GROWING UP GOD (James 1.1-4)
GROWING UP GOD’S WAY
The text that will be expounded will be James 1:1-4. Found within this text is trials of faith. A great title for a sermon on this section would be “Growing Up God’s Way”. God desires for every believer to come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. In order to get believers to that position he must first put them through trials. The proposition of the message would be “to reach spiritual maturity God must put you through trials.”
To begin it is only fitting to find the background of the book. In James’ introduction, he quickly lays out the setting. He starts the book by stating that he is the author and then to clarify who he was he proclaims that he is a servant of the Lord. The word for servant here actually refers to a bond slave. He could have used his credentials as brother of the Lord or follower of the Lord, but he chose to call himself a servant of the Lord.
James’ audience also gives some insight into this book. He was writing to the saved Jews that were scattered abroad. The Christian Jews had been spread to four major regions; Babylon, Syria, Egypt, and the Roman Empire. These Jewish Christians had found themselves to be outcasts of their own people, the Jews, and now as they scattered throughout the known world they were rejected of the gentiles. Persecution was common to them. James writes this letter to them and begins by encouraging them in the faith.
James’ begins his message by exhorting the brethren to count their trials as joy. They could have complete joy in every trial, including persecution. James uses the phrase “when ye fall into divers temptations”. The trials they would face would be very
different from one another as well as the Greek word behind fall means to come upon by accident or suddenly.
How can these Christians find joy in their trials? The joy they can find in their trials comes from the knowledge that God is using the trial to work out their faith. Only when faith is tested do believers know how strong their faith is in God. When God delays to fulfill our need and our faith is pushed to the limit it works out our patience.
It is not a matter of if believers will have trials. It is a matter of when believers have trials. James did not say count it all joy “if” ye fall into divers temptations. He said count it all joy “when” ye fall into divers temptations. God will put all of His children through trials so that they can grow.
When God has taught a believer patience then that believer’s faith has been perfected and entire before Christ. God wants every believer to be spiritually mature and thus He puts him or her through trials to perfect them and bring them to where they should be.
From the Christian Jews in the days of James to believers today, saints will be put through testing and trials. These trials are not to harm or to hurt believers, but rather to bring believers into a place of maturity.