Sermon Tone Analysis

Testing & Persevering

Introduction

Good morning church family!

Today we are going to start on a journey through the book of James.

I encourage you to take time over the next few weeks or so to read the entire book of five chapters.

I know that it will encourage you and challenge you as well.

Most important it will change you.

"Change is inevitable.

Growth is optional."

We have to ask ourselves with all the changes going on around us, will we challenge it or will we allow it to grow us as men and women of God?

When change happens can people still see Christ in and through us?

That is one of the goals of having a relationship with Christ.

Less of me, and more of Him.

Sometimes God allows us to go through things in order to grow us.

As the Heavenly Potter, God's desire is to shape and form us as the clay into what He desires us to be.

God does this through something called Testing.

As we open up our study in James, I want to share with you a message called "Testing and Persevering".

Stand with me as we read the Word of God this morning.

James 1:2-5; 12

"2 Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials,

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."

As we dive into this study, today we are going to look at testing and persevering and learn what James has to teach us about these two things.

The opening statement by James to "consider it all joy" when you face trials of different kinds seems kind of odd.

I am not too sure of anyone who is exuberant with joy when they face pain, loss, suffering, destruction, ect.

and yet James tells us to consider it ALL joy.

To put it into context, James when writing this was writing to a church that was facing heavy persecution.

In the midst of the persecution James calls the church to joy.

Notice James said "when you face various trials", not "if you face them".

I think too often we as Christians for some reason or another seem kind of shocked when things go awry in our lives.

I think we believe the lie that because we are saved and have a relationship with Jesus that our lives will be smooth sailing.

This is far from the opposite of what Scripture states.

2 Timothy 3:12

"12 Indeed, all who want to live in a godly way in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

Keep in mind the persecution that Paul and James are speaking of isn't like what we face today, well not in America anyways.

The persecution they faced was the possibility of being arrested and thrown into imprisonment, torture, and even executions.

It was in the midst of all this that James tells them to have joy.

We may not be facing persecutions in the capacity that the early church and some of our brothers and sisters in Christ are facing today, but it doesn't mean we won't face trouble.

We will and we do.

It is at those times we must trust in the fact that our faith when it is tested is producing something in us that is valuable.

Testing of our Faith

James tells us that there are a various trials.

What we need to discern is, is the trial from God or from the enemy?

A trial that is from the enemy, it is for the purpose of causing one to fall.

Fall in their walk with God and ultimately fall away from God.

James 1:13

"13 No one is to say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone."

This word tempted also means test or trial.

The purpose of these is to cause the Christian to fall.

These types temptations/trials we face are not from God.

The enemy will tempt us in order to get us to fail and fall away from God.

But, God does allow us to go through trials and the purpose of these trials is for the proving of someone.

God will test us.

The purpose of the test is to grow us and strengthen our walk with God.

David wanted to be tested by God.

Psalm 26:1-2

"1 Vindicate me, Lord, for I have walked in my integrity,

And I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.

2 Examine me, Lord, and put me to the test;

Refine my mind and my heart."

Psalm 139:23

"23 Search me, God, and know my heart;

Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts;"

David wanted God to test him and examine him to make sure that he was true to God.

I spoke a little bit last week on how Abram's faith was tested by God when God asked him to sacrifice his own son Isaac.

This did two things, it grew the faith not only of Abram and Isaac, but this test was used to help others have faith.

Romans 4:16

"16 For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,"

The testing of our faith is not only for us, but it is also for those around us who may not believe or have little faith.

When we go through the trials, sometimes we can't see the joy.

I remember when we pastored our first church.

It was known in the state as the boot camp for new pastors.

The nickname rang true.

We were told in our first week there that they were not afraid to starve out the pastor.

They weren't joking.

The Lord told me that while we were pastoring that I wasn't to work a full time job.

So I didn't.

The church took care of our housing, but that was a bout it.

We put our faith in God during that time.

It wasn't a joyful experience while we were going through it, but looking back on it, I can count it all joy.

What that trial did for us was grow our faith in God that He is our provider, not the church, not the government, not any one person, but God and God alone!

We have seen God do some amazing things and in that we believe that He can do amazing things.

It has grown our faith in Him tremendously to the point where we can go before God and ask in faith for Him to bless, provide, heal, ect.

But not only has that grown our faith, but me telling you my testimony, is now being used to grow yours.

You see, God didn't just provide for us because we were the pastors, but God provided because we are His children.

If He will do it for us, He will do it for you!

Luke 12:24

"24 Consider the ravens, that they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!"

The more I see God move in the trials in my life the more I can count it all joy when I go through them because I know that it is growing me as a child of God.

It is growing my faith and when my faith grows it will produce endurance or perseverence.

Produces Endurance/Perseverance

Go back to what James said.

James 1:2-3

"2 Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials,

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance."

The trials we face that tests our faith produces endurance.

Endurance is valuable to the Christians journey.

The Strong's Concordance defines endurance as