Trials
Notes
Transcript
Does anyone remember that commercial?
If you want me to make you feel old the commercial actually came out before I was born and someone shared it this past week.
And its obviously meant to be a funny commercial, where they run into each other and at first they were disgusted (aand I am going to come back to this in a second)
But this past week I was thinking about the times where life kind of feels that way.
Where we are out living enjoying life (enjoying our peanut butter or chocolate) and all the sudden something pops up and there is a crash.
And most of us would say when something crashes in our life its not good right?
And this is not just we had a bad day but there are times where things seem to go really wrong in life.
There might have been a time where you had a friend or even a spouse betray you and thats your crash moment
It might be getting that diagnosis
It could be getting laid off and wondering whats next
It might be a bunch of things coming together and God feels far off
But heres whats so interesting because we are starting this new series called overflow where we are looking at the book of James.
And the James (who is the author that wrote this book) is writing a letter to a church telling them how their faith should be overflowing into every area of their life.
And so throughout the letter James touches on different areas
but he starts his letter by looking at different trials we face in life (Really the crash moments in our life)
and he tells us about allowing our faith to overflow in the trial.
And I just need to pause here because James is writing this letter to a church that knew these moments of trial.
In fact this was a church that was being persecuted and arrested.
Some of them are being killed.
I mean this was a church that knew these moments really well.
And so you think James is going to start this letter, and go God is getting ready to rescue you and take those people persecuting down!
But whats really interesting is James tells this church somthing really different than what we would think.
Because James idea of trials is less like a crash that purely destroys, but it looks like the reccess comercial
Where the trials we face (are real, they can cause frustration) but do not have to be just tragic, but they can actually be transformative and even create something better within our lives
They can even be life giving
And so we are going to be in James 1:2-16 today and we will just be starting in verse two because it says:
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
So its kind of odd right? because James says whenever life has trials, whenever there are challenges consider it a pure joy!
And maybe this is just me but when I face a an issue in life my immediate reaction is not joy.
If I back into a car I do not just look up and go this is such a joyous experience!
But heres the thing because the word for “face” when it says “whenever you face trials of many kinds”
Is most commonly translated as “fall into”
Almost like you fall into a hole
and the way the sentence is set up its not saying if you fall into a hole, its saying when you fall in a hole.
Its almost when you are driving in Michigan, its not if you are going to hit a pothole, but its when and how many… right?
And so James is not saying have joy that you keep falling into or facing these trials,
but he is saying have joy in the trial.
And look at the next few verses because James tells us why we should have joy in our trials in verses 3-4:
James 1:3–4 (NIV)
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.
So James tells them that when you are going through these tough periods you can have joy because the test and trials you face produce Perserverance.
meaning that the things you are facing now will build you up!
Its almost like if you work out. Because as you work out its not always a fun experience, but as you lift your muscles begin to tear, but as they repair they grow back stronger and it makes you stronger and begins to shape you.
But really James is saying that the trials we face shape us and ultimately mature our faith where we can trust God more.
Its almost like how in the Old Testament you would always see God telling the Israelites to find ways to remember how He has moved in the past.
And part of the reason He would tell the Isralites this was so they would go wow if God moved at this place, I already know He can move where we are now.
And really in our lives when we are going through trials and we can look back and say if God moved in this place, then I believe He can move here!
If God was with me then, I believe He is with me now.
If God was with me when I was fighting this disease, how could He not be with me in this trial
And really the trials we face put us in a place where our hope is not in ourselves, but the only person it can be in is God.
And this is a scary place to be, but it is a really amazing place to be as well.
Because it brings you to a place where all you can do is Him.
And look at verses 5-8 because that sounds good, but how can we how do we do that?!
It says this:
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.
You know when we face trials sometimes it gets a little scary, because we say how do I handle this but look what is says because it tells us if you lack wisdom where do you go?
You go to God, really you go to the source right?
I mean if you want water where do you go?
You go to your kitchen because the water seems endless right.
And thats why this is saying when you need wisdom go to God,
But there is an issue right, because it does not say that you should go to God for wisdom but it is actually giving a little warning as well, because I believe James realizes that there are other voices that speak into our life and he tells us to not be double minded
Because if we are double minded we will get tossed and blown around and ultimately you will end up far from where you should be.
Its kind of like how we have all been on a trip and we are using the navigation system on our phone or car
And we all have a friend who thinks they know better than the phone, and maybe you are that friend.
And what ends up happening is you end up trying to listen to your friend and the navigation system and it takes forever to get where you are trying to get,
And its because you are listening to differnet voices.
But can I just be honest because to often we are a people that love to listen to God but also want to listen to everything else
But James here is saying you cannot listen to God’s wisdom while holding onto wisdom that is going against God.
Because you will just be tossed around and ultimately be unstable.
You cannot live a faithful life when you are double minded.
And Heres the thing because really in our life when we are facing trials they can push closer or further from God
And I want to jump down to verses 13-15 because James shines a light on how so often these trials drawl us further from God. It says this:
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.
You know we are a people that love to shift the blame to someone else.
If you have had kids you can say “Yes, these kids love to shift the blame.
Whenever Liam or Finn are playing they Liam will yell Baby!
Whenever Finn is playing and somthing happens He will yell baby! (Because for some reason thats what he calls Liam…
But we are a people that shift the blame. And James recognizes this and he recognizes that a lot of times we shift that blame to God.
Even if you were to look in Genesis when Adam falls into temptation, whats the first thing he does when God comes to Him.
He goes it was this woman you put here God, If it was just me I would be fine, but the reason I messed up are because of you and this woman.
And maybe we do not even recognize this, but we are a people that love to blame others including God, rather than look at our lives and say yes I messed up.
We need to be a people that own up to when we make a mistake, because James even tells us what happens if we do not recognize this in our lives.
Because he says desire leads to sin and then sin when it grows leads to death.
And really what we see James telling us is that the destructiveness how easy it is to feed the sin in our life without even noticing the destructiveness.
And let me just end on verse 13 today. And I know this is out of order but just read this will me:
James 1:12 (NIV)
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.
You know there are trials in life and there are different voices we can listen to and different choices we can make
But whats amazing is how when we allow those trials to shape us rather then break us what God can do.
And I know there are different trials that each one of us is facing this morning.
There might be something that has just been causing anxiety in your life,
It might have to do with a financial issue
But this morning what would it look like to say God I trust you.
I am tired of doing my plan and I am ready to carry out yours.
And we are going to be closing with the song ‘It Is Well” but as we close I want you to listen to the words of this song
because this song was written my a successful lawyer and Real estate investor from Chicago
And in 1871 his life drasitically changed when his four year old son got sick and died
then a few years later the great chicago fire wiped out almost all of his property holdings
Then two years later his family was on a boat that struck another vessel drowning his four daughters and leaving only his wife alive.
And he recieved this news and came close to the crash sight where his daugthers had drowned he wrote the words to this song.
And it was not to takeaway from the tragady that had occured, but it was him proclaiming that God was present in these moments and that he is greater then what happening.
And not only that but there is a future hope.
Will you pray with me?