Fall Retreat 2021: Saturday Evening Session

for many years, and you would reach the point in the book where there would be weeping and

gnashing of teeth as you dealt with election doctrines of grace. And so I would just kind

of stop the class. Let's breathe, do some calisthenics, just get some exercise, let

your mind open a little bit, settle down so we can do something like that if you start nodding

off. A month ago, a young man, he's still a kid. He's just a huge, tall, big kid. And for the first

time ever, he didn't sit down with his mom. He sat down. He's probably junior high at most. He came

all the way, sat right at the end of the front row. And then as soon as the sermon started,

he just gone and snored, snored the entire sermon. It was kind of the self-discipline of

keep focused, keep focused. So there's grace even if you're snoring. Through our sessions,

we began with joy in uncertainty. Because of what is certain, how much is certain, greatly

certain, we can still have joy. Because of the glories we have in the gospel, we dug into

that a little bit to specify and emphasize what those glories are. Because that is the

foundation for all that we're looking at. In the last session, we turned and looked at that

we can have joy when life is hard. Because God himself is worthy of joy. And that we can

take joy in the God of our salvation. There's a responsibility to pursue joy. In this session,

we continue with the theme of joy when life is hard. But we're going to add another layer

to that. And that is that in hardship, we can have joy for what God is doing through what

is hard. We're going to turn to James chapter 1.

James 1 · chapter mention

James chapter 1. We'll read the first four verses.

James 1 · chapter mention

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes in the dispersion,

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

that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect.

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

Now, I don't think there's any New Testament letter that begins as abruptly as this one.

Greetings. Count it all joy when you encounter suffering. He doesn't even really stop to say

hello much. He doesn't get into reasons why he's thankful or how he thinks of them and how he's

praying for them. It's just, hello, things are hard and you should have joy. It's very abrupt.

And I'm sure he recognized this. He wrote it down. He had the time to think through it.

You wonder if he started over and scribbled it out. He's trying to find a way to get to it and then just

forget. Let's just be direct. Let's go right to it.

The Jewish believers whom he's writing to, he speaks of the 12 tribes in dispersion. He's writing to

Jewish believers who, like their forefathers, had a very strong sense that those who are in covenant

relationship with the Lord also will have the blessings of the Lord. That is steeped in their

heritage in the culture and thinking of the Old Testament going back to the time of the Exodus,

which is so prominent in their thinking. There is hardship that comes, but God brings blessing to

his people. But like believers ever since then, we all discover that the difficulties we also have

that don't really fade. I mean, some may pass by, but then there's others in queue waiting to jump right in.

Along with just the regular trials of life that everyone has, for these believers, they're rejected by their own

culture, their own families, rejecting them because you're Jewish, you're the children of Abraham.

Why are you aligning with these followers of Jesus? And we're coming into when the persecution by the Romans

would begin, which was horrible for God's people. James assumes faithful Christians,

godly Christians, the ones whom the Lord loves and sings over, those Christians will meet trials

and a variety of them. He says, when you will meet them. Count it all joy, when? Not perhaps. And Jesus

similarly even said it stronger in John 16, 33. In the world, you will have tribulation.

We couldn't be more direct than that. And yet, within the church, there are too many that teach that if

your faith is strong enough and you love God enough and your life is right enough and some are as crass to

say and you give enough, then hardships can be quickly overcome and be put behind you.

That we can live without hardships, which is a very unbiblical orientation. And even if we're not under

that kind of poor teaching, and even as direct as scripture is about suffering, we can just fall into the

thinking of believers that if I have hardship, somehow that must mean that God's not happy with me.

And we make the wrong associations and wrong conclusions. So, to our encouragement, and you,

well, it's not very encouraging to say I will have trials. Well, you're gonna have them whether he says

them or not. So, to our encouragement to recognize struggles and trials are not an evidence God is

against you. When believers ask me at times, the things that I'm going through, these hardships,

do you think God's correcting me? I just ask the question, well, should he be?

I mean, if you have sin in your life that you've been ignoring, that you're not repenting of, well,

then the answer I'm gonna say is in some way yes. Because God's not gonna just let you go on and on

ignoring him in your sin. So, it's not that God is out to get us, but God will discipline. God wants to

pull us away. So, there is some work of God getting attention if we have just turned our back and we are

secretly staying in an unrepentant state. But we should never think that the existence of struggles and

trials mean God is against us.

Godliness will remove some types of hardships and trials. The stability of life, not living,

addictive behaviors. There are certain troubles and burdens that living for God will remove from us,

will protect us from. But then there are other kinds of struggles and trials that it will add to us.

