Jan 13 – Antioch Baptist Church, Scottsville VA
"Trials and Temptations"
James 1:1-18
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus
Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
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.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
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.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
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This
morning, I’d like to introduce you to my newest musical instrument, the bowed psaltry. I got it for Christmas, and I’m already prepared
to give you a concert performance. If
you’ll bear with me a little bit, I’d like to play for you “Amazing Grace.”
*****
That didn’t
sound so good, did it? Why did you think
it sounded so horrible? You’re
right—because I haven’t really learned it yet.
I haven’t had enough time to practice it, and really become a
psaltry-player. If you really want to
call yourself a musician, you’ll have to practice. There are a lot of “musicians” out there who
never practice, aren’t there? What do
you think of them? Not much. If you want to become excellent at something,
you’ve got to devote yourself to learning it.
Now, some
people can play a musical instrument by ear.
That’s the way I play the piano.
I had five years of piano lessons, but my piano teacher found out pretty
quick that I was being lazy. Whenever I
couldn’t get a piece, I’d ask her, “Can you play this for me?” Then she would, and I would say, “Ok—now I’ve
got it!” Then I’d play it as if I’d
learned it. You can get away with playing
by ear, if you’re talking about a musical instrument—sometimes. But when you’re talking about your faith,
that’s not a very good thing.
With a
musical instrument, even if you do play by ear, you’re probably only going
reach a certain degree of proficiency without learning music. The same is true with Christian
discipleship. There are some people who
are naturally “spiritual” people, and there are some people who struggle at
their spirituality. But even the more
naturally spiritual ones who think they can play by ear are going to fall
short, if they don’t take the time to be discipled. Too many Christians try to play it by ear. Instead, we need to practice what we preach.
Over the
next few weeks, we’re going to be studying the Book of James. Here’s a quick panorama
of the book: It was written around the
year 49, just before the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 (AD 50), and quite some
time before the fall of Jerusalem
in 70 AD. The book of James was most likely written by James,
the half-brother of Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph (AKA James the Just). James wasn’t one of the original 12, as he
wasn’t a believer until after the resurrection.
But he soon rose to prominence, and became the head of the parent church
in Jerusalem. James wrote his letter to the “twelve tribes
scattered among the nations,” so it’s written to Jews in exile. Not being specifically written to a
particular church, it’s called one of the “general epistles” in the Bible. In the years just before James wrote his
letter, Ananias was high priest in Jerusalem. Those were troubling times. The historian Josephus reports that in 58 AD,
an uprising took place, ending in the loss of 20,000 Jewish lives. It’s against this backdrop that we have to
understand the letter of James, who wrote to believers about how they could persist
and practice their discipleship during these troubling times.
Trials of
faith can come when you least expect them.
Jim and Marie had devoted themselves to building what they had: a good income,
a home in the country and two fine sons now grown into young men. Then came the
tragedy: their older son, Jim Jr., had stopped to check the roadside mailbox
near their country home, when a truck came over the hill and smashed into him.
For Jim and Marie, it was the shattering of dreams. One son was dead, and the
country home had become a place of sorrow rather than joy.
Soon there were additional trials. But a year later [Jim’s pastor
writes]: “as Jim was leaving my home one evening, he turned to me at the door
and said, with a smile of puzzled but satisfied discovery, ‘You know, in the
last year, I've lost my son, I've lost my job, and I'm making twenty thousand
dollars less per year—and I've never been happier in my life.’"
That is an amazing statement, testifying to an amazing reality. But it
was only the centuries-old testimony of Christian experience, expressed in
terms of Jim's particular circumstances. [Their pastor says,] “I was…young and
inexperienced. It was certainly not my skill or wisdom that had brought healing
to Jim's life. He spoke of a spiritual reality that does in fact lead a sufferer
to joy in the midst of trials.”
For Jim, the discovery of joy did not come by denial of his loss or by
some superficial sentimentality. What had happened to him in the year since his
son's death was that he had [had a turnaround] and committed his life to Jesus
Christ. He had become what the apostle James, over nineteen hundred years
before, had called "a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ."
James wrote about this with precisely the application my friend Jim discovered:
that it is possible to "consider it pure joy . . . whenever you face
trials."[i]
I have a
friend who likes to trivialize your trials by quoting James 1:2-4, “Count it
all joy!” On the contrary, James isn’t belittling
your struggle, but reminding you, “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.
Verses 5-8
show us that tackling trials makes you want
wisdom, which you can get simply by asking God.
But James reminds us that we need to trust and not doubt—because a
doubter is like someone blown by tides and tempests.
