How to respond to the trials in life

Welcome to this week's message from the Church at Chelsea Westover.

Our core values are vibrant worship, intimate fellowship, fulfilling service, and clear biblical truth.

We pray that this message changes your life.

Let's tune in to today's message and see what God has in store for you.

I want you to turn with me this morning in your Bibles to James chapter 1.

James 1 · chapter mention

James chapter 1.

James 1 · chapter mention

And if you do not have a worship guide this morning, raise your hand.

So everyone that does not have a worship guide, anyone, just raise your hand.

Anyone?

Because the outlines on the back.

And I love just uh, you know, when you give people outlines, and most of you, what I love about you guys, you take it home and you go over it.

We send out in our small groups questions, and uh it's just rich.

And let me encourage you to do this.

Go back over this message.

And we're very privileged here today also to have, you know, we record this every week.

So you can go on our app, hit the live services, and you can take your bulletin or your worship guide.

I always say bulletin every once in a while to for all us that grew up in very traditional churches.

Remember, if God didn't, hey, if they didn't give out the bulletin, God couldn't show up.

Really.

I mean, it was I mean, son, if you messed up the bulletin, you got in trouble.

But anyway, the worship guide and and go back over it.

If nothing else, you can listen to it when you're driving and uh and and go back over the truths that God teaches us, because it will change your life.

Now, probably one of the greatest New Testament books in the Bible is the book of James, because if I could label a New Testament book the to the same degree of the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament, it would be the book of James.

Because it's a book of wisdom, it's a book of instruction, and it's a book of encouragement.

In other words, the book of James tells you what to do and what not to do.

Amen.

And it tells you also what not to do, what to do, but it also then tells you the consequences of what to do and what not to do.

So, really, it's the New Testament picture of the great book of Proverbs in the Old Testament.

And you know how I feel about Proverbs.

The Proverbs a day, what?

Keeps the devil away.

If you did nothing more than spend about 10 minutes really concentrating on a proverb a day, and and I always would encourage you to have your little sheet or your little diary and have promises of God and warnings of God and directions of God.

Those three words.

Promises, direction, hey, and warnings.

And when you get a warning, write it down.

When you get a promise, write it down.

When you get a direction, write it down.

And at the end of that 10 or 15 minutes of going through that chapter, you've got God's direction, you've got his promises, and you've got his warnings.

And if you apply those daily, it will change your life.

Guaranteed.

Most of us tend to think that the best time in life are the times that are full of happiness and joy and free from stress.

Now, would we not all agree?

We would say amen to that.

But the I would, but the Bible has a different view of that.

In fact, it says that in our trials, in our times of uncertainty and suffering, now remember, in the times of our uncertainty and in the times of our trials and our tribulations, we can count it all joy.

Now, when I first heard that as a young Christian, I said, that's impossible.

I mean, you just went through a major tragedy.

You just had a uh, maybe you just lost your job.

Did you run outside and say, Woo! Yeah, I got great joy.

Thank you, God.

Hello.

No, you didn't do that.

Well, that's what the scripture says we ought to be able to do.

I'm not quite there yet.

I'm close.

I'm getting there.

I'm not saying I'm not even gonna say I'm close, but I'm getting there.

Because life is filled with the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Clint Eastwood.

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

All right?

It really is.

And yes, thank you.

I know it.

Darren said, make sure to get my water.

Thank you.

It's not cold, yeah.

I know, but that's I'm gonna I'll blame that on Darren.

So we see that in our times of uncertainty and suffering, we can count it all joy.

Now, because of our trials, we build our faith and come to know even more.

Let me put it this way: the only way you're gonna really understand the goodness and the greatness of God is through major trials in your life.

Now that's about four, amen.

So I'm gonna say that again.

The only, hey, the only way you're gonna understand.

Now, this is key to this whole book.

The goodness and the greatness, those two words, the goodness and the greatness of God is through trials.

God designed it that way, God meant it for that way.

You'll never know his goodness and greatness like you will know it until you go through the fires of life.

Until you go through the tribulations of life.

Now you've got to come to that point and understand that.

And the problem is we can amen it till it happens.

You know, you walk, the old preacher had a great message, and then about the time you pull out there and a lady hits you, or a guy hits you broadside and totals your brand new car, where'd that goodness and greatness go?

It's gone.

Right out the window.

Now the flesh came out.

There's no goodness and greatness about that.

You understand?

You agree?

So, how do we understand?

How do we really get understanding and comprehension on how we can count it on joy?

Well, it's gonna be great.

Great study.

Reminds me of a great pastor back in the early 60s.

His name was Dick Chumay.

He was a beloved and respected pastor for many years until he developed a kidney disease, and so he had to resign his church.

So he could have just given up, he could have quit.

But no, he said, I counted on joy.

What's next for me, Lord?

And God laid on his heart to go to Dallas Theological Seminary.

At that time, they did not have a chaplain.

Why would they need a chaplain?

They got theologians.

Okay?

But but he had graduated from Dallas and he remembered the times that he was, he and his wife were hurting and didn't understand, couldn't make it.

And, you know, the theologians bless their hearts and I love them, but most of them are so academically smart and they stay in that that study.

And the reason I know that, now I I was a dean of the seminary and I dealt with a lot of these men who are great minds, great, but as far as everyday life, they just they don't have application a lot.

So they they can't comprehend what's going on in everyday life because they're not in the marketplace, they're in the library.

Big difference.

