4/26/20 - What a Blessing

What a Blessing! James 1:12-18 The Journey Church, Sonora Pastor Randy Ehle April 26, 2020 What a Blessing! What does it mean to be blessed? Most of us—myself included—think of ourselves as blessed when something good happens: A new baby is born. We pass that test we studied so hard for. Or at church: the music was a blessing; the gathering was a blessing; the potluck was a blessing. All good things. All blessings. But what about when life gets hard? What about when that new baby is born with a heart condition and spends his first six weeks in the hospital with tubes and needles and monitors hooked up; and the parents can’t hold him and mom can’t nurse him and dad’s trying to keep their home and their finances and their older kids from falling apart…. What about when we don’t pass the test we studied so hard for and now our plans for college are suddenly twisting in the wind? What about when all of life is derailed by that one mistake—that one time when depression or anger took hold, that drunken fit, that fleeting passion—and now the tracks are littered with the twisted, smoldering remains of what had once been so good? Or what about when an unexpected pandemic has suddenly shuttered our schools, our businesses, our churches … our future? What about then? Whatever other words we may use to describe those times, blessed usually doesn’t pass our lips. And so James’ words should shock us, because blessed is precisely the word he uses for times just like that. Would you join me as we read James 1, beginning in verse 12. And as you are able, would you please stand with me wherever you are in honor of God’s Word as I read. James 1:12–18 (NIV) 12Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of the hearts of each one here today be acceptable in your sight. Amen. Last week we were encouraged to find joy in the midst of trials. That search for joy is not like a scavenger hunt, where we look for joy in unlikely places and uncertain circumstances. Rather, it’s a treasure hunt, and the ‘X’ that marks the spot is planted right on God’s Word—the revelation of God himself. Today we are challenged to find the blessing in the trials. Blessing in the Trials If you were with us in mid-February—that time long ago when we were able to gather together in one place and “social distancing” was an unheard term that put us in mind of a middle school dance—way back then we looked at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which he began with a list of “beatitudes.” Beatitudes are a particular literary form; think about your English classes when you learned about Japanese haiku poems or Shakespeare’s sonnets. Beatitudes were familiar in both Jewish and Greek literature, so they were familiar to both Jesus’ listeners and James’ readers. Beatitudes—particularly in the New Testament—always identify persons as blessed, almost never things or circumstances. And, even more significantly, beatitudes in the New Testament almost always relate specifically to the joy we experience as we share ”in the salvation of the kingdom of God.1” And yet sometimes, on the surface, beatitudes don’t make sense: Blessed are the poor in spirit…. Blessed are those who mourn…. Or, as James says here, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial.” But the blessing isn’t in the trial itself. Joy can be found there, right in the midst of the trial, as we seek to know God through his Word. But the blessing comes only at the end, only when we have persevered through the trial. And sometimes, that blessing only comes well after the end of the trial, when we’ve been wondering through sleepless nights and lonely days, was it all worth it? James assures us that, yes, it’s worth it. Because not only does perseverance make us whole—mature and complete—we will also be rewarded with “the crown of life;” that is, the crown which is life: life is the crown. The reward of persevering through trials is life, real life. Not just eating, sleeping, breathing existence; but as Jesus said, “abundant life, life to the fullest.” Life with a satisfaction and an exuberance that can only be known when you’ve made it through the hard stuff. Louis Zamperini’s Story Louis Zamperini ran in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, as a 19-year-old, finishing 8th in the 5000 meter race. Later he shattered records at USC, was favored to be the first to break the 4-minute mile, and dreamed of returning to the Olympics in 1940. When those dreams were dashed by the outbreak of World War II, Zamperini instead enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, where he would become a bombardier in the B-24 Liberator bomber. He cheated death several times: on one mission, the bomber barely made it back to its base on Midway after nearly running out of fuel; on another, Japanese fighter planes riddled Zamperini’s bomber, killing one of his crewmates and wounding several others. Then, on May 27, 1943, Zamperini and his crew were participating in a search and rescue mission when their plane suddenly lost power to two of its engines and had to ditch into the Pacific Ocean. Zamperini was one of only three crewmen who survived…and then drifted 2,000 miles over 47 days, surviving still against attacks from sharks in the water and a strafing run from a Japanese plane in the sky. By the time a Japanese Navy ship rescued Zamperini and pilot Russell Allen Phillips, the pair weighed less than 100 pounds each. Tail gunner Francis McNamara had died two weeks earlier. But for the two airmen, the trial had only just begun. Over the next two years, Zamperini suffered from disease, exposure, starvation, and near-daily beatings with clubs, belts, and fists. When his captors learned he was an Olympian, they singled him out for special torture, and tried used him as a propaganda tool. Back home in California, he had long since been given up for dead. When the war ended in September 1945—nearly 2½ years after crashing into the ocean—Zamperini walked out of the prison camp very much alive. Yet still, the trials were not over. His running career was a distant memory, but the daily beatings and torture haunted him. Alcohol became his savior until one evening in 1949 when he found a new Savior, Jesus Christ, through the message of a young evangelist you may have heard of: Billy Graham. In his new faith, Zamperini found release from his nightmares, started a camp to help troubled youth, and became an evangelist himself. One consistent theme of his preaching: forgiveness, built not only on biblical truth, but out of his own experience of coming to forgive his wartime tormentors.2 Louis Zamperini could have given up countless times. He could have decided that life wasn’t worth the torture he experienced. No one would have blamed him; many would have agreed. But he didn’t. He set his mind to defeating his enemies. