Various Trials

Introduction

James 1:1 verse tells us several helpful things

It is held by most bible scholars that James the brother of Jesus wrote this book. There are several thigns we can know about James from scripture. One is that he did not believe in him at first John 7:5 “5 For not even His brothers were believing in Him.”

And I find that detail particularly siginificant because in this he identifies himself as a slave of Jesus Christ. James, at one time an unbeliever in God and the Lord Jesus Christ, has seen the risen Christ and he realizes that his primary relationship to Jesus has changed from brother to Slave. And so I think in James we see a humble man.

And so we know who wrote the book and to whom it is addressed.

to the twelve tribes in the dispertion

There are several things we can know about the tribes in the dispersion

One is their situation at the time of james writing. Acts 8:1-4

Acts 8:1–4 LSB

1 Now Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And some devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. 3 But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he was delivering them into prison. 4 Therefore, those who had been scattered went about, proclaiming the good news of the word.

And so James is writing this letter to people who forced out of their homeland, slandered in atheists for rejecting the plethora of gods that polytheist culture would have them believe. They endured persistent persecution, and were having their brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers tortured and killed by their own neighbors and countrymen.

What kind of message would you think you would write to a people in this situation?

Probably a message to endure trials. That is what the book of James is all about. Persecution was the biggest issue of the New Testament world. In fact, every NT book deals with that idea.

There are some books like Galatians and Romans, that are writing to Judaizers who are trying to revert back to certain tenants of the Old Law in order to avoid persectuion.

There are other books, Like 1 Corinthians, that are written to gentiles that are trying to look more and more like pagans to avoid persecution.

James is writing to churches in the dispersion and so his audience is seemingly more broad. He is writing general truths that can be applied either to the gentile situation or the Jewish. That makes it alot easier to make universal application.

However we dont want to get so carried away with the universal application that we lose sight of the point of the letter.

It is a letter with a particular focus, and argument, and every point James brings up goes to support the idea that he wants those that have been dispersed to endure persecution.

For example an idea that permeates the books is the idea of not just talking the talk of a christian but walking the walk

James 1:22 “22 But become doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

James 2:14–17 LSB

14 What use is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead by itself.

And so he is encouraging them to back their belief in God with fidelity to God. And this is especially pertinent because those who are being persecuted would be especially tempted to claim Christ when convienient and deny him when not.

Another example might be the constant focus on the rich and the poor

James 1:9–10 LSB

9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to boast in his high position; 10 and the rich man is to boast in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.

James 5:1–2 LSB

1 Come now, you rich, cry, howling over your miseries which are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.

And this idea fits in with the broader argument.

One who has become a slave of Christ likely has been estranged by his fellow citizens, and that wouldve effected their bank account. They wouldve lost business, they wouldve been fired from their jobs and would be poor for the gospel.

Someone in this situation would be tempted to leave Christ for earthly riches and so one of the things James deals with in his letter is not looking at temporal earthly riches but rather laying up treasures in heaven. In fact he says the humble is really the one who ought to boast in his high position and the rich one is the one who will be mourning.

Those are two examples to help keep the purpsoe of james in our minds.

Because James is book written to those persecuted, it has many good things to say about trials and we are going to look at three from the first trial

Mindset in trials

Asking God in Trials

Never Blaming God

Mindset In Trials

James 1:2–4 LSB

2 Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith brings about perseverance. 4 And let perseverance have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James begins by encouraging brethren to consider it all joy in the midst of their trials. The word here for joy shares a root with the word grace in fact. And if you want to ask me about it after words, I think there is some evidence in the greek to point to james alluding to the idea of the grace that trials are.

That is somewhat of a weird idea! In what way can trials be a grace?

As christians our goal is to walk where Christ walked and look to his example: Luke 9:23–27 “23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. 25 “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? 26 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 “But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”” Revelation 14:1-5

Revelation 14:1–5 LSB

1 Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been purchased from the earth. 4 These are the ones who are not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.

And one of the things that means is suffering with Christ

2 Timothy 2:11–13 “11 It is a trustworthy saying: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; 12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we will deny Him, He also will deny us; 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”

2 Timothy 3:12 LSB

12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Galatians 2:20 LSB

20 “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

And so we ought to consider it a joy to be able to suffer with Christ!

(Story of Peter’s execution)

I beseech you, crucify me thus, with the head downward, and not otherwise; and the reason wherefore I will tell unto them that hear. I am not worthy to die in the same manner as my Lord.

Do we look at persecution like this?

Our Lord suffered for us thus it is an honor that we might be given the opportunity to thank God by suffering for him.

(Story of friend loving girl so much that she would live for her)

Thats the opportunity we get to Live for our Lord. That ought to be a joy.

How sweet to be their childrens fate if they like them would die for thee

If for this reason alone, we ought to be excited to suffer for the name. But the reason for suffering goes even deeper than that. We ought to count it all a joy because persecutions make us perfect and that is what we are commanded to be!

Matthew 5:48 LSB

48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

And the trials are the way God equips us to be perfect Malachi 3:1–3 “1 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says Yahweh of hosts. 2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a smelter’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 “And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to Yahweh offerings in righteousness.”

