A Pathway to Joy During Trials

James 1:2–4 ESV

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Every generation of Christ followers has experienced trials of a kind.

Especially the Believers who received this letter.

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letter of James A. Enduring Trials Brings Spiritual Maturity (1:2–4)

By placing trials in this position of prominence in the letter, James suggests that the tough times the believers were facing were a key reason for his writing to them

Believers during the time James wrote were experiencing imprisonment, disbursement, persecution, and death for their faith in Christ. Along with every other trial non-christians face.

While we aren’t experiencing a trial because of our faith, we are experiencing a trial that will challenge our faith. That’s why, I will be preaching on this first chapter of James for the next few weeks.

This series is called: Sanctified Faith: How trials mature our faith in Christ.

This week - 1:2-4 - Joy in Trials

1:5-8 - Wisdom in Trials

1:9-11 - Humility in Trials

1:12-15 - Fighting Temptation in Trials

1:16-18 - Holding Firm to God's Gift in Trials

Joy in Trials -

I would define joy as being an experience of gladness or satisfaction.

I would define a trial as any experience that causes distress our tempts us to uncertainty

When we consider both joy and trials in this manner, it can appear that joy and trials are actually contradictory experiences.

But, this text seems to indicate that both experiences can be present realities for us.

Most likely, Trials will want to overtake joy.

How do Christians find joy in the midst of trials?

Three helpful idea for finding joy in trials...

The first idea is something you can do before trials even get to you.. It’s something that prepares you for trials...

Accept That Trials Are Inevitable

James 1:2b ESV

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

James says “when”, not “if”.

Many preachers would want you to think that trials mean you aren’t performing good enough for God

They sometimes say that you can avoid trials by having enough faith.

These are flat out lies.

We cannot escape the experience and pain of trials. They are inevitable because the World has not yet been fully remade - Which we learned about last week. It will be. But, it’s not yet.

The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive Benefits of Facing Trouble

This means anything that can happen to any human being can happen to a Christian.

We will experience trials.

James says that these trials we will experience can come in “various kinds”

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letter of James A. Enduring Trials Brings Spiritual Maturity (1:2–4)

By stressing that the trials were “of many kinds,” James deliberately casts his net widely, including the many kinds of suffering that Christians undergo in this fallen world: sickness, loneliness, bereavement, disappointment.

All shapes and sizes

They can be small or big

They can be from poverty or find us in wealth

They can be sicknesses or persecutions

They can be local or worldwide

We must accept that God has never promised us that we will never get sick, or that we will never loose our jobs, or that we will never loose a loved one.

Some of you are currently experiencing severe illnesses. Some of those illnesses are heading toward physical death.

Some of you will eventually get sick

Some of you will loose your jobs

Some of you will loose a loved one. All of us lost a loved one last week!

It’s best for you to make peace with God regarding this reality. That can only come from realizing that God Himself came down as Jesus and experienced these things too!

As Americans, most of us have lived like kings and queens our entire lives. Trials, like I’ve just described, don’t mesh well with people who’ve rarely experienced poverty, discomfort, and disease.

Most people despair in trials.

Recently, I saw a facebook post from an atheist asking “where is your God now?”

Because of his beliefs (let’s call it “worldview”, he doesn’t have the ability to understand trials beyond despair.

Christians are able to rejoice in trials.

That leads us to the second idea

You must...

Reshape Your Interpretation Of Trials

James is telling us to change our outlook… Change our worldview...

This is a reshaping of your situation. You don’t ignore the situation, you just process it differently. The Psalms are excellent examples of how Saints have been doing this for centuries.

Instead of seeing a hardship as a trial, look at it as training!

James 1:2–3 ESV

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

“Count it” - An imperative (Command) - The word for “count it” is used to describe someone directing or leading something or someone. This will take controlled effort - This is the reshaping...

“all Joy” - Pure Joy - anything that dispels gloom and causes cheer

“My brothers” - This is to the church. Not to the world.

“When you meet trials of various kinds” - That which we have already established is inevitable.

“For, you know” - Because - James is about to tell us what we should believe about trials. He’s about to give us a fact about our reality.

“The testing of your faith” - James pin-points exactly what trials really are… Trials are the means by which true faith is exposed as being true and False faith is proven to be false.

“Testing” was the word used for the process of purifying silver and Gold at hot temperatures.

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letter of James A. Enduring Trials Brings Spiritual Maturity (1:2–4)

The difficulties of life are intended by God to refine our faith: heating it in the crucible of suffering so that impurities might be refined away and so that it might become pure and valuable before the Lord.

While it testing denotes that something is being refined, it also is meant to expose the authenticity of the thing being tested.