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of killing him. And through that resolve, Zamperini received the ”crown of life” … real life … eternal life. And undoubtedly, countless others have entered that same life with Jesus … because Louis Zamperini persevered through trial after trial. Temptation Zamperini could also have blamed God—he probably did, probably more than once—and no one would have thought less of him. In fact, many would have told him, like Job’s wife, to just “curse God and die.” But James warns against blaming God. Look at verse 13: When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; But notice the shift James makes: He’s been talking about trials; now he uses the word tempt. Reading in English, we don’t see the subtlety of that shift, but in Greek, they are almost the same word!. In meaning, the difference is merely in “the attitude with which we meet it… and we fail the trial when we turn to blaming God.”3 When we face trials in terms of testing, the result is perseverance, maturity, even joy, and, ultimately, the blessing of life. When we face the same trial as temptation, though, it takes us down a path that James says leads to sin and death. Which sounds better to you? Death … or life? We have a choice: we can view trials as tests, or we can view them as temptations. What James wants us to know is the source: God may have allowed the test, but temptation is all on me. And then James wraps up this part of his theme with a call to clarity about what God gives us. What God Gives 16Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. When we’re going through trials, we want to know why? We want some logical explanation. Is it something I’ve done? Is karma getting me? Or we want to blame someone else: I wouldn’t have gotten a speeding ticket if that guy in front of me would have just been doing the speed limit! When we can’t find anyone or anything else to blame, we set our sights on God. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard people blame God for their sin. People have blamed him for everything from affairs to murder to war. And James cries out, “NO! Everything good comes from God!“ Not evil. Not temptation. But everything that is good comes from God himself … even our very life! Persevering in This Trial We are in the midst of some of the most unusual, unexpected, and trying times. We’ve moved, most of us, beyond the anxiety of those first uncertain days and are now feeling irritated and angry. A new conspiracy theory seems to pop up every day: It’s Bill Gates fault. It’s President Trump’s fault. It’s the government’s fault. It’s the World Health Organization’s fault. It’s China’s fault. Or it’s God’s fault: he’s judging the world for its sin and rebellion. Here’s a new one for you: it’s Adam and Eve’s fault! Or better yet, it’s Satan’s fault! At the end of the day, all sickness and death really does come down to sin—that original sin of pride, of wanting to be like God. That was Satan’s sin, and it was his temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden. And ever since then, it’s all been downhill! So how about you? How will you weather this trial? Will you give in to the temptation to blame, to find a scapegoat … or even to live foolishly and without regard to others? Or will you see these days as the test they are: a test of faith, of perseverance, of character? Will you see in these days the opportunity to pray more, to soak in God’s Word more, to serve in ways you would not otherwise be able to serve? Will you look for the opportunity to meet neighbors you’ve never met, to beautify your home, to bring the light of Christ into dark places? In Romans 5, the Apostle Paul writes that we have “peace with God … [because] we have been justified through faith.” Then he goes on to say, Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5, NIV) My friends, we can and must persevere in these days not through anxiety and fear and wringing our hands, but through the hope we have in Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, bringing glory to God throughout our neighborhoods, our city, our county. Let me offer three ways to that hope and healing: First, pray daily. • for those sheltering in homes that are not safe, where neglect and abuse are on the rise • for those who have no home to take shelter in • for those who are in hospitals and care facilities, without loved ones able to visit • for our adopted family in Jamestown • for those here at The Journey who are alone in their homes, especially for those who can’t connect electronically like this. Second, give generously. • Continue to bring food for the Jamestown Family Resource Center. If you can’t get to the stores, give financially and we’ll do the shopping. • Write notes … to our church family, for our adopted Jamestown family, even to neighbors Finally, smile contagiously! • Even while wearing masks outside, smile with your eyes and with your words. • In any way you can, help people to smile as they pass your house. Put a stuffed bear in a window so kids can see it when they’re out on a “bear hunt.” Put an encouraging sign in your front yard or a window. • Add to the good on social media … and stay away from the negative and the complaining. This is not about being blind to reality, it is about bringing the hope and healing of Jesus Christ to our community and the world…in small ways that will reap great rewards. And now, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13, NIV)