Joy In Trials

Children, you are now dismissed to your Sunday school class.

You're going to be learning about your promise-making and promise-keeping God.

This November, last week, we started a series,

Hardship, Holiness, and Our Loving Heavenly Father.

And last week, we looked at the book of Lamentations,

and specifically Lamentations 3, where Jeremiah was in the midst of some severe hardship,

and yet he says this,

But this I call to mind, and therefore have hope.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.

His mercies never come to an end.

They're new every morning.

Great is your faithfulness.

The Lord is my portion, I said, therefore I will have hope.

Jeremiah had hope in the hardship, because he believed his God was for him.

And this morning, we're going to be looking at another passage about hardship.

James 1, verses 2-4.

James 1:2–4

So if you want to open up your Bibles to the book of James,

it's towards the end of your New Testament.

Chapter 1, verses 2-4.

Where Jeremiah 3 is about hope in hardship,

James 1, verses 2-4 is about joy in hardship.

James 1:2–4

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.

Now, this, what I'm about to say, may be a gross oversimplification.

But typically, when a human being encounters difficulty,

hardship, when they are drawn out of their comfort zone,

typically a human being will respond in one of two ways, fight or flight.

Fighters put up their dukes, and they say,

Okay, who's to blame?

Flighters look for cover and wait until the all-clear is sounded.

But a Christian has a third option.

It's not fight.

It's not flight.

It's faith.

Faith in our God.

A Christian, one confronted with difficulty,

must resist the natural instinct to fight or flight

and choose to trust in God.

And Lamentations 3, trusting God in hardship, shows up as hope.

And James 1, trusting God in hardship, shows up as joy.

Count it all joy.

So here's what I believe God is telling us this morning from James 1, 2-4.

Here's what I want you to see.

When trials come knocking,

we welcome them with joy because we trust in our God.

When trials come knocking,

we welcome them with joy because we trust in our God.

It sounds crazy, doesn't it?

We must be believing truth about God when we encounter trials.

Let me just read this passage.

Count it all joy, my brothers,

when you meet trials of various kinds,

for you know that this testing of your faith produces steadfastness,

and let steadfastness have its full effect,

that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

This morning we're going to look at three things.

First is the command.

There is a command here in James 1, 2.

Count it all joy.

We're going to look at the command,

and then we're going to look at the rationale for the command.

This command begs the question, why?

And James answers that in verses 3 and 4.

So we're going to look at the command,

and then we're going to look at the rationale.

And our last move together,

I want to gird up your mind

for the trials that are coming this week.

You're going to be facing them.

We all are.

And so three moves,

command, the rationale,

and then by way of application,

girding up your mind for the trials to come this week.

So first, let's look at this command in 1, 2.

Count it all joy, my brothers,

when you meet trials of various kinds.

I mean, we are being commanded

to be joyful in the midst of trials,

to have joy in suffering,

joy in hardship,

joy in confusion.

Does that sound crazy to you?

Well, there's a context

in which this command is coming.

Trials.

What does James mean by trials?

Well, the word that is used here

is translated one of two ways

in the New Testament.

The first way that this word is translated

is it means an outward trial,

a process of testing

that comes upon us from the outside.

God brings the trial.

The second way that this word is translated

is an inner temptation,

an enticement to sin

that doesn't come from without,

but it comes from within,

out of my own heart,

out of your heart.

This leads us to a very important distinction to make.

God tests us,

but He doesn't tempt us.

God brings trials,

but He doesn't make us sin.

Our own desires are what tempt us,

and we see that played out

in verses 1 through 13,

excuse me, 13 and 14

in chapter 1 of James.

So in verse 2 here,

what is very clear

is that this is a trial

that God is bringing to test us,

the trials.

And verse 3 confirms that.

So verse 2,

when you meet trials of various kinds,

and verse 3,

for you know that the testing of your faith

produces steadfastness.

When God tests us through trials,

He's not trying to make us sin.

He's seeking to make us more holy.

God's responsible for the trial,

but He's not responsible for

how we respond to it.

He doesn't take responsibility

for our desires in that.

So what I want you to see

coming out of this little piece here

is that all trials

are challenging opportunities

God sends to mature us.

They're redemptive in nature.

They're purposed.

And what we learn here from James

is that they vary in form and intensity.

You see the words in verse 2,

when you meet trials of various kinds?

Various kinds of trials.

Some trials are simple.

Some trials are complex.

Some trials are mild.

Some trials are intense.

Some trials are brief.

Some trials are extended.

Some trials are unique to Christians.

We suffer for Jesus' name.

Some trials are common to all.

Living in a fallen world.