The Christian is able to say “I have an ace up my sleeve!” “I know who reigns in heaven.” “I know who ordains it all” “I know what awaits me”

The fake Christian will buckle under the distress. What they truly believe about God will be completely exposed as such.

This testing, “produces steadfastness” - This is one of God’s goals for allowing us to experience trials. God want’s to strengthen faith that it might endure until the end. A faith that is consistent through easy trials and hard trials. James indicates to us that just like the muscles in your body, when faith is stretched, the continual strain will only increase its durability and the load it can bear.

Those who wish to run a 5k must train and train and train. The longer they train the longer they can run in the race. Tested faith is the same. The more training by testing a Christian has, the greater their endurance will be.

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letter of James A. Enduring Trials Brings Spiritual Maturity (1:2–4)

Like a muscle that becomes strong when it faces resistance, so Christians learn to remain faithful to God over the long haul only when they face difficulty

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letter of James A. Enduring Trials Brings Spiritual Maturity (1:2–4)

The picture is of a person successfully carrying a heavy load for a long time

What does Steadfastness look like day-to-day?

Simply put: it’s just drinking from the wells of God’s grace daily

Trial in marriage - The hardship might be because of disconnect or consistent sin patterns

Remind yourself of God’s word: “proverbs says he who finds a wife finds a good thing” I’m choosing to believe that today.

Remind yourself of your calling as a Christian: “Jesus says to love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, forgive when it hurts.” If Jesus says loving even when it hurts is worth it, then I’m going to believe him and do it!

Remind yourself that all things are meant to grow your faith: My spouse may never change, I will pray that he does, but maybe Jesus is giving me the opportunity to become more like him by staying faithful to someone who is struggling way differently than I ever struggle.

I like to remind myself of God’s sovereignty: Sometimes when Claire and I have a hard time, which we sometimes do, I tell myself: “My wife is God’s provision to me for my help” I remind myself that God knows what I need even when I think I know best and what he has sovereignly decreed is that I need this.

Romans 8:28–29 ESV

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

So, reshape your interpretation of trials… See them for what God intends them… Training...

And, since you are enduring training, know that God has a goal in mind. Wholeness..

That’s why training is necessary, because you must...

Make Spiritual Wholeness Your Goal

James 1:3–4 ESV

3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

“let steadfastness have it’s full effect…” - This is another imperative - A command. That shows we have active involvement in something that is passively happening to us.

“That you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”

When James says, “so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” is referring to spiritual wholeness that is only accessible through faith in Christ.

Steadfastness leads to Spiritual Wholeness because it is essentially a consistent pattern of abiding in the vine.

John 15:4–5 ESV

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

This verse teaches us that God’s goal for you is to make you whole in him through you holding more and more firmly to Him and His promises. Steadfastness is God’s Goal for bringing you to His ultimate goal for you in trials… Wholeness in Him.

God is the source of our wholeness and true purpose…

And Faith is the chain that tethers us to God.

God made you to know him and be tethered to Him

Philippians 4:12–13 ESV

12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

This is really a promise James is making from God.

What an amazing reality that God can even use things that seem chaotic and uncertain to produce in us what we where meant to be and have. Wholeness in Him.

The New American Commentary: James (1) Joy for Maturity (1:2–4)

In every trial the people of God should see their preparation for greater things God has planned for them.

John 17:3 ESV

3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

We experience the benefits of spiritual wholeness both in the “now” and the “future”!

You experience the benefits of Spiritual wholeness in the now through...

Answered prayers - which we will discuss next week when we discuss pursing wisdom for trials.

Increasing joy - This is what James is addressing now.

Peace in knowing that God is in the trials with you.

Unwavering convictions

The presence of God through the Holy spirit both convicting you and comforting you

You experiences the benefits of spiritual wholeness in the future through...

Complete deliverance from death in resurrection

Complete actualization of your hope in Christ

Perfection of your body in moral, physical, and spiritual glorification

Being with Jesus forever in eternity

This is God’s goal for us: why not make it our goal for us!

Conclusion

Do you want to be free from despair in trials? I believe these exhortations from James give us the tools we need to not be slaves to despair in trials.

Here’s what I exhorted you to do from this text:

Accept That Trials Are Inevitable

James didn’t say “if” you meet trials, he said “when”.

Reshape Your Interpretation of Trials

James showed us that trials are like training for our faith.

Make Spiritual Wholeness Your Goal

James reminded us that long term abiding in Christ is the reason we exist.

Ultimately, what will enable you to do these things and find full joy is that Jesus did these things for you.

Jesus, embraced the trial that lay before him - rejection, mocking, a cross

Jesus knew that the trial wasn’t what it appeared to be - He knew it brought immense glory to His father and was his purpose for coming

Jesus had our Spiritual Wholeness as a goal for His trial - We are now reconciled to God through the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.