And I'm not gonna, hey, we need both.

So he decided he'd go back to Dallas Theological Seminary and just set up and ask the president uh, could he be a chaplain on campus and just talk to the the students and their wives and just be a blessing to them?

And shepherd, actually what we call shepherding.

Could he shepherd them?

And he did.

And in the providence of God, Dick Chumay became the chaplain.

And knowing this story, you can understand how blessed uh I was when I read this story about him, and here's what it says.

This is a statement that he wrote concerning trials and believers' life going through this or deal with this kidney disease.

Listen to what he said.

Life on earth would not be worth much if every irritation were removed.

Yet most of us rebel against the things that irritate us.

Oh me.

Amen.

And count it as heavy lost what ought to be rich gain.

We are told that the oyster is wiser than when an irritating object, like a bit of sand, gets under the mantle of his shell.

He simply covers it with the most precious part of his being and makes of it a pearl.

The irritation that it was causing is stopped by the by encrusting it with the pearly formation.

Now, watch this.

I put a star by it.

A true pearl is therefore a simple victory over irritation.

Let me repeat that.

A beautiful pearl is simply victory over an irritation.

Wow.

Think on that.

In other words, what God allows to come into our lives and it irritates us, it frustrates us, it causes all kind of bad emotions and attitudes in us, is what he's wanting to use to make a beautiful pearl out of us.

Wow! I don't like that, but that's good stuff.

But is that not true?

It is.

And that's what the book of James is gonna be telling us.

Dick Chumay took his kidney disease and he turned it into a pearl.

I was thinking about you, Keaton, when I read that.

He took his kidney disease and he turned it into a pearl.

But what do, hey, but we we do not have to walk into such trials unprepared.

This is the whole emphasis of the book of James, the whole proposition of the book of James.

In fact, God tells us ahead of time what is coming so we can be ready for it.

He prepares us to know how to respond to the trials in our life through the book of James.

I'm telling you what, folks, this is unbelievable.

So let's begin as we look at the title of the message how to respond to the trials of life.

There's five things that will help us when the heat is turned up.

What to do when the heat's turned up, and it's gonna be turned up.

I can promise you that.

What do we do?

How do we respond?

Five things.

Number one, celebrate the reason behind your trials.

Celebrate the reason behind your trials.

Now let's look at verse one.

Jesus, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

Now let me explain.

Verse one, basically, uh he is James is writing to the nation Israel who has been scattered abroad, being persecuted for their faith.

They have been persecuted for their faith.

I mean, it's unreal, it's uncanny.

So you got to understand that.

And he's talking about these that are sold-out Christians.

He's not talking about fly-by-night Christians, he's not talking about once-a-month Christians, he's talking about the sold-out Christians, those that are willing to give their life for Christ.

He's going to strengthen them and encourage them with this letter.

That's the purpose.

So he sets the table and then notice verse 2.

He comes right out of the gate.

My brethren, brothers and sisters in Christ, you that are standing in the gap for the Lord, count it all joy.

When you fall into divers temptations.

Now, the word divers there, if you've got another translation, probably says all kinds or all sorts of many different kinds of trials.

He says, Count it all joy.

Verse 3.

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith work is patience.

But let's go back to verse 2, because that's where I want to start.

We'll be looking at verses 1 through 12 today.

And notice what he says, count it all joy.

In other words, we're encouraged.

Most of us today are not suffering the same kind of persecution that the Jews were suffering.

In other words, we're not suffering persecution for our faith.

Thank God for America, we can still worship God freely.

We're not having our heads chopped off because of our faith, like they are in several of the eastern countries.

We're not, and thank God we're not.

We're really not.

But we see that we face very similar circumstances in our own trials, such as it could be a divorce, and we know divorce is running rampant throughout the whole world, but especially now, even in the church.

Used to, there was about a 48 to 50% divorce rate in the world, non-Christians, and about 30 to 35% divorce rate in the church, but now they're the same.

And we know that there's nothing that's more persecuting.

And many of you have been through this.

I understand that.

And thank God we at CCW, we do not believe that divorce is an unpardonable sin.

Can I get an amen?

Not at all.

Hey, hey, we're not interested in your past, we're interested in your future, and God's got a fantastic future for you.

Amen.

If you do it God's way.

You got to do it God's way.

There's a storybook ending done the storybook way.

And the storybook way is the B-I-B-L-E.

So we see this tremendous truth.

It could be, hey, trouble with your children.

It could be the loss of a job or some kind of severe financial situation or strain or illness or death in a family.

But there's situations that bring on great trials and tribulation.

But the emphasis on trials by James is just as relevant today, even though it was about persecution, uh, the persecution of Christians, but the principles are as relevant as they were back then.

Amen.

So we see this.

And I want you to notice something in this passage of scripture that we just read in verse 2.

There are two key words.

There's several key words in the whole chapter, five chapters.

But notice the first key word here in verse 2.

In the second verse, where James says, My brother, count it all joy.

Now the next word, when?

When you fall into various trials.

Now we would like that to read, wouldn't we?

If we fall in to various trials.

But it doesn't.

It's not a matter if, it's a matter of when.

You're going to face some major trials in your life.

But there's a great reason.

And why can we count it joy?

Because God's got an ultimate purpose, and that ultimate purpose is to turn you, you're going to hear this all the next six weeks.

He wants to turn you into a beautiful pearl for his glory.

For his glory.

And we see that.

We see it right here.

When you fall into various trials.