We all deal with loneliness,

sickness, disappointment,

broken cars, unexpected bills

when a loved one dies.

Some trials are very personal.

Other trials are communal.

Are corporate.

We've been going through some trials

as a church.

When trials are complex,

intense, extended trials,

these are the very most difficult kind.

They can be unsettling,

uncomfortable,

and unpredictable.

But one thing we know

is that these various trials

are coming.

Now, if this is true,

if God sends trials for our good,

and there are a variety of kinds of trials,

we're dealing with trials

on a frequent basis.

God is challenging us

on a regular basis to grow us.

He's not waiting for us to ask Him.

He brings them for our good.

Life is one trial after the next,

isn't it?

And sometimes,

trials come in clusters.

But what we see here

is that trials

are normal.

I'm so grateful for

John Bunyan's book,

Pilgrim's Progress.

It's a classic.

It's one of the most published books

in all of history.

There's also a children's version

called Dangerous Journey.

And if you're a parent with young ones,

it is a great book.

We have so benefited

from that book.

If you're not familiar

with the story,

John Bunyan has written a tale,

a depiction of the Christian life.

And it is encouraging

and very helpful.

The story is about

the main character, Christian,

and his journey

from the city of destruction

to the celestial city,

heaven.

And very wisely,

Bunyan shows that

through this story

that the Christian life

is marked by regular trials

of various kinds.

I mean,

Christian goes through

the slew of despond.

Christian has to navigate

Vanity Fair.

Christian has to

climb the hill difficulty.

Christian has to square off

on Apollyon

and slog it out

for a full day.

And of course,

Christian has to encounter,

come face to face

with the final trial,

death.

The Christian life

is filled with trials.

But you know what?

It's not only about trials.

Pilgrim's Progress

is about joy

in the midst of trials.

And that's what

the Christian life is too.

Joy

in the midst of trials.

Trusting God

through hard times.

When trials come knocking

at your door,

how do you typically respond?

No one's home.

Go away.

Not interested.

Because we know

that trials bring pain,

right?

When trials come knocking

on your door,

how do you respond?

James is very clear

in how we are to respond.

Count it all joy,

my brothers,

when you meet trials

of various kinds.

various kinds.

So let's look at this command.

Here's what James

is telling us.

When trials come knocking,

welcome them with joy.

That word count

in the ESV

or consider

in the NIV,

it's a command

not to feel.

It's a command

to think.

Count it joy.

Consider it joy.

It's not about

how you're to feel.

It's about what you're to think.

It's a call to think

God's thoughts.

Close to this word count

and consider

is the word appraise.

Have you ever had

an appraisal done

on your car?

See how much it's worth.

Your house,

see what it's worth.

Jewelry,

see what it's worth.

What we are to appraise,

what we're to count,

is the word it.

And what it refers to

is hardship,

trials,

difficulty

of various kinds.

We're to appraise

these things

a certain way.

All joy.

What is joy?

What is it?

I want to help you with that.

This is a little arbitrary,

but I think it will help you.

I want to make a distinction

between what joy is

and happiness is

in order for you

to get a sense

of Christian joy.

Joy

is a settled contentment

in the unchanging character

of God.

Joy

is a settled contentment,

a satisfaction

in the unchanging character

of God.

It is not dependent

on circumstances.

Joy rests squarely

on God.

Happiness

is finding contentment,

satisfaction

in circumstances.

and we all know

that circumstances

change with a win.

So,

what's the difference

between joy

and happiness?

The object of faith.

What one is depending upon.

Joy depends on God's

constant,

unchanging character.

Happiness depends

on constantly

changing circumstances.

And so,

if you're to graph them,

if you're to graph happiness,

happiness would be up and down

following circumstances.

Anybody relate with that?

Joy

would be constant

as God's character

is constant.

As you learn Him

and understand Him

and know how wonderful

He is,

it's constant

even in the midst

of difficult circumstances.

So,

this is what God

is commanding us.

When trials come knocking,

welcome them

with a joy

grounded

in

God.

James is not saying

take joy

in the hardship

for the hardship's sake.

What James is saying

is take joy

in the hardship

because God

is going to do something

through it

for your good.

So,

we welcome

trials with joy

because our trust

is in

God.

We appraise

trials with joy

in God.

That's the command.

Now,

we've got to look

at the rationale

because it leaves us

asking the question,

why?

Why are we

to take joy

in trials?

Why?

Why?

And James

provides the rationale

in verses 3 and 4.

He says,

this is why

we welcome

trials with joy.

Now,

I know that

it kind of sounds

crazy to take joy

in trials,

but when you

walk through

and understand

James' rationale,

it actually

makes sense.

