SERMON: “Developing through Trials” (James 1:2–4)
“Developing through Trials” (James
1:2–4)
Series: “James:
True Faith Works” #2 Text: James 1:2–4
By: Shaun
Marksbury Date: September 29,
2024
Venue: Living
Water Baptist Church Occasion: PM Service
I.
Introduction
Last week, we introduced the
Book of James and met the author. He was
likely to have been Jesus’s younger brother, but he rejected everything until
after the resurrection. He was
unwilling, as a man of the world, to bow his knee to the One who exposes the
evil in his heart. However, his encounter
with his risen Savior changed him forever.
Because Jesus had transformed him so much, he now shared the same
Heavenly Father and renewed his mind with the teachings of Christ.
James doesn’t waste time with
his letter, though. He knows Christians
have been spread out by a recent wave of persecution, and they need a solid
word of encouragement. Thus, he opens by
addressing their most pressing need.
In this passage, we’ll note that
sudden trials develop or mature us as believers. We’ll see three points this evening as we
consider how we grow in trials. The
first is that we must rejoice in trials.
The second is that that we will grow through trials. The third is that we will be mature because
of trials. Let’s consider the first of
those.
II.
First, We Must Rejoice in Trials (v. 2).
Consider
it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
James begins with a command,
perhaps one of the most difficult in Scripture.
This text implicitly acknowledges the natural human response to
trials. For an unbeliever, there is no
point of a trial. Thus, humans are
inclined to become angry with someone or depressed whenever things do not go
our way. However, James commands us to
change our thinking about them.
The term “consider” has
interesting implications in both English and Greek; it implies a conscious
evaluation. Paul commanded the same
thing to the Philippians, who were poor and suffered affliction (Phil
3:1). Peter also said something similar:
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon
you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but
to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so
that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation” (1 Pet.
4:12–13). So, the command here is to change
your mindset from despair to delight.
It’s important to note that we’re
not talking about false happiness, a twisted kind of laughter whenever hard
times come. Instead, a Christian sees
the sovereignty of God and can take a deep, abiding joy in the midst of trials. Indeed, it is possible to both shed tears and
have a strange calm in the soul, to experience a heartache and rejoice that the
Lord is near during a time of trouble.
The fact that our Creator and
Savior gives us this is a command reveals something important about our
emotions. We are not slaves to our
feelings. Rather, we can largely control
and redirect our emotions by a choice of will. This includes in difficult circumstances.
Of course, this is not a natural
reaction. For unbelievers, trials seem
pointless. Yet, James addresses this to
believers, to brothers in the Lord. As
Christians, we are commanded to shift our perspective, understanding that God’s
sovereign hand is at work.
This is true amid “various trials”
or, as the KJV has, “temptations.” Christians
will face these troubles; nowhere are we promised health and wealth. These woes can come from the devil who wants
to tempt us, but the Lord who sustains us allows them in His sovereignty. From our perspective, we encounter them like
water puddles along the path, but the Lord knows about each one. We’re not necessarily responsible (though we
doo cause our own problems often); these are often events outside of our
control.
So, how do we respond? Don’t automatically think of trials as God’s
judgment on your life (unless you have been living in unrepentant sin). James is reminding us that we are not slaves
to our emotions. By God’s grace, we can
consciously choose joy. As R. C. Sproul said,
“This is a call to understand suffering from the vantage point of confidence in
God’s sovereignty.” We are called to
find joy not because of the trials themselves, but because we trust in God’s
purposes behind them. As to those
purposes, we turn next:
III.
Second, We Will Grow Through Trials (v. 3)
knowing
that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
We don’t think of trials as
being beneficial, but they are. They’re not
random; they serve to test the genuineness of our faith. We might come to think of trials as God’s
means of seeing if we’ll fail, but that’s not right at all.
Let’s consider that for a
moment. The original word for “testing”
refers to proving something’s worth. Like
gold refined in fire, our faith is proven and strengthened through
difficulties. Peter echoes this in 1
Peter 1:7, comparing the testing of faith to the refining of gold. God does not test us to make us fail but to
reveal and refine the true nature of our faith. As Dr. Greg Harris explains in The Cup and
the Glory, “Suffering shines a light into our souls and reveals what is
hidden. It deepens our trust in God”
(19). That’s what we’re considering with
term “testing” here.
This is something of which we’re
to remind ourselves. We must approach
suffering “knowing” this, as James is instructing us here. We must prepare ourselves for these moments of
testing so that we’re not tempted to assume God became angry with us. Instead, we must see the trial as something
God allows in our lives for our good.
What good might that be? This process of growth leads to endurance. As the LSB has here, it “brings about
perseverance.” This is more than just surviving;
it’s thriving in the midst of hardship, knowing that God is producing lasting
spiritual fruit. God doesn’t want us to
“be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the
promises” (Heb. 6:12). This includes
Christ, who suffered in our place as an example to us (1 Pet. 2:21). God allows temptations and uses testing to
create in us a godlier heart, one that is more like His: patient,
long-suffering.