Now, you can't go from the cradle to the grave without experiencing trials and tribulations.

You can't do it.

I wish we could, but we can't.

Why?

Because we wouldn't be like Jesus.

You know what?

We wouldn't be like Jesus.

Oh, listen.

When you and I are touched by this adversity, it shows how, hey, a person must respond.

I want you to see this in John 16, 33.

John 16, 33.

I think it's up there, Jason.

He talks about when we go through these tragedies.

Listen to what Jesus said.

These things have I spoken unto you.

That in me, look, you might have peace.

But now watch.

But in the world, say it with me, read it.

But in the world, what are we going to have?

Alright, now look what Jesus said.

Now, this is Jesus talking, not Jabe.

But then what does he say next?

But be what?

Of a good cheer.

How in the world can you be of a good cheer going through tribulation, knowing that God's got a perfect plan for your life, a purpose, hey, a perfect purpose for your life, and that is to turn you into a beautiful pearl for his glory.

You ladies ought to start wearing some pearls.

Susan's got hers on, I think.

Because that's what he wants to do.

He wants to turn you into a beautiful pearl through your tribulation.

Count it all joy.

Hey, be of good cheer.

Why?

Because we have overcome the world.

And what that means is we have overcome, we have become victorious over Satan and his traps, his plans to detour us, to destroy us, and to defeat us.

That's why the world's system's here.

It's to detour us, hey, to defeat us, to discourage us.

But God says, no, you've overcome it.

So when they're coming.

I like what he says in 2 Timothy 3 12.

Look at what he says.

All that will live, read it, read it with me.

Yea, all.

Read it again.

You can't see it?

Ready?

Yea.

All that will live godly in Christ Jesus.

Uh-oh.

Can't go from the cradle to the grave.

Not and live godly without persecution.

That's what Paul said.

That's what Jesus said.

Right?

Now let me show you another one.

Go to 1 Peter.

Well, we'll go there in a minute.

Go ahead and throw 1 Peter up there because that's where we're going next.

But now notice.

So we see right here God's perspective, and we recognize that while the trial itself is not a happy experience, we would all agree with that.

Amen.

It's not a happy experience.

It is being used by Almighty God to produce something that will be very valuable in our life.

That's what you got to understand.

I've been through some severe trials.

I've had my wife die in my arms.

I've had my little baby boy born dead.

I've buried all my immediate family.

I mean, I've been there.

And I've been with all my members dying of cancer.

I mean, I've seen major trials in my own life.

I'm not preaching out of something that I haven't experienced.

And I'm telling you, even though it hurts, even though it's very painful, even though it almost sometimes will make you want to throw up your hands and say living the Christian life's really not worth it.

But that's nothing but of the devil.

That's Satan trying to take you out.

Trying to take you out.

He wants you to think that way.

And why?

Ooh, what about Joseph?

What if you'd have been like Joseph?

Joseph thrown into the pit by his own brothers, sold into slavery, hey, for years, then thrown in, hey, accused faultly by Potiford's wife, thrown in, hey, to jail for 13 years?

Hello.

Now, if some of us, some denominations said, well, God, oh, God's just left him.

Oh, he's got sin in his life.

No, he was in God's perfect will the whole time.

Why?

God was irritating him.

God was, hey, hey, refining him.

God was shifting him.

God was getting him to be where he wanted him to be, so he would be the pearl that God wanted him to be to deliver the whole nation Israel.

And his family.

Wow.

Wow.

Don't you think he might have thought he was ready to give up?

Don't you don't you might don't you think him sitting there in that cell for 13 years looked up and said, God, where are you?

Ever been there?

Count it all joy.

I can't do that.

Yes, you can.

If you intelligently understand what's going on in your life.

Now, you've got to evaluate.

Now, listen to me.

You've got to examine yourself whether you be in the faith.

Hey, 1 Corinthians 13, 5.

If you've got sin in your life, well, that's a different trial.

There's two types of trial.

Actually, there's there's three, but two of them majorly.

One trial, hey, for the Christian is to mature him, and that's the one we're talking about here.

The other is to cause him to come back to God and repent because he's living in sin.

Can I get an omen or amen?

Or both.

Jonah is good example of that one.

But I don't, I'm not going there.

We're dealing with Christians that are walking in the Spirit.

But we're going to deal with what happens if you're not, too.

But notice what he says.

When?

Notice the next word.

But remember what Job said about forgot that.

Here.

Remember what Job said?

You meant it for evil, but God what?

Meant it for good.

Genesis 50, 20.

But now notice the second word, count, in this verse.

Count.

Count it all joy when you fall into various trials.

This is one of the most interesting Greek words in the Greek language, and especially in relationship to the Bible.

It's hoo.

Hogalbah.

Ho Gaul Oba.

That's one that moves to look for.

That's what it makes.

What moves to look for?

Or for us.

We're living in a generation where how many of you like to watch commercials?

Maybe there's one or two that do.

My wife kind of likes commercials.

I don't like commercials.

I hate commercials.

I'll do I won't watch a movie or a football game for a whole day just to record the whole thing, and don't you dare tell me who won.

So I don't have to watch commercials.

That's just me, I guess.

But what do we do?

We grab the remote and we what?

Fast.

You got that concept?

That's exactly what this word means.

Fast forward.

It means to think forward.

Now it also means an accounting to count, but it's two words, two different meanings here.

It means to think forward.

It means to, hey, fast forward.

