James 1: The Purpose of Problems

I’m excited tonight to be starting a new book study. This one probably won’t take years like some that we’ve done, and no one is going to be able to say that it isn’t very, very practical. We are going to start going through the book of James.

Of all the books in the New Testament, James might be the most gritty and the most in-your-face practical. Some people have called it “the Proverbs of the New Testament” because of this. It’s not a doctrinal book, it’s a book about behavior and it’s a book full of very strong and very direct language.

We are going to jump right into some practical stuff tonight, but before we do I want to give a couple of quick introductory facts about the book of James.

Introductory facts about the book of James

1. James was most likely written by Jesus half brother. James wasn’t saved until after Jesus’ resurrection, and he isn’t to be confused with James the brother of John (who was one of the first martyrs killed by Herod in Acts 12:2). Still he became one of the leaders of the Jerusalem church with Peter and John.
2. James was Jude (from the book of Jude) brother.
3. James is probably the first New Testament book that was written.
4. James was written to the jewish believers who were scattered after the Jerusalem church faced persecution.
5. James is one of the most outdoorsy books in the Bible. There are 40 references to nature in this book.
6. James also makes a lot of references to the Old Testament.

Alright, so let’s jump into the book.

Let’s begin by reading verses 1-6:

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

”My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations: 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.”

”If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not: and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, for he that wavelets is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

I’m going to focus tonight on just verses 2-4. And the title of the message is “The Purpose of Hardships.”

If you remember, this book was written very early on in church history. In the book of Acts, when the early church was dealing with some very tough persecution. Not only did you have guys like Saul of Tarsus running around imprisoning people. Herod was trying to make Christianity go away. The High Priests hated Christianity and wanted to stamp it out. The Pharisees hated Christianity and wanted it gone.

Basically, everyone in Jerusalem was turning up the heat of Christians and the Christians were running for their lives. It was a tough time.

So the very first thing that James writes about here is hardships. He says “Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations.”

“Divers” is an easy word. Its actually the word “diverse” just spelled differently. It means “all different kinds of.” But “temptations” here probably doesn’t mean what you think it means. It’s not talking about “temptations to do evil” in the way a man would be tempted by a seductress or something. It’s talking bout trials. Putting something through a proving process.

How many of you have ever test drove a car? What I’ve done, both times I’ve bought a car here, is gone out with Brother Dick and let him drive it. Both times he did the same thing, he went out into the country and he drove it really fast. He stepped on the gas then stepped on the brake. He wiggled it back and forth on the road.

What was he doing? He was putting stress on the car. He knew the car would do fine just putting around town, but he wanted to put the car under some stress to see if something was broken. That’s a trial, that’s a temptation here.

It is putting something through adversity, through stress, through hardship to see what it is made of.

The only way that happens is if you are pushed to your limit. If you are put under stress. If things get hard.

So James says “Count it all joy when you fall into all different kinds of testings and trouble.” Or ”Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations.”

Our response to stress - to tough trials and hardships is supposed to be…joy???

Trouble is supposed to make us…happy? That doesn’t make sense.

Happiness is staying in bed until 11am every day getting fanned and hand fed grapes. Happiness is never having to do anything ourselves. Just being waited on hand and foot. Happiness is not having problems…right?? I mean, while you are at it, just get a bed pan and a catheter and never have to leave bed. Ok, maybe that’s going too far.

Actually, life without trouble would be very, very boring and would probably make you miserable. I mean, don’t get me wrong, a break every now and then is a good thing, but we need a challenge, we need a little trouble and a little stress or we will be miserable.

So James here is telling us how we are to handle trials and trouble. But I want you to notice one more thing in the text.

Notice the words “fall into” there. This isn’t a talking about a little bit of trouble. It’s not talking about dipping your toes in trouble like some people like to do at the ocean. No this is falling in. This is being plunged into the middle of the deep end with your clothes on. Trouble is everywhere. You can’t escape it.

You ever been there. I mean, your troubles have troubles. You feel like they are going to just tear you apart. Family troubles. Money troubles. Health troubles. Spiritual troubles. Marriage troubles. Work troubles. I mean - troubles, troubles everywhere.

What do you do? James says you “Count it all joy”

So we are supposed to be happy when we are absolutely surrounded by and drowning in trials.

