Pastor
Introduction:
The emphasis of James is directed toward “faith that works.” The topics covered are varied, but very practical. Many have found it difficult to outline the book of James because it covers so many different facets of the practical application of a vital Christian life. Ultimately, James is writing to give clear direction for believers who desire to walk with God in maturity. This book is not for those who just want to skate along the surface and give lip service to their faith. James is directing the leaders in what it means to live the practical, “normal”, victorious Christian life.
James spends no time ramping up to speed as he prepares to challenge God’s people to put their faith in action. James spends no time in trivialities. He drops a bomb after the normal introductions. James is a bottom line kind of guy who wastes no time getting to the point.
Few topics are more volatile than why a good God would allow bad things to happen to good people, and James addresses this issue straight up. How does a believer deal with trials, and difficulties? What is the mature response? What good can come out of bad circumstances?
Ultimately the book of James addresses the issue of how to walk by
faith in everyday struggles and battles. If faith is not working,
then there is something wrong with that person’s faith. People
find out what their faith is made of as they face challenges that
come with life on this wacko planet. There is a lion on the loose.
There are mangled bodies scattered about. The consequences
of sin has delivered a broken and bleeding world. Bad things
happen to good people. “The rain falls on the just and the unjust”
(
Perfecting Your Problems – James 1:1-11 
I. Greeting (1)
A. Who – James – half brother of Jesus
James, the brother of Jesus – known as “camel knees because he spent so much time in prayer. Prior to Jesus’ resurrection, James did not believe in Jesus. He was a doubter, and yet now we see him refer to himself as a “bondservant” of Jesus. This is a slave by choice. (doulos), with the term of life. When James refers to himself as a “bondslave”, he is implying the posture toward Jesus of absolute obedience, total surrender, and complete loyalty.
James is acknowledging that Jesus is his Lord! James crossed over
from death to life at that moment when he became a slave of Jesus.
B.
What – Leader in the church at Jerusalem
“To the twelve tribes” – Jews for Jesus – completed Jews.
C. Why – Believers were scattered and shaky
“Dispersed” – the Diaspora – The new believers
wanted to hang out in
“Greetings” – rejoice – joy! Note that this immediately sets the posture of the letter.
II. Perspective For Problems (2)
There are two choices:
1. Take the easy way out and run away from or dodge all difficulties.
2. Choose to cooperate with God in developing character and spiritual maturity.
A. Mental Perspective – “Consider”
This is a conscious choice. It requires engaging the mind. Face
up to the fact that problems are a part of life. Face the facts and
be ready for the reality that you will have problems to deal with
in this fallen world. It doesn’t take any brains to whine and
complain about one’s state of affairs in life. The idea here
is to “rule over”, and “take charge” of the thought
process. He says nothing of feelings here. Make a choice for joy.
Remember
B. Prepared Perspective – “Whenever”
It is not a matter of “if” you will face trials, so get ready. “Face” literally means, “by accident” (peripipto). These are unexpected trials that you fall into by accident, not the kind where you willingly choose to stumble and fall. We should expect problems in life, problems that are unplanned and unpredictable.
If your life has been nothing but charts that point up and to the right, the only thing I have to say to you is, “be patient”, your day is coming. We need to see God’s intended purpose for problems. God does not create our problems, but He’s not frustrated by them either. God is able to use them for His glory.
C. Broad Perspective – “Many kinds”
Various trials – multi-colored – have you ever tried to match paint? The number of wrong options is endless. Trust me, I know from experience. We are talking infinite in number. A person will never get bored with the number and variety of problems in life.
The good news is that God has solutions for all our problems. The ultimate question is whether we will look to Him by faith, and trust him to provide us with the grace we need to get through them. In counseling people, it is strategic to find out if the person is interested in knowing God’s solutions. Asking the counselee, “have you come here today because you want to know God’s viewpoint on your problems?” can be a great timesaver. If the answer is “yes”, then find out willing the person is by asking, “if I can show you what God wants you to do, will you do it?” If the answer to either of the above questions is “no”, then there is not much point in continuing the counseling session. If the person is not open to God’s help, what chance do I have in providing lasting benefit?
D. Purposeful Perspective – “Pure Joy”
“Maintain joy in the midst of problems? That is so unrealistic?!?” The natural knee jerk reaction of most people to James’ statement, “consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds”, is “you don’t know the trouble I’ve seen,” or “you cannot identify with my woes because you don’t have any problems.”
Discuss: When faced with a troublesome problem, what is your natural mode of response? What is your first reaction?
Key: James is not telling us to be joyful about the problem. We are not to celebrate divorce, or the breakdown of a home, or some tragic circumstance in our lives, but we are to be able to experience joy in the midst of the difficulty. We can see the silver lining that somehow God can bring about some good even through difficult and adverse circumstances. We can have joy knowing that God is far more concerned about our character than He is our comfort. The seminary of suffering and the college of hard knocks have a way of bringing us to the end of the rope, and an openness to God’s leadership and direction.
