Welcome to the Monday Night Bible Study. I am Shalom Dodi over mic and I will be leading tonight. \But first, our format is Welcome, Song, Prayer, Lesson and Closing.
Song: Refiner’s Fire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU7kaBwjOMk
Interestingly the picture where the lyrics start of the docks and sunsets are my pictures.
Prayer: Dear God, here we are. We need you Lord. We thank you for loving us. Please be with each of us and help us to understand the portion of this study that is for us at this time. Bless those who are ill, in need, or suffereing in any way. In Jesus name amen
We are going to begin a discussion of one of my favorite books of the Bible. It is a short book but rich and very clear about ways to live an AUTHENTIC Christian life. It is the book of James.
Once, many years ago a small group I was in decided to study this little book. We figured it would take a month or maybe 6 weeks. Once we got into it, we were enthralled and spent close to an entire year studying it. I still love it and it is a good follow up to HOPE and GRIEF.
Life is, well life. Full of ups and downs. Wonderful moments of pure joy and sometimes moments of abject sorrow, fear or pain. And interestingly these different emotional responses can occur during the same day, or week or season.
Imagine a terminally ill child. Or perhaps a child born with a birth defect. Do you, does that child, sit around and weep all the time or are there moments of absolute joy? So it is with life.
Let’s go to James.
James 1
Greeting
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
Testing of Your Faith
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Dodi Note: Well James is off and running isn’t he? He is not beating around the bush. One of my pet peeves is preachers who lead people to think that praying a Salvation Prayer will remove all their troubles instantly.
That simply does NOT happen.
In fact, quite often it feels like one has been thrown into a roaring fire or a tempest storm. At least in some areas of our lives.
What does James tell us to do when we encounter trials of various kinds? Financial, relational, health…you name it.
He says?……………
Count it all JOY! JOY?
Be real…who in here considers their difficulties something of JOY?
Then in these 3 verses he goes on to elaborate why.
James says….trials test our faith…. that is sure true. Agree or disagree? Have the trials or difficulties of your life tested your faith?
Actually what does “test our faith” mean?
Could it mean prove the genuiness of it? Or the depth of it? Or the seriousness with which we take it?
Scholars believe that James was the half brother of Jesus. And yet, he declared himself a “bond-servant” in the opening.
It is believed that his audience was Jews scatttered about in pagan lands. These Jews would have suffered the loss of their homes and homeland, plus many of their possessions, and are being persecuted in the places that they have sought refuge.
I want to share an article from Bible.org regarding this passage.
Two other New Testament writers said similar things. Peter wrote to suffering believers whose faith was being tested by fire. He told them that “to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing” (1 Pet. 4:13).
The apostle Paul wrote (Rom. 5:3), “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance….”
Paul wrote Philippians from prison, and the theme of that letter is joy in Christ. He gave that impractical command, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4; see also, 1 Thess. 5:16).
Not only that, but Paul practiced what he preached. As he sat in a Philippian jail cell, unjustly arrested and beaten, unable to sleep, he and Silas sang praises at midnight (Acts 16:25).
And so if we write off James as being a bit out of touch with reality, we also have to write off Peter and Paul!
What are you thinking? Anyone lke to share? Maybe you want me to hush with this. It is not the popular happy clappy modern gospel is it? And yet, as we go on we will see it is a frequent theme in the New Testament.
The alternative is to consider that perhaps these godly men were onto something. Consider three things:
1. We should adopt a radical attitude in trials: “Consider it all joy” (1:2).
“Consider” means to think, count, or regard something based on weighing and comparing of facts. It denotes deliberate and careful judgment stemming from external proof, not subjective judgment based on feelings.
Dodi Note: I think this means…plan ahead. Be informed.
Although powerful emotions are inevitable when we encounter severe trials, once the emotions have subsided a bit, we need to think about the trial from a biblical perspective. Let’s consider several aspects of this radical attitude:
A. THIS RADICAL ATTITUDE ACCEPTS TRIALS AS EXPECTED, NOT AS A SURPRISE.
James does not say, “if you encounter various trials,” but when. It’s not an elective. It’s a required course in the school of faith. As Peter wrote (1 Pet. 4:12), “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; …” Many Christians naively think that if they obey the Lord, they will be spared from any trials. When trials hit them, they are confused and often angry at God:
“I was following You! Why did You allow this to happen?”
But the Bible gives abundant testimony that all of God’s saints encounter trials. And these trials are not necessarily the consequence of disobedience. Rather, God uses them to test our faith. They will be varied according to His sovereign purpose. We cannot understand why He sends the particular trials that He does, but whatever they are, we can know that they are from Him.
Dodi Note: In an odd way….don’t your find this comforting? There is this false doctrine out that that leads people to think that “good Christians”, you know the Super Size Faith sort? Never have any problems and always are bubbly with JOY. Well, I am not one of those and never could be. So for me, this is really comforting. I hope it is for you also.