In other words, when the trials and the tribulations are coming through you, you're, I mean, he's Satan's got you down for the count and he's nettling you, just hitting you.

And all of a sudden you're saying that you're laying there instead of letting him take you out, and those thoughts are casting down imagination and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity every thought.

Here it is, man.

That's all the way that verse fits right there, 2 Corinthians 10, 4.

You're you're bringing those thoughts into captivity.

You're not thinking about what Satan's whispering into this quick.

God's not real.

Oh, you don't deserve this.

You shouldn't have to do that.

Blah, blah, blah.

And you're thinking forward.

Oh, one day, one day, I don't know why I'm going through this right now, but I know God, you've got a plan for my life.

I know, God, you got a purpose for my life.

And I know one day every knee's gonna bow, every tongue's gonna confess, and I know that one day if I endure this, verse 12 says I'm gonna receive the crown of life.

That you you're working in me a beautiful pearl for your glory.

Lord, just give me grace to go through it.

You're thinking through, you're running forward.

That's the only way you can make it.

And knowing that his grace is sufficient, his strength is made perfect in our weakness, most gladly we can glory in our what?

Infirmities, our trials, because when we're weak, he is strong.

Right now, right now, you got a you got a child or grandchild or wayward, and you're thinking, oh, and you're thinking all these horrible things when you ought to be running forward, thinking forward, hey, fast forwarding, saying, one day it's gonna be like the prodigal son that one day he's gonna may have to hit the hey, the bottom of the pig pen.

That's okay, but one day he's gonna rise and go home to the Father.

You're thinking that way.

Because you know God's awesome.

Notice the second thing.

Well, first of all, though, I'll tell you where it's going first.

Oh, you get God gave me this a couple of days ago.

That's hey, go to 1 Peter.

You gotta see this.

1 Peter 4, 12 through 19.

Oh, this is unbelievable.

This is another message.

I'm not gonna exergetically take it apart, but I gotta give you these four things that I saw about this.

How can we count it all joy?

Here it is.

Look at first 2 Peter.

Excuse me, 1 Peter 4, verse 12.

1 Peter 4:12

Beloved, think it not strange.

Now watch.

Concerning the fiery trial, which is going to trial you as though some strange things happen to you.

Remember, we already said we know they're coming.

It's not if, but what?

They're coming, so don't get caught off guard.

That's what that means.

Here they come.

Now watch this.

So what is he saying?

Here's the first thing there.

Expect it.

Number one, expect your trials.

That helps you.

You know, you don't get caught broadsided.

Expect it.

Now notice the second thing.

Look at verse 13.

Whoo, that's good.

But re- uh, there's that word again.

Count it all joy?

Huh?

Rejoice.

In so much as ye are partakers of Christ's suffering, that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceedingly joy.

You won't ex, hey, you can't and will not experience that greatness and goodness of God without the suffering.

Somebody say that's good.

That's good, preacher.

There it is.

So we've got to expect it.

Number two, we've got to rejoice in it.

Same as James.

Now notice the third thing.

Verse 13 and 14.

Here's what he says.

But rejoice.

Inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's suffering, that when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad.

But now look at verse 14.

If you be reproached for the name of Christ, happier ye.

For the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you.

On their part, he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

You know what he said?

Here's what he said, number three.

You gotta evaluate your trial.

You've got to evaluate it.

In other words, is it for maturity?

Or is it for correction?

Now here's a third one.

I tell you there's two things for storms and trials.

Is it for conversion?

Remember on the boat with Jonah?

That trial brought the Phoenician sailors to Jesus.

So you got trials of conversion, you got trials of commitment, and you've got trials of what?

What?

Conversion.

Trials come to mature us.

Trials come to bring us back to God, and trials come to convert us.

That's it.

And here we're talking about trials and maturity.

But we see that, hey, evaluate your trial.

And then number four, look at verse 19.

Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him and well-doing as unto a faithful Creator.

You gotta entrust everything to God.

Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, lean not on thy own understanding, and all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct their path.

Amen.

That's Proverbs 5.

Proverbs 5, uh 5 and 6.

That's it.

That's it.

So again, expect it, rejoice in it, evaluate it, and entrust it to God.

Whoa, that's good.

Now, number two, consider the results of your trials.

What's this?

Look at verse 3 and 4 back in James.

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience, but let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Wow.

Powerful words here.

Powerful.

Powerful.

Now, let's look at the two nouns that are used in these verses.

Number one, under consider the results of your trials.

Trials produce, are you ready?

Dubility.

They produce durability or endurance.

I'm sure you've heard it said in the church, never ask God for patience.

I used to be bad about that.

I'd say, I'm not going to pray for patience because patience, what?

Tribulation, what?

Romans says, tribulation's what?

Work is patience.

But see, I didn't really totally understand what tribulation was for.

See, I thought tribulation, you know, was, yeah, for, you know, people that know the will of God.

I thought tribulation was for to bring people to God.

But for us that were walking with the Lord, I didn't understand the trials for the maturity of the Christian.

Took me a long time to understand that early in my faith.

I understood the other two, but why?

Because I lived them two.

That's where I was.

I was lost and committed to my own ways.

I was not going to submit to God.

Boy, he brought me down real quick.

Let me tell you, sometimes he'll put you on your back, so you only have one place to look, and it's up.

That's what he did with me.

So what I'm saying is, when you realize now you can pray for patience, Lord.

I know tribulation work is patience.

Lord, I pray that you refine me, that you bring patience into my life.