Our values determine our final evaluation on problems and difficulties in life. If our goal in life is comfort, more than maturity, then trials will always be a thorn in our sides. But if we value faith, and see the need to stretch and test our faith, then trials are an essential part of the process of growing to spiritual maturity. We need eternal values, and an eternal perspective to see beyond the temporary pain and inconvenience of these “light and momentary trials.” A proper, mature perspective on trials will help us avoid becoming bitter on the road to becoming better.
III. Profiting from Problems (benefits) 1:3-4
Trials provide the opportunity for endurance.
A. Problems Have Value – “Testing” (3)
Coins – as was common when the NT was written, and as recent as a hundred years ago, coins would be tested for their authenticity. They would ring the coins and listen for a certain sound. They would also bite the coin, if I was gold to see if it was genuine gold that was soft enough to dent with a bite.
Illustration: Gold prospectors would discover gold ore, and they would test a sample that was often worth only a few dollars. However, the result of the test may be worth millions in the discovery of a real gold mine. It is in these small tests in everyday life that we see our genuine faith that is worth millions.
B. Problems Produce Perseverance “Endurance”: (3)
Remaining strong under pressure. Faith is not static, but alive and expanding. Endurance is spiritual stamina. The more pressure that a person is capable of handling, the greater example of God’s grace that this person becomes.
My son Kyle is an excellent cross country runner today. When he
was 10 years old, you would never have guessed that he would run long
distances because he was a couch potato. Kyle committed himself to
becoming a long distance runner. He took time from his summer vacation
to attend a camp at
We are not talking about passive resignation, but strength under
pressure. A weight lifter builds muscles by remaining under the weight
for long periods of time. Endurance and spiritual stamina are developed
as we practice long periods of tested obedience to God by faith.
Endurance is essential for spiritual maturity (Hebrews 6:11-12
/ Galatians 6:9
/ Acts 14:21-22
/ II Timothy 2:3
)
Why is endurance so important? (Matthew 13:1-9 & 18-23
/ Hebrews 10:35-39
/ I Peter 1:6-7
) How do we learn to hang in there? By
being tested. It is the everyday stresses and challenges of
life that develop the character we need to hang in there and not quit.
C. Problems Precede Maturity: (4)
The NASB translates this verse, "And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. " This is where we get the idea of being perfected through problems. This is the Greek word, “τέλειος” teleios; having reached its end, i.e. complete, by ext. perfect:— complete(2), mature(4), more perfect(1), perfect(12). [1]
None of us will reach perfection this side of eternity, but we are to pursue maturity according to our age spiritually. We don’t criticize a child for acting as a child, because that is how children are supposed to act. However, if an adult is still acting as a child, we have a problem.
Do I think that I can become like Jesus while bypassing the process
whereby Jesus grew “in wisdom and stature, and in favor with
God and men"(
Problems make me like Jesus. I learn to trust the Lord, and my spiritual muscles begin to develop. The more I trust the Lord, the more patient and enduring I can be in the midst of circumstances because I know that the Lord is faithful. The issue is not what happens to you, but what happens in you that counts.
Problems and circumstances in life neither make you nor break you, they only reveal you.
God’s long range perspective on your life, is that he will cleverly disguise problems that are designed to produce spiritual strength in your life. God does not allow you to go through tests for Him to discover how weak you are. No, He wants you to know how much you need Him, and that “His strength is made perfect” in your life.
God is more concerned with our character than He is with our comfort.
Paul reminds us of how important suffering is in producing character,
"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because
we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character;
and character, hope." (
I have been in setting where Christians are known as the biggest whiners on the athletic field. “It’s not fair”, “I’m not getting my way”, “I’m going to throw a tantrum to let you know that this game is all about me.” It’s one thing to act childish on the athletic field, but quite another to act childish in life when God’s Word gives such clear perspective when things don’t go our way. Childish Christians might conclude, “God doesn’t love me”, or “I wonder if I am even saved.”
This does not mean that the believer is unrealistic, phony and plastic when facing problems. But one’s attitude can make all the difference. We are to deliberately chose to have an attitude of joy in the midst of our problems. If we wait until everything is right, we may never get to the “joy.” So, while we live in the present, facing difficulties, we can look forward to what God is going to do through these temporary hardships.
I Asked For....
I asked for strength and
God gave me difficulties to make me strong
I asked for wisdom and
God gave me problems to solve
I asked for prosperity and
God gave me brawn and brain to work
I asked for courage and
God gave me dangers to overcome
I asked for patience
God placed me in situations where I was forced to wait
I asked for love and
God gave me troubled people to help
I asked for favors and
God gave me opportunities
I received nothing I wanted
I received everything I needed
MY PRAYER HAS BEEN ANSWERED.
God does not want your problems to defeat you. Some of you are suffering
the consequences of other’s sin. You have done nothing wrong,
and yet you are the one who is paying the price. Life is not faith
on this planet. Yet, still there is a greater purpose that God has
for your heartache and pain. You can be confident that God grieves
with you in your heartache, but you can also be assured that God can
take something that grieves His Spirit, and work it for the good.
Warren Wiersbe writes, “An associate of mine, a gifted secretary, was going through great trials. She had had a stroke, her husband had gone blind, and then he had to be taken to the hospital where (we were sure) he would die. I saw her in church one Sunday and assured her that I was praying for her.