B. THIS RADICAL ATTITUDE DOES NOT REQUIRE DENYING EMOTIONAL PAIN.
Jesus did not condemn Mary for weeping at the death of her brother Lazarus. Rather, He wept, too (John 11:33-35).
When the Savior faced the cross, He did so with “loud crying and tears” (Heb. 5:7).
Paul instructs us, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). Hebrews 12:11 acknowledges, “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, yet sorrowful….”
So James does not mean, “Put on your happy face and deny that you’re hurting.”
C. THIS RADICAL ATTITUDE IS NOT NATURAL.
While believers grieve, they do not grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13).
Our response to trials should distinguish us from the world.
Underneath the grief and tears, there should be the serene confidence that God is in control. He will cause “all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
“Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning” (Ps. 30:5). “
Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” (Ps. 126:5-6).
Biblical joy in times of trials is not natural optimism. It is the joy of hope in God and His sure promises.
Dodi Note: Big AMEN?!?
D. THIS RADICAL ATTITUDE RESULTS FROM A DELIBERATE CHOICE.
Dodi Note: This is a key point and an action point. We can DECIDE ahead of time what our attitude will be during difficult seasons.
The choice is, “Will I trust in God and His promises, or not?” As James says, it is our faith that is being tested. We do not know if our faith is genuine until it stands up under the test. You can buy a jacket that claims to be waterproof. If you wear it on dry days, you have not put the jacket to the test. The test of that jacket is, if you get caught in a downpour, does it keep you dry? If it does, you say, “That’s a good jacket!”
It’s easy to proclaim, “I trust in God!” Anybody can say that.
But, the test of your faith is when you really do choose to trust God in a severe trial.
Afterwards, you know that your faith is genuine, because it brought you through the trial. But the point is, when you are faced with a trial, you have a choice: Will I trust God and the promises of His Word, as I have professed to do, or not? To trust God and experience His hope and joy in the midst of trials is a radical attitude that James commands us to adopt.
2. We should understand a reassuring truth in trials: “Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance” (1:3).
There are two aspects to this reassuring truth:
Dodi Note: Another key point to cling to…
A. GOD IS SOVEREIGN OVER EVERY TRIAL.
The verse implies that God is using the trials for His purpose. He is not sitting in heaven saying, “I didn’t want that to happen, but now that it has happened, let’s see how we can make the best of a bad situation!”
Scripture is clear that God is sovereign over everything, from the rain and snow that fall (Job 37:6-13), to seemingly random events (the lot, Prov. 16:33), to the events of nations (Ps. 22:28; Acts 14:16; 17:26).
On the personal level, He ordained all of the days of our lives before we were ever born (Ps. 139:16).
He fashions our hearts (Ps. 33:14-15) and orders our steps (Ps. 37:23; Prov. 16:9; 20:24).
There are some radical Arminians (“Open Theism”) who try to get God off the hook when it comes to trials, saying, “This was not in His plan.” They argue that God does not control (or even know in advance!) the choices we make.
But the Bible affirms that God is sovereign over birth defects (Exod. 4:11), natural disasters (Gen. 6:17; Jonah 1:4), and even over the evil things that people do, although He is not responsible for their sin (Gen. 50:20; Exod. 4:21; 1 Kings 22:23; Isa. 10:5; Acts 4:27-28).
Dodi Note: This is a difficult concept to grasph but even if we just tuck it away to mull over later, I think it is important to consider.
It robs people of comfort and creates a very scary world, where evil is out of control, to deny God’s sovereignty over trials, because it denies that He is purposefully working those trials for our ultimate good. The hymn writer had it right: “Every joy or trial falleth from above, traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love” (Frances Havergal, “Like a River Glorious”).
Dodi Note: Any comments or questions? Agree? Disagree? Need to ponder it?
B. GOD IS USING THE TRIALS TO TEST OUR FAITH TO PRODUCE ENDURANCE.
Testing is like the refining of a metal: it produces a better product through the process. “Endurance” is the better translation here. It means to stand fast or persevere. R. C. Trench (Synonyms of the New Testament [Eerdmans], p. 198), says that the Greek word translated “patience” is used with respect to persons, whereas “endurance” refers to things. Thus the man is patient who is not easily provoked or angered by difficult people, whereas the man endures who does not lose heart under great trials. We might call it “spiritual toughness” (Hughes, p. 19).
Picture an athlete who pushes himself to build up strength and endurance for an upcoming race. If it’s a 10k run, he may start with 5k and gradually extend his distance and speed. If he’s serious about winning, he will be running farther than 10k before the race, so that the race will seem easier than what he is conditioned for. In the same way, when we endure trials by faith, our faith is stronger for the next trial. We know that we can endure, because we’ve already been through previous trials. And when we endure trials by faith, with joy, it brings glory to our Lord and Savior.
Thus when we encounter trials, we should adopt the radical attitude of counting it all joy. We should understand the reassuring truth, that our sovereign God is using it to develop enduring faith.
Dodi Note: This concept makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?
