2. All Day, Every Day, God Is Helping You Grow
All Day, Every Day • Sermon • Submitted
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Welcome to part two of All Day, Every Day, a study of what it looks like to live as a follower of Jesus each and everyday. To be our guide through this series, we are following the book of James. James was the half brother of Jesus, and went from not believing or following Jesus to seeing the resurrected Jesus and becoming a devoted follower of Jesus. To the point where he acknowledges that Jesus is both God and King. It’s truly an amazing transformation. So James is writing this letter to Jewish Christians about what it looks like to follow Jesus and live life well.
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Anyone here like to take tests? As you can see most of us don’t like to take any kind of test. There are a few weirdos out there…we’ll pray for you. We don’t like driving tests, medical tests, ACTS tests, COVID tests, math tests…no one really likes to be tested.
However, want people to be tested…and not just tested by we want someone who has passed with a top notch score. For example. You are getting ready for surgery. Do you want a surgeon who past their tests? Yes! Do you want a surgeon who was a C student or a surgeon who was an A student?
You get on a plane for your next trip. Do you want a pilot who passed all the tests to get their license? Do you want the pilot who got an A on everything or the pilot who got mostly C’s and a D in landings?
So the general concensus is that we not only want tests, we want people to pass their tests at a high level!
Question: Should a Christian be tested in their faith? Why? Our natural response is going to be “no”. You believe in Jesus, you’re in. Now do your best. Maybe it’s been that kind of attitude that has hindered the Christian faith. Here’s the truth: God cares about the growth of your faith. Even in our definition of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus we have three parts: Committed to following Jesus. Being transformed by Jesus. Living on mission with Jesus. A lot of people commit to following Jesus, but never really get to being transformed by Jesus. Why? Because transformation requires testing.
So here’s the question we are going to focus on today: How can I embrace the hardships of life and still mature in my faith?
James 1:2-18 gives us a help strategy for how to answer that question. Let’s take a look at the first section.
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
The Hardships of Life Are the Laboratory of Maturity
The most difficult truth about what James writes are the first four words, “Consider it pure joy...” I think we all can agree that challenges, hardships, and trial do strengthen us…help us grow. That makes sense. But having an attitude of joy when various hardships and trials happen, that’s hard to do.
There’s a saying in strength training circles that goes something like this:
Picture of Embrace the Pain
Embrace the Pain, Lift Heavy.
The truth is, when it comes to building strength, you have to lift heavy things…and heavy things make your muscles sore. There are days, when you don’t want to lift at all because your sore. There are some days when the weight is too much and it hurts…but to press through the pain, you know that there are gains on the other side. So the mental attitude is to embrace pain because it’s for our good.
Same idea according to James, whatever the test, approach it with a joyful attitude of seeing God show up to help you through. So the joy is found in experiencing what God does in your life as you push through the hardship.
One of the keys to maturing through testing is James insistence to ask for or seek wisdom.
Wisdom = The godly skill of living life well.
The OT is pull of books referred to as wisdom literature. The book of Proverbs is referred to as wisdom literature. It has short sayings on how to live life skillfully. When the testing comes, lean into wisdom. We can get wisdom from God. We get wisdom from other people in our life. When find wisdom in Scripture.
Lastly, James teaches to lock in on your foundation through the trial or test. Everyone has moments of doubt. That is not what James is referring to. James is saying we can’t vacillate between two truths or two foundations. When things get hard we will move to the other thing. Lean into God and God alone…he will help you grow through it. Remember, God cares about what you become more then you do!
9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.
2. Affluence Is A Roadblock to Maturity
James states that people who are poor or down and out don’t have to worry about this issue because they have nothing. Every day, they humble put their trust in God to help them through the day. James’s concern was for the wealthy…for people like you and me. You realize that in this room, we represent some of the richest people in the world. We are rich. Maybe not buy Twitter rich, but in comparison, we are rich.
Our affluence becomes a roadblock to maturity because when trials happen, we circumvent the test through our wealth or by leaning into our comforts and our own strength as opposed to God. When we have a stressful day, we will go home, veg out, have a beer, glass of wine, eat a half gallon of ice cream and binge our favorite TV show and escape reality. When you have nothing and are completely dependent upon God for your daily bread there are totally different levels of trust and growth that happen. This is why Jesus said that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle then a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Maybe to truly grow, we have to ultimately learn to let go.