This is a steadfastness that
allows us to endure future trials with greater faith. We believe in the perseverance of the saints,
that true Christians will remain until the end.
We’re secure namely by the power of the Lord. He has promised that He will keep us secure
(John 10:28), and He even prays that our faith not fail (Luke 22:31–32; cf.
John 17:12). His very presence within us
through the Holy Spirit keeps us secure for the day of redemption (Eph.
1:13–14; 4:30). So, we need not fear
falling away from the faith.
Still, we must see that the same
God who makes these promises also works through means, and trials are a means
by which He produces endurance within us for what lies ahead. God uses suffering is a means that to train
us for long-term endurance, preparing us for eternal glory. It’s a refining process that leads to growth
and deepens our trust in Christ.
Consider the growth we experience through trials. As we grow in patience, we demonstrate that
we are embracing heavenly wisdom. James
3:13–18 says,
Who among you is wise and
understanding? Let him show by his good
behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish
ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This
wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural,
demonic. For where jealousy and selfish
ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then
peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering,
without hypocrisy. And the seed whose
fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Someone who knows how to control his anger, who doesn’t
strive against others but is calm and collective, that is a man marked by
wisdom. Does that kind of patient
attitude describe you? If you are
looking for someone to blame every time something goes wrong in your life, then
you have embraced worldly wisdom. In
fact, it probably comes from a place of selfishness and jealously, because you
believe you deserve better, that you are owed comfort and desire.
If you are looking for a change, however, we must allow this
process in our lives. It’s painful, yes,
but so are growth spurts in our younger years.
Bones are lengthening, muscles are building, and it’s all necessary for
maturity to take place. Add to this the
pain of athletics; we go through pain to grow us. We must allow it, as we see in the next
verse:
IV.
Third, We Will Be Mature Because of Trials (v.
4).
And
let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking in nothing.
The goal of endurance is
spiritual maturity, and we must allow it.
We pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” Do we mean it?
Now, it’s important to know what
is meant here with the word “perfect.”
This does not mean sinless perfection. It’s not that we will go through a certain
number of trials and suddenly stop making mistakes.
Rather, this refers to completeness
or maturity. Paul uses similar
language in Philippians 3:15 when he urges believers to strive toward spiritual
growth. But this doesn’t happen
overnight; Howard Whitman said, “Life is composed of waiting periods. The child must wait until he is old enough to
have a bicycle, the young man until he is old enough to drive a car, the
medical student must wait for his diploma, the husband for his promotion, the
young couple for savings to buy a new home. The art of waiting is not learned at once.”[1] I used to tell people in jail that patience
is forced upon them, but God has a work that only patience can bring
God’s purpose in allowing trials
is to make us spiritually whole, lacking nothing essential to our faith. We often pray for relief from trials, but
God’s will is often that we grow through them. For instance, Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” (2
Cor. 12:7–10) reminds us that sometimes God’s answer to our prayers is to let
us endure in order to keep us humble and dependent on Him. Through suffering, God refines us to make us
more like Christ.
Now, this does not mean that we
should never seek to get out of trials.
James reminds us later that God gives grace to the humble (4:6), that
the devil will flee from those who resist him (v. 7). We can petition the Lord like Paul, and God
may remove the trial… or He may not. The
point here is that He has a plan, and we must ultimately be willing to pray,
“Thy will be done.”
Worldly wisdom teaches us to
avoid trials, but heavenly wisdom teaches us to rejoice when they come. As we grow in patience and endurance, we
develop heavenly wisdom — wisdom that sees trials as part of God’s loving plan
to perfect us. The end result of this process is a deeper maturity in Christ,
where we desire less of the world and more of God.
We can be complete in Christ,
lacking in nothing for this life. As one
commentator notes, “That is the end result of trials: maturity, completeness,
not lacking in anything of spiritual importance and value.”[2] We can be made complete through trials by a
loving Father.
V.
Conclusion
We don’t like trials when we’re in the midst of them. Yet, we must deal with them through heavenly
wisdom. That calls us to three
applications:
- Meditation:
Consider trials as opportunities for joy, not despair.
- Conviction:
Know that trials produce endurance, shaping us into Christlike maturity.
- Expectation:
Look forward to the spiritual growth that comes as God refines us through
suffering.
When we trust God’s purposes in trials, we are strengthened,
refined, and matured. As Romans 5:3–5
reminds us, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces
endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” Trials are a pathway to becoming all that God
intends for us to be — mature, complete, and lacking in nothing.
Let us, therefore, embrace trials with joy, knowing that God
is at work in our lives, using even the hardest circumstances to grow us into
the image of Christ.
[1] Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia
of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible
Communications, Inc.
[2] John F. MacArthur Jr., James, MacArthur New Testament Commentary, (Chicago: Moody Press,
1998), 33.
