Facing Trials with Joy

James 1:1–4 NKJV

1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Introduction

A little boy was asked by his father to say grace at the table. While the rest of the family waited, the little guy eyed every dish of food his mother had prepared. After the examination, he bowed his head and honestly prayed, “Lord, I don’t like the looks of it, but I thank you for it, and I’ll eat it anyway. Amen.”

Michael P. Green, ed., Illustrations for Biblical Preaching: Over 1500 Sermon Illustrations Arranged by Topic and Indexed Exhaustively, Revised edition of: The expositor’s illustration file. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989).

This is how often we see, face and react

James has a different perspective. When trials are falling upon you. Surprinsingly you are commanded to count it as all joy, not some part of it but all...

1. When you meet trials (Jas 1.2b)

-it falls upon you

-you do not seek it, that would be crazy...

The word is used in Mathew....with the story of the good samaritan

Luke 10:30 NKJV

30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

It is a sudden thing that occurs or happens to you. The only times it is used (3times) it means “to encounter a hazard”

also,

Acts 27:41 NKJV

41 But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves.

2. The trials are difined as various as a ray of colour (Jas 1.2b)

-various,...

-we do not decide of its manifestation or type

3. How can you react well? In other words, how to become joyfull? Is that even possible at the first place? How is it that one can do so?

-how to find joy in the middst of our trials and difficult times?

-Is joy necessary, or a wish?

-It is in fact commnded?

-we are mandated to find joy, to count whatever it is as joy

-in other words to take any circumstances as an opportunity to rejoice

-The question is how do we do that?

-Isn't that too much, or is not God asking too much?

4. To understand what does James mean by this command, I would like to consider the following:

1. Knowing is Key

2. What should we know about trials?

3. God’s Purpose for us

1. Knowing is Key: “For you know....” (Jas 1.3a)

The testing of their faith is already known. It is a presupposition. To know what will come helps to prepare the mind. It prevents any surprise or disappointment...

Two Things can be said:

Know what you believe

-It will give an anchor

-It will give a purpose and guide you

-To know (yinosko) in the NT has the connotation of to attain an understanding (discern, grasp) that leads to a certain discernment in order for a person to act upon something.

illustration:

1 Corinthians 2:8 NKJV

8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

-Such a knowledge relies on the Holy Spirit. It’s a divine gift.

1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV

14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

That is why for instance, we are to ask in Jas 1.5

b. Knowing is acting here as a presupposition giving the rationale of our joy.

-Hence, joy cannot be experientially based, unless we become unstable, and it will be hard to maintain. It is a divine gift that leads to action

2. What should we know about trials?

The testing of our faith

The object of the test is our faith

Notice, secondly, the invaluable blessing which is thus gained, namely, the proving of your faith, discovering whether it be the right faith or no. This proof of our faith is a blessing of which I cannot speak too highly.

it proves the truthfulness of our doctrinal belief. “Oh, yes,” you may say, “I have heard Mr. Spurgeon expound the doctrines, and I have believed them.” This is poor work; but if you have been sick, and found a comfort in those doctrines, then you are assured of their truth. If you have been on the borders of the grave, and the gospel has given you joy and gladness, then you know how true it is.

your own faith in God is proved when you can cling to him under temptation. Not only your sincerity, but the divinity of your faith is proved; for a faith that is never tried, how can you depend upon it? But if in the darkest hour you have still said, “I cast my burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain me,” and you find he does sustain you, then is your faith that of God’s elect.

Steadfastness as fruit

Notice it is not exercised , rather it is produced. It is the outcome and not the means. You do not exercise steadfastness, you benefit from it. it is a result, if you will.

The importance of that relies on the fact, that we often seek for patience as a means and forget it is a gift that results from God putting us into situations that will produce it.

We then may say, what then should I stay passive? James gives the answer in the very next proposition:

“let patience have its perfect work” Jas 1:4.

-It is a command. It means we resist it. How?