I think of some of the businessmen in our church who, their competitors are free to break laws and cut

corners and do whatever they can to maximize their business. And here's the believer saying,

I can't do any of those things. And they feel vulnerable because they simply can't do that.

There are burdens that we receive by not fitting in, by swimming against the stream of culture.

Sometimes there can be family members just who are angry at someone becoming a believer.

My brother dated a woman once who was, she was a relatively new Christian and her mom actually told her,

I wish you were a prostitute rather than go to church.

And I met a man in Belarus a couple of years ago who said that when his wife became a Christian,

she became a Christian a year or two before him.

The mother-in-law, the mother of this woman was, had a physical disability, so she couldn't get out of the house.

She offered to pay him to kill her daughter.

And you're sitting here, someone really tried to do that?

There are, those could be extremes.

And yet, we all recognize that to be serious about God can make people feel uncomfortable.

And in that uncomfortableness, how they treat us, is uncomfortable for us.

Hardship is unavoidable in a world that rejects God.

And, more to the point of this passage, hardship is necessary for God to grow us.

We need a wise, meaning biblical, perspective for our trials.

How do we think about them in a way that represents what the Bible actually says,

what is actually in God's heart, what is his intention, what's God's agenda in this?

We need to see those things so that we are understanding our burdens properly.

And James is saying part of that correct understanding, a biblical understanding of hardships,

should bring joy to us.

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

Now, this doesn't mean difficulties only bring joy.

That, count it all joy, has often been misunderstood.

It means pure joy or our highest joy.

Count it your highest joy, meaning there are different types of joy.

And the most pure and the most wondrous and highest of joys is that which we can take when we have difficulties.

We see from Jesus' own example that trials don't bring only joy.

In Matthew 26, that passage of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, which is a great gift to the church.

Where Jesus says, first as disciples, my soul is sorrowful even to death.

And then what serves us so well is when it speaks of Jesus going and praying,

Lord, if this cup can pass, but not my will, your will be done.

And then it says, and then he went and prayed the same thing over again.

And it says, and then he prayed the same thing a third time again.

So we're seeing Jesus, who without sin and without any lack of faith,

Jesus is faced with this overwhelming burden and trial,

and it is weighing heavily upon him.

We've never seen Jesus that way.

So heavily that he keeps going back to pray, not because his faith is weak.

That's the evidence his faith was strong.

He persisted in pursuing the Father until his heart was settled.

And so even though he's saying,

my soul is sorrowful even to the point of death,

we know what's also in his heart and mind.

And for in Hebrews 12, it says this of Jesus,

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.

So even as his heart is overwhelmed,

there is this like subterranean river flowing through his soul

that the reason I am doing this is because it's the only way to bring them to me.

It's the only way to set free for the joy that he would gather

a people for himself and his Father.

God is our highest joy.

And part of maturity is cultivating that that is real for us.

Very piperish thinking.

He is our highest joy.

And he is in our trials.

And he is using them.

The one of splendor and joy is always embedded in the trials.

And he is always using them.

And so whatever hurt we have,

whatever brokenness it seems to bring,

that is never the only thing going on in our trials.

It doesn't matter if you can see it or not.

The pain, the uncertainty, the fear,

that's not all that's going on.

There are things much deeper, much more wonderful going on.

For the believer,

everything that takes place in your life,

there are no exceptions, there are no caveats.

Everything that takes place in our lives is gloved with grace.

Grace is in everything.

Literally, nothing touches our life without grace being a part of it.

Which is the only way Paul can say what he does.

Everyone's favor promise that all things work together for good.

How could that be possible if there's not grace in all things?

Verse 2,

Count it all joy, my brothers,

when you meet various trials.

It's not a grin and bear it.

Just believe better things are out there somewhere.

And just endure it.

It's not that kind of attitude.

Though there may be moments when we kind of feel it that way.

It's not grin and bear it.

It's joy.

There's more going on.

I trust God enough for that.

I believe in the sheer wonder, beauty, and glory of his heart and character and faithfulness.

That I know there has to be more in this.

And if God really is perfect,

if he is as wonderful as we say,

that whatever it is that he is doing

has to be wonderful.

What I often remind myself is that,

and I have enough faith for this,

to believe that there will be a time in eternity

when I will be able to look

and with full honesty be able to say,

Lord, you were faithful and good there.

I believe I will be at that place.

If I believe I will be at that place,

then why not just jump to it now?

If I'm convinced.

There's no way I'm going to be in heaven.

You know, Lord, most of the time.

I mean, what about then?

We will be filled with the sense of his praiseworthiness in all things.

So let's live with that eternal mindset.

It's part of thy kingdom come.