Remember, the word patience means bring durability, bring not just short fuse, but bring durability, endurance, perseverance into my life so that I can endure and be a living testimony of all that you are, not only in the good times, but in the bad times.

Because by the way, that's when your testimony speaks the loudest in the bad times.

That's good.

That's good.

And that's what it means.

It means, hey, it's a hoop.

Here's the way you pronounce that.

Hoop mano nay.

Hoop manoe.

It's kind of like a tear.

Hoop amane.

Hoop amane.

And it literally means determination.

It literally means patiently enduring.

Amen.

So next time you want to quit, go hoop, ammon nay.

Hoop ammay.

Look at what you looking at me.

I'm crazy, Melvin.

But really, that's what you think of.

Patiently enduring, determination.

I'm not going to quit.

I'm not going to give up on God.

I'm going to endure.

And that's what it means.

That's exactly what it means.

Powerful, powerful truths here.

Isaiah 40, 31.

You know it.

If you know it, quote it with me.

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strengths.

They shall mount up winged as eagle.

Hey, and not be weary.

They shall run and be strong, not quit, and they shall walk and not think, not give up.

And I won't go there.

But the same thing, I've got it in there, Ephesians 6, verses 10 through 14, when he talks about finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, stand against the wiles of the devil.

Ephesians 6:10–14

Oh, there's that word, all those trials and those temptations, different, the same word kind of as the divers temptations.

The wiles, the methodology, the tricks, and all that of the devil.

Stand, put on the armor of God and stand.

And when you've done all you can do, stand.

That's what it says.

Who banana?

Endure.

Be determined that you're not going to let Satan take you out.

Notice the second thing it produces.

Trials produce maturity.

James tells us that when we go through a trial, it will initially produce durability, the patience to endure.

But secondly, look at verse 4, he tells us that it will produce maturity.

Notice in verse 4 the use of the words perfect and complete, or King James says entire, which is complete.

These two expressions are the very definition of maturity.

Powerful insight in the life of the believer.

The word perfect is teleos.

And it means sound.

It means completeness.

Now, what's this?

It means mental and moral character.

In other words, you are sound in your morality and you're sound in your morals.

You're living according to God's guidebook.

You're striving to live a holy life in Christ.

That's what it means.

Powerful insight.

Telios.

And we see that powerful application here.

Now watch what he says.

When durability has done its work, when patience has done its work, according to James, it causes the Christian to be telios.

Complete.

Mentally and moral, hey, character.

That's what it produces in you.

It does not mean sinlessness.

No.

Perfect in this text means to be mature.

Without durability in trials, believers can't grow up.

Woo! Hello.

Did you catch that?

Without trials in the believers' life, we cannot grow up.

We had our grandchildren for two days.

They met us up at the campground, had a great time.

But there's some times in their lives that they don't want to do what Poppy and Nana say do.

Now I know your children are perfect.

They grew up, no problem.

Now do you understand that endurance, that patience when you raised your kids?

But there's sometimes with those kids that you have to give them some tribulation.

Amen.

And they just think you're the most terrible parents and you don't love them, and you know, you know.

No.

What you've got to convey to them, you don't understand.

Poppy and Nana are working a beautiful pearl out in your life.

Hello?

That irritating, that non-conforming, that you don't want to do, you want to do it your way instead of our way.

That's not good for you.

They don't understand that at six years old.

How many times in 1617?

Yeah, yeah.

Well, I was being nice.

But they don't understand that.

Hey, we're just the same way, folks.

36, 46, yeah.

We're the same way.

That's why God has to bring these trials into our lives to irritate us.

Hey, to cause us to realize that we're doing something wrong.

Whether it's mature, we're not maturing like we should, or we're doing something we shouldn't be doing, because he loves you and he wants to make a beautiful pearl out of your life.

You're gonna leave here if you don't remember anything.

God wants to make a beautiful pearl out of my life.

Next time you look at a pearl, I'm serious.

When you go through the jewelry shop and you see a pearl, I hope you'll think that's what God wants to do in my life.

That's what God wants to make in my life.

He wants to make me a beautiful pearl.

Then you're gonna say, forgive me, Lord, for what I'm not doing.

Because you know, and I know.

But we see this maturity.

And then, hey, that word entire, the word there is holy local romance.

That's a tough one.

It's a long one.

I'm not even sure I'd said it right.

But anyway, here's what it means it means a completed presentation.

In other words, God one day is gonna present us before, hey, Jesus one day is gonna stand with us before awesome Almighty God, and he's gonna present us completed.

One day we will stand before God completed because of all the irritation that Christ has allowed us to go through so that one day we could hear our awesome God say, Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.

Is that not good?

Wow, is that not good?

Complete.

Look at the third thing.

Call upon God's resources in your trials.

God in his provisions has not left us helpless.

Look at verse 5.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and unabrated not, and he shall, it shall be given to him.

Let him ask.

We have a God as a resource, and all we simply have to do is ask.

Do you understand that?

Do you realize God is our resource?

Say this with me, church.

God is my resource.

Ready?

God is my resource.

Again, God is my resource.

We said it, but I don't think we get it.

Because if we really understood why God's really our resource, we you know what you'd have done right then?

You'd have jumped up and had a Pentecostal spell.

You would have.

Now let me tell you why.

You know why we don't understand the fullness of that statement?

God is our resource?

One or two reasons.

One, we don't ask.

Or two, we don't ask believing.

James 4, 2, you have not because you ask not.