3. We should submit to the refining process in trials: “Let endurance have its perfect result” (1:4).
“Let” implies submission to God in the trial.
Dodi NOTE: KEY POINT to remember:
Submitting to God does not necessarily mean passively enduring it without praying for relief.
Paul prayed that God would remove his “thorn in the flesh.” He stopped praying when God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor. 12:8-9).
Being submissive to God does not necessarily mean that we do not take steps to remedy the problem.
If the trial is the loss of a job, it is right, in dependence on the Lord, to seek another job.
If the trial is an illness, it is right not only to pray, but to seek medical help.
If it is a difficult circumstance, it is not necessarily wrong to try to change the circumstance.
Submission is an attitude toward God, where we do not defiantly shake our fist in His face and tell Him that He has no right to do this to us.
We are not submitting to Him if we ignore Him and take matters into our own hands, apart from prayer and faith.
One of the best examples of submission was Job. After God afflicted him, he said, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Briefly note two things:
A. RECOGNIZE THAT MATURITY IS A PROCESS, NOT INSTANT PERFECTION.
“Let endurance have its perfect result….” This isn’t a quick fix. The word “perfect” does not imply that you reach a point in this life where you’ve arrived and need no further progress. I find myself failing in lessons that I thought that I had already learned. So, I have to take the course over again and again! We don’t graduate until we go to heaven.
B. SUBMITTING TO THE PROCESS WILL RESULT IN SPIRITUAL MATURITY.
God’s goal in the trials is “that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Again, this does not mean that you can arrive at a state of sinless perfection or perfect maturity in this life. Rather, the idea is that you will be spiritually mature, well-equipped for the purpose that God created you. The fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) will be evident in your daily life.
Peter Davids says that the word complete “stresses the incremental character of the process.
That is, perfection is not just a maturing of character, but a rounding out as more and more ‘parts’ of the righteous character are added” (New International Greek Commentary, James Eerdmans], p. 70).
William Barclay observes (The Daily Study Bible, the Letters of James and Peter [Westminster Press], p. 44), “By the way in which we meet every experience in life we are either fitting or unfitting ourselves for the task which God meant us to do.”
Conclusion
John Piper (Future Grace [Multnomah Press], pp. 171-172) relates the amazing story of Marie Durant. In the late 17th century, in southern France, Marie was brought before the authorities and charged with the Huguenot heresy (being a Reformed Protestant).
“She was fourteen years old, bright, attractive, marriageable.” She was asked to recant her Huguenot faith.
“She was not asked to commit an immoral act, to become a criminal, or even to change the day-to-day quality of her behavior.” She was only asked to say, “I recant.” She refused.
Together with thirty other Huguenot women, she was put into a tower by the sea and left there for 38 years. She and her fellow martyrs scratched on the wall of their prison tower the single word, “Resist!” Tourists still see and gape at that word on that stone.
Olsson reflects (ibid., p. 172),
We can understand a religion which enhances time… But we cannot understand a faith which is not nourished by the temporal hope that tomorrow things will be better. To sit in a prison room with thirty others and to see the day change into night and summer into autumn, to feel the slow systemic changes within one’s flesh: the drying and wrinkling of the skin, the loss of muscle tone, the stiffening of the joints, the slow stupefaction of the senses—to feel all this and still to persevere seems almost idiotic to a generation which has no capacity to wait and to endure.
Piper points out that a key adjective in that story points to the power of Marie Durant’s endurance. Olsson said, “We cannot understand a faith which is not nourished by the temporal hope that tomorrow things will be better.” Piper adds (ibid.),
“Surely we cannot, if ‘temporal’ hope is the only kind we have. But if there is a hope beyond this temporal life—if future grace extends into eternity—then there may be a profound understanding of such patience in this life.”
James (5:7) later encourages us, “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.” His radical approach to dealing with trials is: Adopt a radical attitude: “Consider it all joy.” Understand a reassuring truth: “Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” And, submit to the refining process: “let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” That is one way that true faith responds with practical godliness under testing.
Discussion Questions
1. Are we supposed to deny our feelings when we “consider it all joy” in time of trial? How does this work in practice?
2. Why does the Open Theism view that God is not sovereign over trials rob God’s people of hope and comfort?
3. Some Christian psychologists say that to encourage a suffering saint to “trust God” is useless advice. Agree/disagree? Why?
4. Is it sin to feel sorrow and grief in a trial? If not, how do these feelings fit in with God’s joy?
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2005, All Rights Reserved.
I hope you enjoyed this. It is not “feel good” information and yet, I believe it is a vital perspective to consider.
Let’s pray.
Father God thank you for loving us. Thank you that your are soverign over us and we can trust YOU even when we can not see YOUR HAND at work. Thank you for James writing this and help us to learn how to cling to, trust and rely on you in our difficult seasons or moments. As we go forth, may our hearts be full of HOPE and JOY in Jesus name amen.
Closing Song: You are Soverign Over Us https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw5osFG4WZk