It's not only his rule over us,

it's our thinking in terms of what is it to be in his kingdom.

Trials are not an evidence God is angry.

And it's not God being distant.

It's God being active.

God who is perfect,

being perfect toward us.

Verse 3,

you know the testing of your faith.

It produces something.

Verse 4,

and what it's producing,

let it have its full effect

that you may become perfect, complete.

Now, our natural perspectives and difficulties

is something like this.

The best thing is that this would go away.

What do we pray?

I had a friend bring this up to me

who's been on many mission trips

and he would take teens.

He says,

what is it that we all pray for every mission trip for everyone?

The first thing is,

Lord, keep them safe.

And as one who's been on dozens of them,

I'm all for that.

we are quickly thinking of those types of things.

If something difficult happens,

we want it quickly to pass.

And that would be the best thing God could do

would be remove it as soon as possible.

That is our natural instinct of

what would be good right now.

Well, God's understanding

what would be good right now

is a little bit different.

It is that the full measure

of the good I want to do

be perfected.

And we are,

oh, Lord, I got the lesson.

No, we can go on now.

We can kind of move on to something.

I've got it.

I've learned.

In Romans chapter eight,

it compares our groaning

to the pains of childbirth.

Now, I've been there for childbirth a few times.

I don't know what it feels like,

but I've heard something of what it feels like.

I've heard the groans.

I've heard the cries.

I've heard enough to know

I never want to experience what it is.

However,

no one in childbirth

wants the pain to end

at the expense of that child coming.

You don't want to cut it short

to stop the birth of what is coming.

I remember when our son,

our firstborn,

and my wife going through long labor

and all the pain in that,

and she went from the moment

they put our son on her chest

and she held him.

I can still hear how her voice changed.

It went from all the screams of labor and pain

to this soft, maternal, loving, cooing voice.

Trials are hard,

but every single one is temporary,

and every single one is purposeful.

purposeful.

We have no promise

that the trials of life

will be removed

or even reduced.

Yet,

James is still telling us

that life

will be fruitful

and it can be joyful.

this joy

that we have

is founded on the realities

that we love God

and above all things,

we want to be closer to Him.

And that's what He wants.

And

what we go through in trials

is part of God

bringing us near

because,

as we've already sung,

we are so prone to

wander.

And we're prone

to be busy.

And we're prone

to be preoccupied.

And we're prone

even in the midst

of doing the most

noble things

of ministry,

of doing them

with God following

rather than leading.

trials and suffering

is needed

to bring us back

to make us desperate

for the presence of God,

the nearness of God.

God.

And that presence

really is wonderful

enough

to go through

suffering

to get there.

joy is founded

not only our love

for God,

that we trust

Him.

What He is doing

is praiseworthy.

just a few years ago

I was

in Belarus

and I'd received

some

difficult news

from home.

Bob,

one of my children

and

a panic attack

started

and I could feel

coming in.

They can take

different ways

and for me

a few times

I've had them

it

not

always bringing

dread

about my condition.

I'm gonna die,

I'm gonna die.

That

turning toward

my kids

that

the most horrible

thing will happen.

And I can remember

I was

alone in the room

late at night

and I was convinced

my son

would commit suicide.

the panic attack

just took her

I

he will be

I will find out

he's dead

tomorrow.

That was

the reality

being pressed

into my mind

and I can remember

just

laying there

just saying

over and over

Lord

Lord

I trust you

Lord

I trust you

I just

kept

saying it

no matter

what happens

I

will

trust

you

till I

finally

fell asleep.

Now I

woke

to

a wonderful

text of

grace

that my

fears were

not true

but we

can trust

him

even in

what

we never

want to

see happen

because

if it

does

he is

being good

in it.

It's all

he can be

God

can only

be wonderful

he can only

be faithful

he can only

be good

he can only

be what

his character

is.

James is

leading us

to take

on God's

perspective

for our

difficulties

God's

perspective

is

I know

this

hurts

but

this good

I'm doing

my

grandson

who's

six

he

had to

be tested

for

COVID

have

any

of you

been

tested?