Do you realize God doesn't get tired of you asking?

That's why He is there.

My God should supply all your needs according to his riches and glory through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4 19.

Jesus said, You ask, hey, you shall receive, you knock, the door will be open.

He likes you asking.

He likes you asking.

He is our resource.

Let's hey, let's quickly explore the three aspects of God's character that we see in this passage.

Look, first of all, drop down to verse 17.

Every good gift, every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of light, with whom there is no, hey, I love this, no variation or shadow of turning.

In other words, there is no change.

Yeah, but there's no preference with God.

God has no preference.

God loves us all.

Amen.

There's not a good group and a bad group and a medium group with God.

He created us all wonderfully, marvelously are we created in our His works.

Psalms 139.14.

Marvelous.

Good works.

So, but now notice God is good all the time, all the time.

God is good.

Say that with me.

God is good all the time, all the time, God is good.

Oh, Psalms 23, 5.

What does he say at the end of that?

My cup, what?

Runeth over.

Ladies and gentlemen, is your cup running over this morning?

I mean, is it running over?

Don't away and be running over you.

Spend time with him all week.

Oh, you're praying with him.

You're in his word.

He you're talking to him.

He's blessing you.

And hey, he's answering prayers for you.

You're serving.

Him.

You're sharing him.

You're just in an intimate, dynamic relationship with him.

Now, how do you know that?

Psalms 115.

Look at what it says.

Psalms 115, verse 12.

Psalms 115:12

Woo! I can't even hardly read that first phrase.

Read it with me, church.

The first one.

The Lord hath what?

Whoa! The Lord hath been.

What's that next word?

What's that next word?

Can I hear a shout?

Mindful!

He thinks about you.

Woo! Me?

You mean me?

Little old me?

In Westover?

Westover?

That was for you.

Neither.

Hey, me?

Let me ask you.

If he's thinking that much about you, how much are you thinking about him?

Uh-huh.

That's what's good, Deacon.

Mercy.

I mean, do you wake up thinking about him?

Do you, hey, do you walk around during the day thinking about him?

Do you, hey, do you go to bed thinking about him?

That's what he thinks about you.

You say, well, Deuteronomy chapter 6 says we're to teach our children diligently.

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

In the mornings, when we rise up, when we walk by the way, when we sit down for lunch, when we rise up, when we go to bed, teach him diligently.

That means we're to be mindful of him diligently.

Let me tell you something.

When you're mindful of him diligently, I don't have to worry about you as your shepherd.

I don't have to worry about you.

I know you're going to be in the book.

I know you're going to be living right.

I know you're going to be sharing right.

I know when Sunday comes, you're going to be in church.

See, are you mindful of him or are you mindful of the ball film?

Oh my.

I was hesitating on saying that, but it just came out.

Huh?

Come on.

And we got, I love our folks, and I love everybody.

Hey, I know.

I had girls, they were all American basketball players.

But there's a time, it's who are you mindful of?

Why can't we play ball six days a week and be in the house of God on seventh?

Just a thought.

I know that's a that's a liberal thought for me.

Just a thought.

And I'm not legal, y'all know that, but enough's enough sometimes.

I mean, I'm not telling you the truth.

Hey, I made up my mind early with my girls.

We got caught up there for a little bit, and then I said, that's it.

God so convicted me.

And you know what?

They quit.

Hey, well, girls, they were pretty good players.

They wouldn't, they wouldn't play.

They wouldn't play on Sunday.

We went to church.

I'm sorry, we just did.

You know what they started doing?

Every once in a while they'd have a big tournament.

They'd ask me way in advance.

They'd say, Pastor Danny, this is a major tournament.

We would like for you, if you could, to come and go with us, and we want to have church service with you on Sunday morning.

But we had an influence on them at least.

Amen?

Mindful.

Let me tell you, folks, if you're mindful a fourth of the time or half the time with God, and He's mindful of you all the time, there's a problem.

And guess what?

If you don't change, He's gonna change it.

He's gonna start irritating you if you're really saved.

Hello, come on, come on with me.

Oh me, owe me.

I knew, and that's the bad.

Now you don't love me anymore, and I can't help it.

Number two, I love I let me tell you what.

I love you enough to tell the truth.

And I know that's hard.

Because I love so many of you faithfully, and I love a lot of them that's not here, and I know they're playing ball and all that.

I love them with all my heart.

And what what what breaks my heart, and I was guilty for a while there, I understand it.

I really do understand it.

But but what am what prefacing am I setting?

Am I teaching my kids to be mindful of him?

Folks, he asks one day a week.

Is that too much to ask?

Two hours.

Wow.

He's mindful of us.

Aren't you glad he's mindful of us, regardless of us being mindful of him?

Can we all agree to say amen on that?

Notice, secondly, God is generous.

Look at verse 5.

He gives liberally.

Did you see that?

He gives liberally.

Liberally, he gives.

I meant God is generous.

He's not going to withhold any good thing from the Christian.

Psalms 34, 10.

Nothing.

He's come to give his life and give it more abundantly.

Hey, Psalm 68, 19, blessed be the Lord whoo daily, daily loads us with benefits.

Even the God of our salvation.

Is that not good?

You know, daily he's blessed you already today.

You know why?

He's got a pie waiting for you.

Was that good, Rick?

Was that good?

I ought to heard a bigger amen back there on that one, son.

That's pretty good, money.

I mean, he blesses you daily.

Daily.

