings because I wasn’t quick to hear.

I would say, if you only said that from the beginning we would’t be in the disagreement

And she would say I did, but I wasn’t swift to hear so I missed it

Proverbs 10:19 “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise.”

Proverbs 17:27 “He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.”

3.1 (V21) Lay aside all filthiness and over flow of wickedness

a) Lay aside means to take off or put off

Live as the new man:

Ephesians 4:17 “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,”

Colossians 3:8 “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

3.2 Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls

Meekness: Humility, gentleness (A teachable heart)

Implanted word: The word of God in the human heart

3.2 (V22) Be a doer of the word and not hearer only, deceiving yourselves

Our walk with God must be more than coming to church and listening to the message or going to a class to learn new things

All those things are great, but if your not applying it to our life its useless

a) The parable of the sower describes four types of people

Three out the four hear the word of God but for one reason or another they are doers of the word, but the good soil is the one who hears the word, accepts it, and bears fruit

3.3 (V24) The person hears, but does not do, is like a person who observes his face, but goes away and forgets what kind of man he is

The ancient Greek word translated observing has the idea of a careful scrutiny. By application, James had in mind people who give a careful scrutiny of God’s word; they may be regarded as Bible experts but it still doesn’t result in doing

The person who comes to church, using the Christian lingo, but they leave and immoral living