The Conclusion of a Proper Response to Trials

Introduction

Give illustration of Herm Edwards “you play to win the game”

For the past few weeks we have seen the three responses that a faithful servant of Christ should have to trials…that we should count them as joy because they will strengthen and complete our faith....that we should ask our generous and wise God for wisdom with an undivided faith…and as Justin told us last week....that we should respond to trials with an eternal perspective.

Tonight in verse 12, James provides the conclusion to trials if we respond rightly in these three ways…and this is the main truth he wants us to see…That through remembering God’s promised reward and his steadfast love for us, we can pass the test and receive the crown of life.

James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

“Hold the Line!”

After listing the three responses that faithful servants of Christ should have to trials, James gives us the conclusion in verse 12.

He begins by saying, “blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial.”

Now the word blessed communicates someone who is a privileged recipient of divine grace from God.

Someone who is blessed experiences personal enrichment and fulfillment.

So, being blessed sounds like a great thing…

Raise your hand if you want to be blessed by God?

Sign me up! How can I get in on this blessing?

Well, James says the one who remains steadfast under trials will be blessed.

Wait…your saying I gotta suffer....your saying I gotta go through trials and difficult times to be blessed? Can I change my mind?

You see, so often, we want the reward but don’t want to put in the work to obtain it....Yet James says that it is only the person who endures trials who will be blessed.

So what does it look like to “remain steadfast under trials?”

Essentially, this phrase describes someone who keeps their faith in Christ until the very end despite the oppositions, difficulties, or sufferings that they are facing.

Remaining steadfast under trials can be likened to when soldiers were called to “hold the line” during battle....this reminds me of a scene from the Patriot...

We can see from some Scriptures some examples that those who endure persecution and suffering are blessed...

Jesus says that those who suffer and are persecuted for righteousness sake are blessed in Matthew 5:11-12.

James actually uses the same phrase “remains steadfast” at the end of his letter in chapter 5, in providing two examples of the prophets and Job who were blessed because they endured trials.

James was seeking to encourage the believers who were dispersed all over Europe that if they remained steadfast under trial…they would be blessed by God.

We can also take hope in that same truth tonight…that no matter what trial we may be facing…if we can continue to Hold the Line against the enemy and keep our faith solely devoted to Jesus and not back down…we too will be blessed by God.

So, the one who remains steadfast under trials will be blessed…but why and how will this person be blessed specifically?

The Crown of Life

James gives us the answer in the next phrase… “for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life...”

Now the word “for,” as we have said previously, is a key word that provides the reason for the statement James just made about being blessed.

“stand the test,” can mean to pass the test or be approved by God. This is the person who endures trials until the very end and proves that their faith in Christ was genuine.

Therefore…James is saying that the one who keeps their faith solely in God through all the difficulties and trials of life will receive the crown of life and be saved.

This is where we get the teaching of what is known as “perseverance of the saints” or “once saved, always saved.”

Those who are true followers of Christ will go through trials and rough patches in their faith…but they will never abandon Christ, they will never ultimately back down…but will hold the line and keep their faith in Christ to the end of their lives.

Jesus gives this same teaching in the gospels, when he says in Matthew 10:22 that the one who perseveres under trials to the end will be saved.

But like we talked about last week when it comes to doubt…James is not teaching that to pass the test and be approved of God will mean that we have to have perfect faith and endurance...

Theologian Kurt Richardson expounds upon this point by saying...

Approval does not entail a faultless endurance, as if sinlessness were expected. Rather, it acknowledges a faith that perseveres in the love of God, who promises life.

So, we are blessed if we endure trials to the end and pass the test because we will receive the crown of life…but what is this “crown of life?”

To Jame’s audience in the 1st century, “crown of life” would cause their minds to refer to the wreath that athletes would receive after winning a race or contest in the Olympic games.

It would also point them to recall the victory wreath that Roman general would wear after winning a battle.

The crown of life represents victory, triumph, and glory.

