James 1:2-4 | COMMUNION SUNDAY

Intro: What a Strange Statement.

Count it all joy, my brothers (and sisters), when you meet trials of various kinds

James is Direct.

50 Commands in the Book of James.

Reads Like Proverbs.

The Church is Enduring Persecution.

Offensive Statement.

Transition: Even Though We Don’t Understand At This Point Why James Considers Trials to Be Joy, We Know That Trials are a Reality.

I. The Reality of Trials.

...when you meet trials of various kinds

Circle the Word “When”

We Will Experience Trials. Undeniable Reality.

We Will Experience “Various Kinds” of Trials.

We May Not Like Trials, But We Can’t Avoid Them.

Trials are Not Good. They Produce What is Good in Us.

II. The Response to Trials.

Count it all joy

Some Choices Change the Trajectory of Your Life.

Circle the Word “Count” - It is a Choice

Not Joy or Nothing. Joy or Bitterness.

In Ministry Since 21: Bitterness, Not Trials, Lead to Ruin.

Don’t Play with Bitterness.

Choose Joy Like Your Life Depends on It - Because It Does.

What is Joy?

Not Circumstantial. Dependent on God.

Not Fleeting Feeling.

The Word Joy Means: “Supremely Happy”

III. The Reason for Choosing Joy.

for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

James Reminds us of What We Know:

Muscle Requires Resistance to Grow.

Faith Requires Resistance to Grow.

Faith is Assumed in James.

Testing Doesn’t Destroy Faith; It Refines Faith.

Power-washing Illustration.

Steadfastness is Desirable. It is Good.

Consider the Opposite: Shakiness

My Shaky Hands & Jazz Drumming Illustration

Pace Across Platform: Shaky with Doctrine. Shaky with Morality.

The Production of Steadfastness is a Reason for Joy.

IV. The Result of Choosing Joy.

And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Circle the Word “Let”: James Calls us to Make Another Choice.

James Calls us to Make Another Choice: Let the Testing Finish.

PC Downloading Updates Illustration: Don’t Give Up During the Test.

You are the Perfect Work.

Matt. 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The Lord is Making You Like Himself.

V. The Key to the Choice: Is God Good?

Jesus Willingly Endured Trials.

Heb. 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin.

Luke 17:25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Jesus Chose Joy.

Heb. 12:2 Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross

Jesus Remained Steadfast under Trial.

Jesus Made Complete Through What He Suffered.

Heb. 2:10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Jesus is God & He is Good.

Heb. 1:3-4 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

Closing: Baptism Invitation & Communion