So,

we've looked

at the command.

Let's look

at the rationale

why we welcome

trials with joy.

And the first thing

I want to draw

to your attention

is the first word

of verse 3.

It's the word

for in the ESV

or in the NIV

it's the word

because.

This clues us

into the fact

that James

is going to give us

reasons for welcoming

trials with joy.

And he says this,

for you know,

because you know.

Again,

James is appealing

to our minds,

not our emotions.

What he started

in verse 2,

count it all joy,

appraise it,

think about it this way.

He continues

in verse 3.

He's not appealing

to our emotions.

He's appealing

to our minds.

He wants us

to think rightly

about trials

in relationship

to who God is.

And so,

let me help you

see the rationale.

Three things here.

The purpose of trials,

the immediate result

of trials,

and the long-term

goal of trials.

We see that laid out

in verses 3 and 4.

So let me just

draw it out for you.

The purpose of trials.

Verse 3.

For you know

that the testing

of your faith.

Trials are not random.

It may feel that way

to us,

but they're not.

God is sovereign over it.

He is bringing them

for our good.

God sends trials

of various kinds

to strengthen

and refine

our faith.

It is a testing

of faith.

He wants to strengthen

our faith.

Do you know how

to grow muscle mass?

You go to the gym

and you start

lifting weights.

And when you stretch

your muscle

a certain way,

it starts to tear

just a little bit.

And you give it

time to

kind of

respond

and the actual

muscle comes back

with a greater mass.

You're actually able

to move more weight.

It's strengthened,

but there's pain

in the stretch.

No pain,

no gain.

But what we're talking

about here

is not just

strengthening faith.

It's refining faith.

Heat

refines things.

Burns off

dross.

And what God

is doing

through trials

is not only

strengthening our faith,

He's burning off

impurities of our faith.

Turning to different

things that are not

God

when things get hard.

God sends trials

of various kinds

to strengthen

and refine our faith.

And mind you,

this is not a faith

in faith.

This is not just

to strengthen our faith

so that we can have

a strength in faith.

It's faith in God.

God sends trials

to strengthen our faith

in Him.

To grow our trust

in Him.

Now,

when we are confronted

with a trial,

when trials come knocking,

we tend to focus

on the trial.

To feel the heat.

To feel the pain.

And what God does

through a trial

is to refocus

our gaze

on Him.

Truth about Him.

Glorious truth

about Him.

We see that played out

in the Psalms

over and over

and over again.

David encounters

some kind of difficulty

and he cries out

to God.

God,

rock,

my fortress,

my shelter,

I got people

doing this,

I got people

doing that,

I don't know

what's going to happen,

I'm poor and needy,

I need help.

Again and again

we see

David encountering

difficulties

and turning to his God.

God's purpose

for trials

is to grow

our faith

in Him.

They're not random,

they're purposed.

They're for our good.

They're various

and they're frequent.

that's the first thing

that James wants us

to understand.

His rationale.

Trials are testings.

God wanting to grow us.

But it moves from testing

to an immediate result.

God tests us

to bring about

an immediate result.

We see that

in verse 3.

For you know

that the testing

of your faith

produces

steadfastness.

Think of steadfastness

as a kind of faith.

How faith shows up

in a particular way.

It's faith showing up

in the midst

of hard circumstances.

It's the ability

to endure

when you are under pressure.

To trust God

when things get hot.

To trust God

when you get stretched.

Trusting God

in the midst

of crisis.

Okay,

we're entering

basketball season.

Has any,

who has seen

a basketball game?

Raise your hand.

Just want to know

what I'm working with here.

Alright.

There is this

defensive play

called a full court press.

And what it is

is the offense

gets the ball

underneath their basketball hoop

and they need to get it

down to the other

basketball hoop.

And so what the defense does

is they come on

strong and furious.

They apply a lot

of pressure.

And the purpose

of a full court press

is to test the offense

to see how they can handle it.

And if you're watching

this on TV

and you see a full court press

going on

and you kind of focus in

on the offensive player

with the ball,

what you'll see

is one of two things.

That offensive player

is either going to panic

or he's going to call to mind

what his coach

has told him

and he's going to

persevere through the press.

He's going to break

the press.

He's going to be steadfast

under trial.

He's going to walk

through it

all the way through.

When God brings trials,

He's going to grow

our steadfastness in Him.

God delights

in a steadfast faith.

Steadfastness literally means

to bear up under weight.

Now the question

we can ask is this,

why does God like steadfastness?

What does He like about it?

Well, God is steadfast.

He Himself is steadfast.