Why? Let me give you a few points:

1. Trials and troubles can either make you bitter or they can make you better.

We are to “count it all joy” when we fall into divers temptations because knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

In athletics, you don’t get stronger or faster without being pushed to your limits. You have to deal with hard workouts that are taxing or you can never lift more or run further. It’s tough!

But it isn’t arbitrary. The way I’m going to be able to run a marathon is to go out and run thirty miles this week. But does that mean you should go out and run thirty miles. No!

I’m following a plan for me written by a coach who knows me and knows what I’m doing. I know that that tough 15 mile run is going to build my endurance and I know I can do it. But if you haven’t run in twenty years and you try to go run fifteen miles you’ll end up in the hospital.

That’s what I mean by it’s not arbitrary. James doesn’t come out and say this, but it’s assumed here. These trials aren’t just random hardships. They are trials - they are testings - they are being administered from above. They are designed to build you and test you. They are designed for your benefit.

In other words behind every hardship is an all knowing God. He knows that they only way for you to grow is to go through trials, and He knows exactly what trials you can take and exactly what you need.

Why go out and run 15 miles? That’s crazy? Why be happy about it? Because it’s what the coach layed out to get me close tot he goal. The same goes with spiritual trials and hardships - we can count them all joy because they are what our heavenly coach has given us to make us better and complete.

But - this is a command and it can be disobeyed. Some people don’t meet trials with joy. Some people don’t get better, they get bitter. They get mad at God.

They can’t see how God could possibly be helping them in their trial and they let the root of bitterness into their life and it troubles them.

Count it all joy. Because it isn’t arbitrary - it’s a part of God’s plan and it will make you better if you let it.

A second reason why we should “count it all joy” when we encounter trouble is…

2. Trials and troubles can either strengthen your faith or they can reveal your lack of faith.

Notice it says:

”Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”

It’s not just a trial - it’s “the trying of your faith.”

Troubles don’t create faith. They test faith.

Trials reveal the faith that we have. They show us what we really believe.

When you squish an orange, orange juice comes out. When you squish an apple, apple juice comes out. When you are put under pressure, your faith comes out. What you really believe comes out.

This helps you. It helps you know where your faith needs strengthening and it helps you know what faith you actually have so you can move onto the next challenge and trial.

Just like you will never know what your car can and cannot do until you test it, you’ll never know what you really believe until those beliefs are actually put to the test. You can train and train a soldier, but you’ll never know if they are a good soldier until the bullets start whizzing by. It’s the heat of trial that let’s you see where your faith is.

Do you know why most people grow up? Because they have to. They have to pay the bills. They have to take care of a family. They are hit with responsibility and trouble of adulthood and they step up to it. If they never have to face responsibility, they will probably never grow up and mature.

The same is true of our faith. We exercise our faith because we have to. And if we never have to, we never exercise our faith and we never grow.

So

• Trials and troubles can either make you bitter or make you better,
• trials and troubles strengthen your faith or they can reveal your lack of faith.

One more thing:

3. Trials and troubles can either be run away from or endured.

The verse says ”the trying of your faith worketh patience.”

That word “patience” is the greek word “huponamay” it’s literally two words that mean “to stay” and “under.”

Patience in the Bible sense isn’t staying in the doctors waiting room when you want to leave. That’s passive patience. Patience is the virtue of enduring. It’s a refusal to give up when you are dealing with something hard and stressful. It’s staying under the load even when the load is heavy and hard.

You know there are some “loads” you need to “stay under”.

• Kids, school can be a “load”. It can be tough. But you “stay under” that load or you are going to have to deal with a much heavier load later in life.
• Staying sexually pure can be a load - it’s not easy - but it’s nothing like the load of an unwanted baby, or a bad marriage, or guilt.
• Saving money for retirement can be a load - but so is reaching retirement age and having nothing.

Some loads are worth dealing with. Enduring somethings make us stronger and make us grow up.

So when you are going through troubles, you have two paths: You can “stay under” the load and grow in your endurance and strengthen your faith and you can grow up spiritually. Or you can get out from under the road, not strengthen your faith, and remain spiritually immature.

One path leads to Christian maturity and strength, the other path leads to weakness and immaturity.