Woo! Look at the third thing.

God is good.

God is generous.

He opens the windows of heaven and pours us out a blessing.

Oh, Psalms 13, 6.

I almost missed that one.

Look, I will sing unto the Lord because he has dealt boundfully with me.

Woohoo! Oh, folks, do you understand, huh?

Do you understand when I said when I hey when you read that, that he's mindful of you?

If you understand the blessings of God, how he deals with you boundfully, how hey, he's mindful of you, you couldn't help say, yes, yes, yes.

Because you've been in that relationship all week with him, and he's just best blessed you daily.

Let me tell you, somebody blessed daily doesn't get up and and and go to bed and say, Oh, it's been a rough day.

I worked so hard.

Guilty.

Every one of you guilty.

Oh, it's been a long day.

I worked so you ought to say, Woo! Thank God for another day.

I'm alive, I'm wonderful.

I got a good job.

I'm making some money today to provide for my family.

Woo! Thank you, Lord, for being mindful of me, blessing me bountifully daily.

Woo! Lord, I can't wait to get up in the morning and go to work again.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

Jesus.

Y'all laughing at me, but that's the way it's supposed to be.

And I wish I could say I did that every day.

I don't either.

But we should.

Amen.

That's good preaching, preacher.

That's convicting preacher.

Preaching.

I know my feet hurt too.

God is good, God is generous.

Look, number three, God is gracious.

Look at verse 6.

But let him ask in faith, not waver.

For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and toss.

Here's what he means.

This passage is clear.

A double-minded man, verse 8, is unstable in all his ways.

That simply means do not come to God, hey, as one of your options.

You come to God as the option.

Can I get an amen?

Hey, you don't say, well, I guess I'll listen to Oprah today, see what I need to do.

Or I need to go listen to Dr.

Phil today and see what I need to do.

Neither one of them are options.

Only God is your option.

You go to Him daily, and He'll be gracious.

Focus upon Him and what He says.

Get rid of all the other stuff.

Then number four, consider your reactions to your trials.

Verse 9 and 11.

Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted, but the rich in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

Now let me tell you what this means.

Trials are the same for the rich as for the poor.

It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor.

Trials are coming.

Hey, cancer doesn't care if you're rich or poor.

Hello?

Doesn't matter.

Doesn't matter.

It hits everybody the same way.

James is writing to people who are poor and who are scattered out among all the nations.

They're being persecuted, and James is trying to help these people realize that God will even use this trouble to exalt them in the midst of their suffering.

He may use trouble to bring down the haughty, and he may use trouble to lift up the poor, the humble.

Amen.

And that's good.

So it doesn't matter where you are.

The poorest man, a woman who is in touch with God in the midst of his trials is far better off than the richest person without God.

And then number five.

And I'm through.

Maybe.

I'm like the apostle Paul.

He said he was through and wrote two more chapters.

Consider the reward of your trials.

Look at verse 12.

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.

Trials are about the future.

This will help us.

Trials are about the future.

Trials are linked to what God is doing in us.

In fact, I want you to write this down.

I wrote the, I this is not my statement.

I can't remember which one of the theologians I was studying wrote it, but I wrote it down, put a star bite to give to you.

Here it is.

Trials are linked to what God is doing.

Write that down.

Trials are linked to what God is doing.

Now, ready?

Here's what I really want you to underline.

In us to prepare us.

Trials are linked to what God is doing in us to prepare us.

Trials are linked to what God is doing in us to prepare us.

Are you ready?

For what He wants to do for us.

Whew! That's good.

Let me repeat it all the way through.

Trials are linked to what God is doing in us to prepare us for what He wants to do for us.

Man, that's good.

Now I understand the trials.

He's got a future for us.

Mm-mm.

Five crowns one day that we're going to cast at Jesus' feet, Revelation 4.10.

You see, it's not a matter of we're going to have trials, we're going to have them.

And I wrote this down.

So let me ask you one question.

Would you rather go into a trial prepared or not prepared?

Prepared.

Prepared.

That's why you don't want to miss a message.

Because when we finish chapter 5, and if you do have to miss, watch it.

You will understand.

Don't you have a new understanding already of trials?

I do.

Especially about the word patience.

And the way that patience really is durability and endurance.

So now that's why we pray for patience.

Durability.

Tremendous.

Tremendous.

Well, we can go into hours prepared, watch, knowing that we serve a good, generous, and gracious God.

Now, real quick.

I know what you're saying.

Wait a minute, boy.

Let me tell you what God gave me about two days ago, and I didn't have time to put it down.

When we consider the rewards of your trials, there's five things.

I did not, God woke.

Actually, I was doing a word study and he brought me to this word in Psalms.

It's all in Psalms 119.

And I was reading through the book of Psalms 119.

Yeah, those bottom ones.

Right?

You ready?

Number one, here's some of the rewards for our trials.

This is awesome.

It's a nuggets.

God allows trials to teach us to not go astray from Him.

Wow.

Ouch.

Amen.

God's trials teach us not to go astray from Him because He has a purpose for us, and that's to turn us into that pearl.

Now let me give you the strict scripture.

Look at Psalms 119, verse 67.

Psalms 119:67

Before I was afflicted, look, I went astray.

Is that not good?

But now that, hey, God's brought me back and took me through that trial, I have kept his word.

So trials keep us from getting away from the word of God.

That's good.

That's good.

Number two, God uses our trials, and it would make sense with the word you just read, to teach us his word.