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul makes a comparison between the temporal crown that the athlete receives vs. the eternal crown we will receive as believers if we remain faithful....

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 ESV

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

What Paul is saying is that if athletes who receive an imperishable wreath discipline themselves and they run the race to win a temporal prize that will perish…how much more should we, as believers, run the race of life and discipline our bodies in such a way, so that we may obtain the imperishable crown of eternal life and glory??

Here is the deal…James is telling us to look and see the reward that awaits us if we patiently endure trials and pass the test.

The Bible encourages us to use eternal rewards as motivation for godliness and perseverance

But we must understand that we must first go through the trials and sufferings of this life before we can receive the crown of glory.

Paul says in Romans 8:16-18, that the sufferings of this present world will not compare to the glory that will be revealed to us! Yet, we must suffer with Christ first before we can reign with him...we must endure the cross before receiving the crown.

I want you to see the reward that awaits us and the glory we will share with the Lord forever in the new heavens and new earth from Revelation 21....

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.

He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

So, the reward of eternal life should motivate us to remain steadfast under trials.

God’s Promise to those that Love Him

But how will we know that we will receive the reward?

James finishes this verse by telling us that God has promised to save and reward those who love him.

It is God who will give the crown of life, therefore, the guarantee of this promise is based on God’s character to do what he said he would do....and as Numbers 23:19 says, God is not a man that he may lie, nor is he a son of man that he might change his mind…but whatever he says, he will do, and whatever he promises, he will fulfill.

We must notice that James specifically says that God promises to give this reward…TO THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.

God does not promise this to everyone, but only those who love him…therefore, we can tie this theme back to the beginning of the verse…as the one who loves God will be the one who remains steadfast under trials and who will pass the test.

So, how can we have the strength to endure trials, to keep our faith, to remain steadfast until the end.?… By loving God supremely.

Yet, we must remember that we cannot love God supremely without first experiencing his love for us in Christ…for 1 John 4:10-11 says that we love because he first loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Therefore, the only way we can love God supremely is by remembering his steadfast love for us....his never stopping, never giving up, un-breaking, always and forever love.

And the best way to experience and remember his love for us is by looking to the cross of Christ, where Jesus laid down his life for us so that we could be saved.

Conclusion

So, through remembering God’s promised reward of eternal life, and by remembering his steadfast love for us, we can pass the test, and receive the crown of life!

So how are we going to live out this text in our lives this week?

Two ways:

We must preach the gospel to ourselves to remember God’s love for us.

God, the Holy and Righteous Creator (Exodus 34:6)

Man, the Sinner (Romans 3:9-20)

Jesus, the Savior (1 Peter 2:22-25)

Response, Repentance and Faith (Acts 2:38-39)

We must keep our eyes on eternal things to remember our reward.

Hear the words of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 ESV

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

We must keep our eyes on what is eternal…when we are tempted to give up, we must remember the reward that awaits us and remain faithful to our King in the midst of our battle…knowing ultimately that he has already won the war.

But remember, these promises are only for the believer, for the one who loves God, for the one who has turned from their sins and put their faith in trust in Christ alone for their salvation.

You cannot respond rightly to the trials of this life, endure them to the end, and receive the reward if you have not placed your faith in Jesus.

Yet, if this is you tonight, you have the opportunity to make that decision right now....

As the praise team begins to come up, I want you to ask yourself the question....do I love God supremely? Can this be seen by the way I live my life? Have a truly experienced the love of God in Christ?

If not, I urge you to look to the cross of Christ and see God’s great love for you, that while you were a sinner, Jesus died for you.

He lived the perfect life you could not live and took your punishment on the cross…so that if you turn from your sin and put your trust in Him, you will receive the benefits of His life…forgiveness of sin....and abundant life…both here on earth and for the rest of eternity.

And to the believer…are you playing to win the game life? Are you running this race of life in order to win the eternal prize of the crown of life?

Tell them I will be in the back if they want to make this decision or talk about anything else that is on their hearts…then pray