12 Blessed 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.
3. Our Perseverance Will Be Rewarded
Hanging on, remaining faithful, persevering through the trials and tests of life will always be rewarded. You know where James gets this teaching? Straight from Jesus. Listen to what Jesus said in The Sermon on the Mount.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
As we navigate our tests and trials, not only do we mature and grow now…but there is a reward in Heaven for our perseverance.
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
4. If We Ignore Wisdom, We May Find Ourselves In Cycles of Sin
God cares about what you become. He is not in the business of tempting you to sin. James clarifies what happens often times when we face trials or hardship. James points out that it’s the pursuit of our desires which leads into a cycle of sin.
For example. If I find myself in a difficult situation, I want to get out of it…escape to normal or comfort. So my desire is to feel better. In that tense situation I may choose to lie or be deceitful to feel better.
Or maybe, I’m faced with a hardship of conflict. I feel hurt, so my desire is to respond in anger to feel better. By chasing after these evil desires, I find myself in a cycle of sin.
Think of some of the ways you cope with hardships in your life. When tested, do you lean into God or pursue unhealthy, evil desires. Eating for comfort. Watching porn. Drinking too much. Medicating ourselves…hoping the hardship goes away.
James is pointing out that God isn’t tempting us, we are in fact ignoring the wisdom he provides to help us grow through out tests. If you recognize right now that you are caught in a cycle of sin, know that God wants to not only help you break that cycle, he wants to equip you to better handle the hardships of life.
James concludes with this important reminder about our maturity.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
5. God Only Gives Us Good
James is reminding these Christians that God is good. All the time God is good and he is working in our lives for our good and maturity. We can trust that God has our best interests at heart.
Here is what James teaches us about following Jesus, all day, every day:
When the hardships of life come upon you, if you trust the goodness of God, you will grow.
New York Times op-ed columnist David Brooks penned an insightful piece about the "fearful gift" of suffering/ He talks about the irony of our culture's obsession with happiness, yet our growth comes through difficulty.
In a stand-out quote, Brooks says: "When people remember the past, they don't only talk about happiness. It is often the ordeals that seem most significant. People shoot for happiness but feel formed through suffering."
Everett Koop, former surgeon general of the United States, tells of a family whose severely handicapped child he delivered and helped to keep alive after birth. He writes, "I asked the child's mother, 'What's the worst thing that ever happened to you?'"
"She said, 'Having our son Paul born with defects that required thirty-seven operations to correct.'
"Then I asked, 'What's the best thing that ever happened to you?'
"She said, 'Having our son Paul born with defects that required thirty-seven operations to correct.'"
Koop goes on to explain: "I know what she means. It's been terribly hard on them, but, through the experience, they've grown enormously as a family. They've had a remarkable spiritual reawakening. One of their sons is now in law school planning to defend the rights of the handicapped. Paul has now had fifty-five operations, with one more scheduled. Despite the hardships, it's been an overwhelmingly positive experience for them."
When the hardships of life come upon you, if you trust the goodness of God, you will grow.
If you find yourself in the midst of hardships right now, here are some next steps of wisdom to consider:
Pray for wisdom. James literally says to ask God for wisdom in the midst of our hardships and he will give generously without finding fault. God will provide you the skill to carry you through the adversity.
Seek the wisdom of mature Christians. The skills for living life well can often be found in the Christian community all around you. There are people here who have walked this journey, and in some cases walked the same path you are on. Lean on them and their experience and support and understanding.
Study the wisdom of Scripture. Scripture is given to us to help guide us through the ups and downs of life. For example. What we have just studied in James brings us clarity with how to approach the trials and tests of life. Seek Scripture for wisdom.
Submit to Jesus as Lord of your life. The starting point for any conversation is who is Jesus to you? If you have never surrendered your life to Jesus, I would invite you to start with committing your life to him.
When the hardships of life come upon you, if you trust the goodness of God, you will grow.