Yeah

that

it's

really

test

how far

can we

shove

this up

your nose

I think

that's

that's

what

they're

trying

to

see

so

you

know

his

parents

are

dreading

you

know

how

he's

going

to

handle

this

they

know

what's

happening

friendly

nurse

comes

in

talking

with

Wyatt

and

they

know

what's

about

to

happen

how

unhappy

he's

about

to

be

they

did

it

not

for

the

joy

of

watching

him

squirm

and

pull

his

head

back

and

yell

it

was

out

of

care

and

then

when

the

doctor

came

in

a

couple

minutes

later

and

asked

how

are

you

feeling

does

anything

hurt

he

said

yeah

something

hurts

that

lady

just

stuck

something

way up

my

nose

it

hurts

we

believe

that

God

is

good

God

is

true

God

is

wise

we

lose

sight

of

it

it's

not

that

we're

not

believing

these

things

about

God

but

they're

not

capturing

our

heart

as

often

as

it

should

part

of

what

helps

us

is

having

this

community

of

people

who

love

us

and

can

speak

grace

to

us

I

spoke

in

the

last

session

of

preaching

the

gospel

to

ourselves

and

also

then

the

community

that

we

are

speaking

of

gospel

we're

speaking

of

our

own

struggles

our

own

hearts

we

are

reminding

each

other

we're

sharing

with

each

other

we're

listening

we're

praying

for

each

other

we need

the

rootedness

and

the

grace

reality

that

brothers

and

sisters

who

love

the

Lord

bring

to

us

there's

a

book

it's

a newer

book

out

by

Michael

Emlett

who

works

with

CCEF

saints

sufferers

and

sinners

he's

a

counselor

the

book

is

written

just

for

believers

as

you're

interacting

with

each

other

you

may

not

be

a

counselor

but

we

we

speak

to

each

other

in

effect

we

bring

counsel

we

interact

and

so

he

helps

believers

with

other

believers

that

every

believer

is

a

saint

they're

in

Christ

every

believer

has

suffering

and

every

believer

has

sin

and

he

kind

of

helps

us

how

do

we

navigate

those

things

it's

very

helpful

can

serve

you

in

how

you

engage

with

one

another

because

we

need

to

do

that

we

need

each

other

in

these

things

we

know

and

understand

and

how

we

are

living

for

God

becomes

more

and

more

rooted

it

it's

less

passing

it's

less

ebb

and

flow

it

becomes

stronger

more

consistent

and

fills

our

life

more

and

more

so

it

becomes

the

norm

of

our

life

difficulties

test

or they

prove

it

it

reveals

and

purifies

so

we

can

see

that

we're

more

distracted

than

we

might

think

or

we're

awakened

to

the

fact

that

we're

struggling

to

trust

him

more

than

we

realize

it's

awakening

us

to

weakness

that we

have

and the

need

to be

earnest

and

draw

near

trials

teach us

we cannot

depend

on

ourselves

and

they

help

us

seeing

that

walking

with

God

is

something

we

cannot

neglect

we

just

can't

afford

to

enter

our

day

without

him

trials

are

needed

to

become

more

consistent

and

rooted

in

our

faith

so

we

grow

from

people

who

are

doubting

God

at

times

to

those

who

are

worshiping

him

in

all

things

we

grow

from

people

who

neglect

obedience

to

those

who

know

submission

is

always

the

best

starting

place

in

whatever

is

happening

we

grow

from

those

who

want

to

get

back

at

those

who

bring

pain

to

those

who

want

to

fulfill

God's

agenda

for

people

to

we

grow

from

those

who

may

compromise

to

stop

pain

to

those

who

focus

on

what

would

honor

God

in

this

moment

we

grow

from

wallowing

in

self

pity

to

those

who

rejoice

that

God

is

transforming

us

we

grow

from

inconsistency

to

someone

whose

life

points

others

to

Christ

that's

what

God

wants

he's

using

trials

to

work

toward

our

completion

it

says

perfect

and

complete

all

that

God

intends

which

Paul

in

making

the same

point

in

Ephesians

4

13

speaks

of

full

maturity

as

the

measure

of

the

stature

of

the

fullness

of

Christ

being

complete

being

made

perfect

is

to

be

like

Christ

in

our

character

one

who

loves

the

Lord

with

all

of

our

heart

mind

soul

and

strength

so

we

we

could

speak

of it

in

different

ways

it

to

to

be

complete

and

perfect

is

to

be

like

Christ

or

another

way

is

to

be

a

great

commandment

Christian

to

love

the

Lord

with

all of

our

heart

mind

soul

and

strength

to

love

our

neighbor

as

herself

it

is

to

be

a

mature

disciple

maker

all of

those

things

are

part

of

what

it

means

to

be

made

complete

meaning

that

what

God

declares

is

the

wholeness

of

life

is

what

is

increasingly

taking

shape

like

an

artist

who

begins

sketching

and we

begin

seeing

parts

of it

and

eventually

you

start

seeing