The steadfast love of the Lord.

He's an ever-present

help in trouble.

He is our rock.

He is our fortress.

But what I want you to see

is if you turn your Bibles

over maybe a page

to the left

to Hebrews 12

Hebrews 12:1–3

verses 1-3,

we're going to see

that steadfastness

is Christ-like.

So turn to Hebrews 12

Hebrews 12:1–3

verses 1-3.

We read this,

Therefore,

since we are surrounded

by so great a cloud

of witnesses,

pointing back to chapter 11,

since we are surrounded

by so great a cloud

of witnesses,

let us also

lay aside every weight

and sin

which clings so closely

and let us run

with endurance.

That is the same word

translated steadfastness

or perseverance

in James 1.

So let us run

with steadfastness,

the race that is set

before us,

looking to Jesus,

the founder and perfecter

of our faith,

who for the joy

that was set before Him

endured the cross.

Again,

that's the word

for steadfastness,

perseverance,

despising the shame

and seated at the right hand

of God.

Jesus Christ

endured the cross

in order to save us.

The joy of our salvation.

Steadfastness,

a steadfast faith

is a Christ-like faith.

In fact,

He endured the cross

so that we can be like Him

when hardships come.

The deal is

the only way

to grow

in steadfastness

is to go

through trials.

It's the immediate result.

It's what God wants

to get done in us

when we encounter a trial.

So we've looked at

the purpose of trials.

They test us

to grow us.

The immediate result

is steadfastness,

faith under pressure.

The long-term goal

comes in verse 4.

If you look at it,

verse 4,

we see this.

And let steadfastness

have its full effect.

That word full effect

is getting at

the long-term goal

of trials.

What God is seeking

to get done

in the long haul.

You see,

steadfastness

is not an end

unto itself.

God brings trials,

grows steadfastness

over and over

and over again

in order to get

something greater done

in a long-term goal.

And you know

what that's called?

Maturity.

The way that James

talks about it

is like this.

And let steadfastness

have its full effect

that you may be

perfect and complete,

lacking in nothing.

Perfect and complete,

lacking in nothing.

And we all know

that the day we see Jesus,

it's all perfect.

Sin is gone.

No more trials.

What James is getting

at specifically here

is the maturity

that comes over time.

As we experience trials,

as we respond

with a steadfast faith

over and over,

that produces maturity.

And he describes it

positively and negatively.

Positively,

he describes it as

perfect and complete.

That word perfect

can also be understood

as mature

and complete.

That word means

well-rounded.

You know what the fruit

of the Spirit is?

Love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness,

goodness, gentleness,

faithfulness,

and self-control.

Just imagine

all this fruit

of the Spirit

showing up

in fuller and fuller

measure

in every area

of your life.

Every relationship.

Every situation.

Growing in greater

and greater measure.

He's going to round you out

and make you complete.

Negatively, he says,

lacking in nothing.

Not having a distracted focus.

Your undistracted focus

on Jesus.

An unblemished character.

When we put this stuff together,

perfect, complete,

lacking in nothing,

and you know what?

It starts kind of

sounding like Jesus.

The long-term goal

our Father has

for trials

is to make us like Jesus.

Mature.

The rationale James

is laying out here

is a process

in which God

uses trials

to stretch

and refine

our faith

to grow us

over time

to be more

and more

like Jesus.

Progressively

making His children

holy.

Trials are an essential tool.

Trials are necessary

to that end.

Our Heavenly Father

wants us to

share in His holiness.

We'll see that next week

out of Hebrews 12.

He wants us to share

in His holiness

so much

that He employs

various kinds

of trials

to refine us.

He values our holiness

more than our comfort.

In other words,

God considers

trials

good for us.

So,

having seen

the rationale

that we are to

consider

trials

joy

because

God's testing us,

He's seeking

to produce

steadfastness,

and the long-term goal

is Christ-like maturity,

because of that,

because we see that,

we know that,

we can have joy.

That when trials

come knocking,

we can welcome them

with joy

because God

is using them

for our good

even when they

involve a lot of pain.

When

hardship,

trials

come knocking,

we welcome them

with joy

because we trust

in our God.

so we've looked

at the command,

we've looked

at the rationale,

now I want

to gird your mind

up for this week.

I want

to help you

think a certain way

because you're

going to encounter

trials

of various kinds

this week.

When you

encounter

a trial,

when the heat

goes up,

when you feel

the stretch,

when you start

sensing pain,

when you

encounter

a trial,

you need

to fight

for joy.

And the way

you fight

for joy

is by calling

to mind

to consider

for we know

we call

to mind

truth

about our

God

in relationship

to the trial.