-it is a natural work. All we need to do is to embrace and let it do its work. Easy to say than to do, you may say....But

ὑπομένω-endurance, steadfastness, patience

The Old Testament and Later Judaism:

1. ὑπομένειν towards God: to wait on God, to cleave to God;

2. ὑπομένειν towards the World: to endure, stand fast, bear patiently.

The distinctive note of the OT is that it gives the word a religious turn, and instead of relating it to the object of hostile power it links it by an acc. or dat. to the person for whom one waits or to whom one holds fast with expectant hope. Thus ὑπομένειν is mostly used in the OT in the phrase “to wait upon God.” It is on the one side equivalent to πεποιθέναι (ψ 24:2, בטח׳) and on the other to ἐλπίζειν (ψ 5:11; 7:1; 15:1; 16:7, חסה).9 Hence it is normally used in the OT for the 3 verbs קוה, יחל , and חכה.

The New Testament:

1. ὑπομένειν towards God: to expect, to wait;

2. ὑπομένειν towards the world: to stand fast, to persevere.

In most of the NT passages ὑπομένειν refers to the steadfast endurance of the Christian under the difficulties and tests of the present evil age.

The standing against the world is based on our firm conviction that the Lord will deliver us. In fact it is based on his work from eternity past, and his promise to sustain us now, and to glorify us in the fututre. the famous verse all things work for our Good as this for its very rationale. Consider what Paul says:

Romans 8:28 NKJV

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:29–30 NKJV

29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

3. God’s Purpose for us

The Goal

-Perfect - mature

Complete - equiped?

and lacking in nothing -

-To not depend on anything such as circumstances, situations,...

-Unless you are complete, staisfied in Christ, you will always need something external to affirm you. You will depend on circumstances.

Søren Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher, theologian in the 18 hundred.

The Reason for God THE PROBLEM OF SIN

What does this mean? Everyone gets their identity, their sense of being distinct and valuable, from somewhere or something. Kierkegaard asserts that human beings were made not only to believe in God in some general way, but to love him supremely, center their lives on him above anything else, and build their very identities on him. Anything other than this is sin.

The Reason for God THE PROBLEM OF SIN

The self-glorification that [modern man] needed in his innermost nature he now looked for in the love partner. The love partner becomes the divine ideal within which to fulfill one’s life. Spiritual and moral needs now become focused on one individual.5

The Reason for God THE PROBLEM OF SIN

Identity apart from God is inherently unstable. Without God, our sense of worth may seem solid on the surface, but it never is—it can desert you in a moment. For example, if I build my identity on being a good parent, I have no true “self”—I am just a parent, nothing more. If something goes wrong with my children or my parenting, there is no “me” left.

The Reason for God THE PROBLEM OF SIN

If anything threatens your identity you will not just be anxious but paralyzed with fear. If you lose your identity through the failings of someone else you will not just be resentful, but locked into bitterness. If you lose it through your own failings, you will hate or despise yourself as a failure as long as you live. Only if your identity is built on God and his love, says Kierkegaard, can you have a self that can venture anything, face anything.

Application

True satisfaction in God and his love can only be experienced in Christ. Because Christ is the manifestation of God’s love. To be satisfied in God is to be satisfied in Christ and his work on the cross. For that to happen Peter commands us:

2 Peter 3:17–18 ESV

17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

To Find Joy in the Middst of Trials, look to Christ and what he has done for you. Grow in your knowledge of Him and God’s love for you in Christ....

Conclusion

Christian’s joyfull state amidst trials is key and a distinctive of mature Christian.

To be able to find joy in midst of trials. We need to know that it is God’s testing. So that we may grow in our faith which will produce patience or steadfastness. Steadfastness towards God: wait for himn cleave on him. Steadfastness towards the world: to stand fast and persevere. based on the knowledge of what he has done for us.

May God grant us to know Him more, stand firm in our belief, to be mature Christians, complete lacking in nothing for his Glory only.