more

and more

until

okay

I see

now

what

they're

making

and

eventually

the full

beauty

of it

God

wants

us

visibly

to be

that

measure

of what

he's

making

us

so the

world

sees

what

Christ

is

like

what

God

would

have

them

to be

like

the

question

is

do we

view

those

things

as

being

joyous

is

to be

like

Christ

joyous

is

to be

a great

commandment

person

joyous

is

to be

a

disciple

maker

is

that

joyous

to

us

if

it's

not

joyous

we have

to ask

what is

our

relationship

with the

Lord

do we

truly

love

him

do we

truly

know

him

it

doesn't

mean

we

don't

have

any

anxiety

or

any

struggle

with

it

but

just

as

birth

pains

have a

precious

result

so do

our

labor

pains

of

growing

in

Christ

we

we

just

don't

like

struggle

yet

because

we're

covenant

people

those

struggles

are

filled

with

grace

Peter

speaks

similar

to

James

in

chapter

one

of

his

epistle

God

caused

us

to be

born

again

to a

living

hope

to the

resurrection

of Jesus

Christ

from the

dead

to an

inheritance

that is

imperishable

undefiled

unfading

kept in

heaven

for you

in this

you rejoice

though now

for a little

while

necessary

you're

grieved

by various

trials

things

a

joyous

perspective

sees

God

is

glorious

in all

that he's

doing

and even

when we

don't

see

what

that

is

we

tell

ourselves

it's

true

a

joyful

perspective

it

sees

and

believes

God's

heart

for us

is

huge

and he

will never

betray

us

a

joyous

perspective

sees

we have

a wonderful

eternity

waiting

ahead

a

joyous

perspective

is seeing

as God

sees

what he's

doing

where we're

headed

what he's

like

our

world

is filled

with

immense

problems

with

pain

with

uncertainty

and we

have to

live in

these

things

it's

the

world

we're

in

we

have

to

live

amidst

these

but we

can

live

amidst

the

same

things

the

world

is

in

with

a

very

different

perspective

a

very

different

demeanor

and

that

means

every

one of

us

has

much

to

share

with

the

world

and

for

those

maybe

you're

tempted

to

think

well

my

gifting

isn't

very

high

and

my

gifting

isn't

a

public

gifting

and

my

influence

isn't

much

here's

what you

have

every

one

of

you

you

have

sufferings

and

struggles

and

you

can

live

in

them

in

a

way

that

people

see

there's

something

powerfully

different

in your

life

and

that's

what the

world

needs

they

need

to

see

there's

something

wonderful

out

there

there

is

someone

wonderful

out

there

and

the

power

that

your

life

can

have

through

how

you

walk

through

what

is

hard

can

enable

your

life

to

have

far

more

impact

than

people

talking

behind

podiums

there's

plenty

of us

out

there

when

they

see

those

they

know

who

are

who

are

enduring

differently

the

effect

of that

is

something

God

will

use

and

you

don't

have

to be

afraid

of

that

and

and

if

there

are

bits

of

fear

then

you

just

tell

God

Lord

it

just

feels

a little

scary

to me

and

I

want

to

be

used

and

I

don't

want

to

be

afraid

and

he

has

grace

not

only

to

use

you

he

has

grace

to

help

you

with

fears

he

has

grace

to

help

you

with

the

hesitations

and

he

has

the

wisdom

and

strength

to

go

ahead

and

use

you

anyway

even

if

it's

kicking

and

screaming

because

he

knows

we'll

be

thankful

afterward

God's

heart

is

so

big

for

you

he

does

not

want

you

to

enter

eternity

without

your

being

used

he

wants

you

to

have

that

for

all

eternity

the

evidences

that

you

would

be

used

he

wants

that

so

much

that

for

the

one

person

we

all

know

about

who

never

had

a

chance

to

do

a

single

work

for

God

he's

allowed

him

to

forever

see

the

impact

of

his

life

the

thief

on

the

cross

remember

me

never

had a

chance

to do

anything

for

God

and yet

because

his heart

was

for him

in that

suffering

God

gave him

this

wondrous

gift

that

testimony

is heard

and

known

by

generations

and

generations

of

God's

people

who

have

been

encouraged

and

helped

because

God

wants

you

to be

with

him

knowing

he

used

you

and

knowing

you

were a

part

of what

he

was

doing

and

there

is

nothing

even

close

to

as

good

as

that

our

heavenly

father

we

ask

that

you

would

bring

to

us

the

convictions

we

need

the

confidences

we

need

the

clarity

we

need

for

each

one

here

give

the

grace

for

what

they

are

in

to

see

what

you

say

is

true

to

believe

it

and

that

you

would

give

them

the

gift

of

increasing

joy

in

it

that

they

would

be

able

to

see

they

can

live

joyfully

amidst

these

burdens

help

them

give

them

a

taste

of

that

by

your

grace

in

Jesus

name

amen