Being made perfect is a painful process! Just like refining Gold or silver but it can have great effect.

(Silversmith story)

1 Peter 1:6–7 LSB

6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

And our part in the trial is to allow God to do so. It is not trials in and of themselves that will produce perfection it is the mindset of the person. Notice what James commands: Consider it all joy, Knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance Let perseverance have its perfect work. These are all things that I can do. And all things that I must do! t is my job as child of God to endure my fathers discipline and approach with right attitude.

And so when we consider persecution all joy, and when we allow perserverance to ahve its perfect work, we can be perfect as God is perfect.

Let Him Ask of God

James 1:5–12 LSB

5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith, doubting nothing, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to boast in his high position; 10 and the rich man is to boast in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with a scorching heat and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away. 12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

This is the only way perseverance can have its perfect work, if we ask of God.

You see we can do all we can to try to to get wisdom but without the Lord in it with us, it will be to no avail!

Psalm 127:1–2 LSB

1 Unless Yahweh builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless Yahweh watches the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early, That you sit out late, O you who eat the bread of painful labors; For in this manner, He gives sleep to His beloved.

If the Lord is not in your quest for perfection you can forget it!

Now, at the same time: We are not just asking God while being passive in our quest for wisdom.

Proverbs 2:1–6 LSB

1 My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2 To make your ear pay attention to wisdom, Incline your heart to discernment; 3 For if you call out for understanding, Give your voice for discernment; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will understand the fear of Yahweh And find the knowledge of God. 6 For Yahweh gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and discernment.

Do you see the conditional nature of this promise

The word if is the biggest little word of the bible, as solomon writes his son and records for him the wisdom God has revealed to him he talks about how to find it, and look at what he says do.

he says receive the words, treasure his commandments, he says to call out for understainding, that puts in my mind the idea that he is desperate for wisdom to coem his way. He says to seek wisdom as silver, Matthew 13:44 “44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

Its the idea of selling out for wisdom; putting it as your priority! And it is then that Yahweh will give wisdom, as both James and Proverbs point out.

And cant wisdom be of special importance when talking about God’s wisdom. When enduring persecution it is so important that you dont latch on to any insecure footing, but that you grab hold of God! Proverbs 14:12 “12 There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” Psalm 119:105 “105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

While we are going through trials God is the only constant. In the book of Job, everything under the sun is taken away from him. And one of the most courageous moments in all of the story is found in chapter Job 2:9-10

Job 2:9–10 LSB

9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!” 10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the wickedly foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept calamity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

After Job has lost everythign he has nothing to hold on to but God, he holds fast his integrity when there is nothign else to hold fast to. To give up on that would be wicked folly.

Matthew 7:24–27 LSB

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 “And the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and fell against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 “And everyone hearing these words of Mine and not doing them, may be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 “And the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

In this parable as the rains descended and a great water encircled the houses, the foundation of the wise man’s house is the precepts of the Lord. And that is the only foundation he could possibly hold to!

Ecclesiastes 4:1–4 LSB

1 Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold, I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them. 2 So I lauded the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. 3 But better off than both of them is the one who never has been, who has never seen the evil work that is done under the sun. 4 I have seen that every labor and every success of the work is the result of jealousy between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes is a book that grapels with the purpose of life, and the things the preacher observes are that life is vanity (Hevel) it is a vapor, it is striving at the wind. If you try to grab hold of the thigns here and now and seek stability in the temporal things of this world, you will find that they are all fleeting. God is the only thing to grab hold of. Through the wickedness and tragedy of this world. God is the only one who can see you through. The man who wavers in his faith James says in verse 6, is a wave driven and tossed by the winds of life. If you are to be made perfect, if you are to be seen through the storms of life you must hold fast the precepts of the Lord.

Let No One Say I Am Being Tempted By God

James 1:13–18 LSB

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully matured, it brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. 18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

The word for tempted here is a similar word to the word trial in verse 2. I think James does this to shift our focus. In verses 1-12 the word persecution applies most directly to trials, but has additional application to temptation to sin, a shift takes place as now it applies most directly to sin and has application for trials

In verse 13, the biggest mistake you could make while going through temptation or a trial is to say “I am being tempted by God” in fact, in essence that’s what Job’s wife is asking job to do. Curse God for whats going on and die. She speaks as one of the wickedly foolish women.

And why is this such a mistake? It absolutely defies the nature of God for two reasons. “God cannot be tempted by evil.” I take it to be that James is trying to especially highlight God’s holy nature, God is so holy and so right and so true that he cannot even be tempted to do evil, and additionally, God would never entice someone toward sin by tempting them, because he wants his children to abstain from evil.

To blame God for the trials and temptations in life, would be as silly as blaming the giver of every perfect gift, for a gift bad and imperfect, blaming the only stable foundation in life for a variation and for blaming the father of lights, for shadows.One must realize that any darkness in life is likely a result of an absence of God and so we must draw near to him as James will command us to later on in the book.