“What are you asking God to do?” she asked, and her question startled me.
“I’m asking God to help you and strengthen you,” I replied.
“I appreciate that,” she said, “but pray about one
more thing. Pray that I’ll have the wisdom not to waste all of
this!” She knew the meaning of
IV. Perception For Problems (5-8)
We need wisdom to handle our problems. We need to learn to ask God.
Frank Borham said, "We make our decisions and then our decisions make us."
A young businessman went to an executive one day and asked for his wisdom, "What is the secret of business success?" The man said, "Wise decisions." "How can I learn to make wise decisions?" "Experience." "How do you get experience?" "Bad decisions!"
The psychiatrist says, "Are you indecisive?" Guy says, "Yes and no." "What do you mean by that?" "I used to be but now I'm not sure." William James said, "The most miserable person in the world is the person who is habitually indecisive." It causes unstable emotions.
Double-mindedness causes confusion, and chaos. It makes you unstable, and out of balance. You need to learn to make decisions, and trust God for the wisdom to make them. God wants us to learn to trust Him.
A. Confess Your Need
“If any of you lacks wisdom”
We all lack wisdom. Some have compared James to Proverbs in its
message of wisdom for daily life.
Pride causes me to be closed to learning. I think I already know it all. I never learn anything as long as I am doing the talking. When I see that I humbly can learn something from every person, I am on the right road to wisdom.
B. Claim God’s Promise
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God.
Solomon was given one request of God, and what did he ask for? Wisdom!
I cannot tell you how often I am asking for wisdom… right now I am asking for wisdom to know who should lead our Women’s Ministry, and what house I should purchase, or should we continue to rent? Who are the up and coming leaders in the church? Where should I be spending my time?
C. Keep the Faith
James is saying that God wants us to trust Him, and know that our prayers are heard. This should affect not only our motivation to pray, but our focus on what to pray for.
George Mueller was on board a ship in route to
He went up to the Captain’s quarters and said, “Captain,
I have a speaking engagement in
The Captain said, “We are surrounded by fog, I can’t move this ship or we might run into another one.”
Mueller said, “I have never missed a ministry assignment in
more than 40 years. Let’s pray and ask God to lift the fog.”
Mueller then went to his knees and the embarrassed
Captain did the same. “Lord, I need to get to
The Captain began to pray out of obligation. After a few words, the Captain felt Mueller’s touch on his shoulder. Mueller said, “You don’t need to pray; you don’t believe.” The embarrassed Captain got up and walked out on the deck with Mueller. There was no fog but Mueller was not the least bit surprised. He believed God had called him to build His Kingdom and the fog was in the way. So he prayed for God to remove the fog and He did.
George Mueller stated that he believed that the Lord had given him more than 30,000 souls in answer to prayer. These were not only from among the orphans, but many others for whom he had prayed faithfully every day, in some cases for 50 years, in firm faith that they would be saved. When he was asked on what ground he so firmly believed this, his answer was, “There are five conditions which I always endeavor to fulfill. By observing these I have the assurance of answer to my prayer:
1. I have not the least doubt because
I am assured that it is the Lord’s will to save the lost, for
God “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge
of the truth” (
2. I have never pleaded for their salvation
in my own name, but in the blessed name of my precious Lord Jesus,
and on His merits alone—
3. I always firmly believed in the willingness
of God to hear my prayers—
4. I am not conscious of having yielded
to any sin, for “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord
will not hear me” when I call—
5. I have persevered in believing prayer
for more than 52 years for some, and shall continue till the answer
comes—
A doubting Christian is like a bottle bobbing in the ocean swells. The bottle has not control over its destiny or direction. It is totally under the control of ocean currents, and tropical winds. These people are simply victims of circumstances.
V. Posture of Humility
Both the rich and the poor must learn that life consists of more than the abundance of what one has. Someone said that poor people are happiest, because they still have the hope that money will bring them joy. The sirocco wind will blow! Humility is the focus here. Whether you are rich or poor, keep your perspective that you are still a humble servant of the King of Kings.
Conclusion: We are all dependent upon God, so ask for wisdom, stay humble, and allow God to develop character in your life.
Prayer:
Lord, teach us to endure, and to look to you for wisdom. Thank you that you are choosing to perfect us through trials. You are not done with us, and we are thankful for that! Lord, we come to you with open hearts, and open hands for your work to be done in and through us. We ask you for wisdom to see your hand on our circumstances and trials. Lord, may we be found faithful to the end. May we practice humble submission to your perfect will for our lives. Lord we look forward to hearing your words, “well done thou good and faithful servant.”
Memory Verse:
http://www.rockypeak.org/lgl/Institute/JamesTitles.htm
Next week: Triumph Over Temptation –
i.e. id est, that is
[1]
Thomas, R. L. (1998, 1981). New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic
and Greek dictionaries : Updated edition (H8674).
[2]
Wiersbe, W. W.
(1996, c1989). The Bible exposition
commentary. "An exposition of
the New Testament comprising the entire 'BE' series"--Jkt.
(
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