You fight

for joy

by calling

to mind

three truths

about God.

You ready?

God is

over it.

God is

in it.

And God

is using

it for our

good.

Will you say

it with me?

God is

over it.

God is

in it.

God is

using it

for our

good.

Over it,

in it,

through it.

Over it,

in it,

through it.

When you

encounter a

trial,

what comes

to mind?

God is

over it,

this trial,

He's in

this trial,

and He's

using this

trial for

my good.

He's

over it.

This is

not random.

This is

not some

freakish

random

event.

But God

is sovereign

over it.

Ephesians

1.22

God has

placed all

things under

the feet

of Jesus.

All

things.

He reigns

over it.

God is

sovereign.

sovereign.

It may

not feel

that way

when you

first encounter

a trial,

but that's

why we

call this

to mind.

Our God

is a

sovereign

God.

Our

trials

don't

reign over

our

God.

Our

God

reigns

over

our

trials.

He's

over it,

and God

is in

it.

God

is in

it

with

me.

God

is in

it

with

you.

He's

in it

with

us.

He

hasn't

left

us.

He'll

never

leave

us

nor

forsake

us.

God

is

right

here,

right

now,

and is

committed

to us

as ever.

He has

given us

His Son.

How will

He not

also give

us everything

we need

even when

we encounter

trials?

He's an

ever-present

help in

time of

trial.

He

loves

us,

and He's

not

going to

leave

us

hanging

when

we

go

through

a

trial

He

sends

for

our

good.

He's

with

us

in

it.

I

love

this

verse.

Isaiah

41.10

Fear

not,

for I

am

with

you.

Be

not

dismayed,

for I

am

your

God.

I

will

strengthen

you.

I

will

help

you.

I

will

uphold

you

with

my

righteous

right

hand.

I

have

set

the

Lord

always

before

me

because

He

is

at

my

right

hand.

I

will

not

be

shaken.

God

is

in

it.

He's

with

us.

He's

over

it.

He's

in

it.

And

He's

working

through

it.

You

know,

we can

overplay

Romans

8.28.

We

can

slap

that on

hardship

like

whatever.

Alright,

go have

a merry

day.

But

it's

true.

God

does

work

all

things

out

for

the

good

of

those

who

love

Him

and

have

been

called

according

to

His

purpose.

And

all

things

includes

trials.

He's

working

it

for

our

good.

So

when

we

encounter

a

trial,

if

I

know

that

God

is

going

to

work

through

it,

I

can

welcome

it.

With

joy.

Because

I

know

that

God

is

going

to

refine

me

so

I

can

share

in

His

holiness.

So

the

question

becomes

when

we

encounter

a

trial,

not

okay,

who's

to

blame

or

take

cover,

it

is

this.

God,

how are

you

using

this

to

refine

me?

How

are

you

using

this

to

round

me

out

to

be

like

Jesus?

What

are you

doing,

God?

Help

me

to

see

it.

So

this

week,

maybe

you're

a

mom

of

a

two

year

old.

You're

going

to

have

some

trials.

God's

over it,

He's

in it,

and He's

through

it.

All

of us

are

going

to

count

on

trials.

Over

it,

in it,

through

it.

Over

it,

in it,

through

it.

Over

it,

in it,

through

it.

God

is

over

it,

God

is

in

it,

and

he's

working

for

our

good

through

it.

We

got

to

remember

it.

We

got

to

believe

it.

We

got

to

speak

it

to

ourselves

and

others,

and

then

we

get

to

enjoy

it.

We

count it

all

joy,

my

brothers

and

sisters,

when

we

meet

trials

of

various

kinds,

because

we are

confident

in our

God

who

has

our

good

in

mind.

Let

me

pray.

God,

we

are

so

grateful

that

you

are

a

God

who

is

over

it

and

in

it

and

working

through

it.

God,

we

thank

you

so

much

that

you

bring

trials.

We

are

able

to

rejoice

in

that

because

we

are

confident

that

you

are

sovereign,

that

you're

with

us,

and

that

you

have

good

purposes

for

us

through

the

trial.

God,

would

you

use

it

for

our

good?

Would

you

teach

us

and

strengthen

us?

Would

you

bring

to

our

attention

areas

that

must

change

in order

to be

like

Jesus?

God,

we

trust

you.

We

love

you.

We

know

that

you

don't

bring

these

things

upon

us

for

our

ill,

but

for

our

good.

So

God,

we

look to

you,

and we

say,

have

your

way.

We

trust

you.

Our

joy

is

in

you.

And

it's

the

name

of

Jesus

that

we

pray.

Amen.