And let me tell you that Blaming God for persecution is not the attitude of a child of God

In Psalm 73 Asaph is looking out and seeing that the wicked are prospering. And this is confounding to him. But what I want to appreciate is his attitude. Psalm 73:1-2

Psalm 73:1–3 LSB

1 Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart! 2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, My steps had almost slipped. 3 For I was envious of the boastful, I saw the peace of the wicked.

he recognizes God is good to Israel, he is the sure foundation, the faithful God, and it is him that had almost stumbled, it is not God who created a disordered world but rather him who is confused. This must absolutely be our attitude, if we have a question, if we are discouraged by something, realize it is a me issue not a “thee” issue

Perhaps the greatest example of israel’s trials is found in the book of Lamentations. Lamentations is written by Jeremiah as he observes the desolation of the city of jerusalem and the utter desparity that he finds within the city he mourns and laments and does so in a beautiful fashion.

Israel is in a time where sin has become fully grown and brought forth death. Jeremiah 2:13; Jeremiah 5:7

Jeremiah 5:7 KJV 1900

7 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.

“How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Count The Ways” The how word expresses the impossibility of it. How could God pardon Israel for their backsliding and iniquity.

And so God has to punish them and he has warned israel about this.

In Leviticus 26:12

Leviticus 26:12 LSB

12 ‘I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.

This is the best blessing you find in the covenant. Being with and around God.

In Exodus 33 after Israel has forsaken the Lord and erected the golden calf. God tells Moses that he will fulfill his promise in bringing them into the land, but he will not go with them, he will send his angel. But Moses entreats the Lord, “If you will not go with us, do not take us up from here.” Moses would rather die in the wilderness with God, than be in the promise land without God.

This fact alone should've motivated Israel’s obedience.

But if that were not enough, God reveals the curses of the covenant as well. And he will will punish them 7 times for their backsliding. Leviticus 26:29 “29 ‘Further, you will eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters you will eat.”

And this is the promise we see come to fruition in the book of Lamentations, Israel has acted faithlessly and so they must be punished.

Lamentations 4:10 LSB

10 The hands of compassionate women Boiled their own children; They became food for them Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

It is so severe that even the compassionate women are cooking their own children. Things are as low as they could possibly be. And I find it interesting how the Lord tells them to handle it.

Lamentations 3:25–30 LSB

25 Yahweh is good to those who hope in Him, To the soul who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of Yahweh. 27 It is good for a man that he should bear The yoke in his youth. 28 Let him sit alone and be silent Since He has laid it on him. 29 Let him put his mouth in the dust; Perhaps there is hope. 30 Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him; Let him be saturated with reproach.

He begins by establishing a truth abound God.

He is good to those who hope in him, God is faithful.

But Israel has not been good to God, they have not been Faithful to Yahweh

And so Jeremiah will tell the man who has commited this sin against the Lord to sit alone and be silent

When we had KiKi was with us in our home, things could be difficult. It would break your heart to see a girl so innocent, whose life had been manipulated by the devil so that she would have no constant in her life. And during that time there was a friend I had that I would talk to and it would put me at ease,and help remind me that there was still good in the world. It was a distraction.

Here the Lord will say sit alone, let there be noone in your life to distract you from the guilt of your sin and your peril.

And he will tell them to be silent, do not talk back to God, because you are the one who has put yourself in this situation.

And if you would be tempted to say I am being tempted by God, or to talk back to your maker.

Fill your mouth with dust, make it so that it is imposible to say anything back to your maker.

If your tounge causes you to sin cut it off and throw it away. If you are at a point in your life where you are even tempted to blame God you are in a bad spot in deed.

Whenever your in the midst of trials remember that God is the faithful one, he is the one in whom their is no variation. You are the one who is carried away.

And we are seeing this concept in James 1. James will say each one is tempted when carried away by his own “desire .” That word desire has both positive and negative connotation in the old and New Testament. It’ first used when God makes the trees in the garden of Eden and makes every tree that is desirable for food. The second time the word desire is used is more with the idea of lust Genesis 3:6

Genesis 3:6 LSB

Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, so she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

Here we see Eve, who has been enticed by her own lusts. It is not God who causes her to sin.

There was food in abundance, so hunger did not encourage the eating of the forbidden fruit. The Garden of Eden was so big four rivers ran through it, so there was no reason for the temptation to be constantly before their eyes. But mankind is weak. When the serpent tempted Eve, she was beguiled and ate of the forbidden fruit. She gave it to Adam and he ate also.

The Unfolding of God’s Plan, Bob Waldron

When Eve is tempted by the serpent she is close enough to the tree to carry on a conversation with a snake, what that tells me is that the desire to sin was already in her. It would have been stupid to blame God for creating the serpent (which she does by the way) or for creating the tree. It is her own lusts that get the better of her. And so when we are tempted or when we go through trials in our life, we are not to blame God.

Conclusion

In conclusion James is a book which has many practical things with regards to trials.

In this passage we have discussed three things

Count it all Joy that you would get to suffer with your Lord

Rely on God in the Midst of Trials

And Never Blame him for anything.

There is as always so much more to be said, and as always we will not be able to do this passage justice.

I hope these things can be applied for us as we go back to school.