Look at Psalms 119, verse 71.

Psalms 119:71

It is good for me that I have been.

Read the word.

Wait, wait, come on, church.

It is good for me that what?

That I might learn thy statues.

You ought to memorize that.

I did.

That'll help you.

It is good for me to be afflicted that I might learn thy statues.

Number three, God allows trials to prove his faithfulness to us.

Woo! Yeah.

Amen.

Psalms 119, 75.

Look at what it says.

I know.

I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right and that thou in faithfulness has afflicted me.

Now, you couldn't read that and understand it if you hadn't already heard this message.

Now you understand it.

God is afflicting us to teach us that He is faithful to us so that He can prove Himself to us, so that He can make us a beautiful pearl.

Isn't that good, church?

Woo! Now see what we miss when we don't come to church?

Man, that's good.

Psalms 119 is fabulous.

I think I'm gonna just do a series on Psalms 119.

That'd be good.

That would be good.

And then number four.

Is that one, two, three?

God uses our trials.

And watch this one to motivate us to pray.

Hey, hey, when you're in the furnace, you may have never prayed.

You'll learn real quick.

Hello.

Woo! Help me, Lord.

Hey, Peter prayed real quick, didn't he?

When he was walking on the water and started to sing, and he didn't do a dog, hey, a dial.

A doxology prayer.

He said, help.

That's a pretty good answer.

That's a pretty good prayer, isn't it?

Help! Help me, Jesus.

Help me.

Look at the verse.

I am afflicted very much.

Yes.

Quicken me, O Lord, according to thy word.

Wow.

God use it.

Psalms 119, 107, and then look at Psalms 119, 153.

Consider my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget thy word.

Now let me tell you something.

When you start praying like that, God's gonna answer.

God's gonna answer.

You say, well, is he gonna deliver me?

I I can't answer that, yes or no, but I will say, can he deliver you?

Absolutely.

Does he deliver?

Absolutely.

But I tell you, I can promise you this if he doesn't deliver you, he gives you the grace to go through it.

Amen.

So either way, you win.

Can I get an amen?

Either way.

And then the last thing God uses us trials, Psalms 119, verse 5, to encourage us.

Psalms 119:5

Remember, I started out saying the whole theme of this book is to strengthen and encourage the believer.

What a way to end it.

Look what he said.

Psalms 119, verse 50.

Psalms 119:50

This is my comfort.

Ooh.

End my affliction.

For thy word has quickened me.

Thy word has made me alive.

Thy word has helped me through.

Thy word has comforted me.

That word comfort means to come alongside you and help you through every step of the way.

Oh, is that not good, Sylvester?

Is that not?

Can we give God a hand for his word?

Here's the invitation this morning.

Do you want to go through your next trial?

Prepare?

Do you?

Okay.

Thank you, Jesus.

If you really want to go through your next trial, prepare.

Here's the key.

My mind is set on thee, O God.

In thee is my trust.

Amen.

My mind is set on him.

We already know that his mind is set on us.

So here's the invitation.

How much of your mind this past week has been set on him?

Come on now.

This is, hey, this is getting honest time.

This is not throwing stones.

This is not being legalistic.

I do not believe in that.

And don't you go out of here and say Pastor Danny was legalistic about the ball playing.

Don't you do me that way.

Because I'm not.

And I love you.

I love you.

Amen.

Is your mind set on here?

Sometimes, Pastor.

A little bit, Pastor.

Now here's what we most of the time say, what we're guilty of.

If you answered, not enough.

When I ask people, are you in the Word?

Are you reading your Bible?

Are you praying?

You know what they tell me?

Not enough.

So if I'm asking you, is your mind set on him?

You're probably thinking, not enough.

And let me tell you what that really means for me.

Not you, for me.

You know what that means for me?

I hadn't been in it diligently.

Like I should.

That's what it means.

So you already know.

So here's what I want us to do today.

I want us to start this series off right.

If the purpose of James is to strengthen and encourage us, I want us to just, if you need to, if you don't, that's up to you.

But there's something about coming to this altar and kneeling.

And if you can't kneel because of bad needs, I understand coming and standing.

And say, Lord, please help me to be mindful of you every day.

I want to be mindful of you.

I want to think about you when I get up.

I want to think about you when I'm eating.

I want to take my time at work.

If I have a few minutes to read the word, read Psalms 119, read the book of James.

Lord, I just want to be mindful of you.

In the afternoons, I want to just think about you and my break.

Lord, at night, I want to have maybe prayer time with my family and my little girls, or I'm going to do my I wanna book.

I'm gonna be mindful of you.

What a privilege you have with Iwana and our youth group here to get your kids being mindful of Christ, starting them out young.

But Lord, that's what I want to do.

And Lord, I want to be faithful to my church.

Lord, I want to be faithful on Sundays and sit there and listen and take notes from Pastor Danny or Pastor Rick or Pastor Sylvester and really grow in the knowledge and the likeness of you.

Lord, I want you to make a pearl out of me.

I want to, that's it.

I want you to make a pearl out of me.

Lord, now I've been praying that openly for my folks.

Because God, that's my prayer for my own life.

Lord, thank you for teaching me this week that I need patience.

I need patience.

Would you help me?

Would you even use tribulation to bring patience into my life?

Durability?

Maturity?

So that I can be more like you, Father?

Would you do that?

Thanks again for tuning into this week's message.

We pray that your life has been changed.

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We hope you have a wonderful day and again, God bless you.