In
verses 9 through 11, James gives a word to both the poor and priveleged people
of the church. He understands that both poverty
and prosperity can be problematic for believers.
Poverty
is easier to understand. Daily struggles
to provide for your family can lead to exhaustion. Unrealized dreams can leave a person in
despair. Certainly the physical
struggles of lack of basic necessities can even threaten a person’s
survival. That’s why it seems so
unbelievable that James would say what he does in verse 9 – Let the lowly brother boast
in his exaltation. You want to shout
out in protest, “How can James say something like that?! He just doesn’t understand!” Oh—but he did. James came from no wealthy family. Remember, he came from the same poor
household that Jesus did—a poor carpenter’s household of at least nine
people: Joseph, Mary, Jesus, James,
Simon, Joses, Jude, and at least a couple of sisters[ii]. Nobody lived in McMansions in those days…just
imagine all of those kids growing up together!
(Some of you with larger families don’t have to imagine!) James knew what he was talking about—and by
“exaltation,” he wan’t talking about a place of privilege financially. No, he was probably remembering Jesus’ words
on the Sermon on the Mount—“Blessed are
the poor in spirit.”[iii]
Prosperity
can have its pitfalls as well. It can
have its own set of trials. There can be
a temptation to be pompous, presumptuous, and pretentious. But just as James reverses the expectations
of the poor, telling them to rejoice in their exultation, in verse 10, Jesus’
brother tells the rich to rejoice in their humiliation. Wealthier Christians can remember that they,
and their wealth, are like flowers and grass that fade away. You might think that this is depressing, but
James is giving us a perspective on our pursuits and on the impermanence of
things. When we get a handle on this, we
who are the world’s wealthiest people can learn how to partner with the less
fortunate, part with some of what we don’t need for the sake of the suffering,
and purpose to help those in need.
Whether
your problems are caused by poverty or prosperity, or any other reason, James
tells you to persevere. “12 Blessed is the man who
remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive
the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” The book of Job is all about a man
who remained steadfast in his faith, even though his world was falling down
around him. Esther was a Jewish girl
whose perseverance even in the face of danger saved her people from
annihilation. Jesus told the story of a persistent
widow who got justice by going to the unrighteous judge over and over
again. He said that if an unjust judge
will reward persistence, then certainly the righteous Judge of the Universe
will reward a person who is steadfast in prayer. James tells us to persist—and when you do,
God will give you the prize—the crown of life.
Next,
James addresses temptation. Every one of
us is tempted—and we’re usually tempted by a “pet sin.” Children
grow up with teddy bears and often figure that since the toys are cuddly, the
real things might also be so. In 1990 two boys scaled the fence at the Bronx Zoo in New York City and went into the
polar bear compound. The next day they were found dead. Your pet sin can kill[iv]!
Often, people don’t take responsibility for their own
sin—they say, “The devil made me do it,” or they blame God for putting them in
that difficult situation. In verses
13-15, James says, “13 Let
no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be
tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But
each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then
desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown
brings forth death.” Not long ago, a
family member of one of our church folks, working on a degree in criminal
justice, called me up to ask me about temptation. She was writing a paper on what makes people
choose to do things they know they’re not supposed to do. These were the verses I gave her. James is saying that evil thoughts don’t come
from Satan. Nor do they come from
God. No—they come from ourselves. Sure, Satan uses them. He tempts us to follow them. But if we didn’t want to do the things Satan
tempts us with, they wouldn’t be temptations.
When we let our thoughts linger on the things that tempt us, we wear
down our own resistance. Then, these
thoughts eventually turn into actions.
Troubles
come when we trust the tempter, rather than trusting the truth. We see something that looks good (whether
it’s that slice of chocolate cake or cigarette or bottle or beautiful person,
or whatever), and we think that because it looks beautiful it must come from
God. Paul says, “I am not
surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”[v] Just because the forbidden fruit is “good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and
that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,”[vi] that doesn’t mean you should eat it. Just because you can rationalize why
something you’re not supposed to do is actually a good decision, that doesn’t
mean you should do it. No, you’ve got to
trust the truth rather than trusting what you feel. In verses 16-17 James says, “16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of
lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Don’t let the Deceiver give you his false gifts—receive
instead the Gifts of the Spirit. God’s
true gifts don’t fade or fail. They are
good forever.
When
it comes to trials and tribulations, James says to remember that it’s a test—to
see how faithful we will be through those times. Our Gold Nugget today is James 1:2-3. Will you read it with me? “Count
it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for
you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”
[It
was]Ohio State University, [some] years ago in a huge lecture hall
(approximately 1000 students) for a Calculus final.
Apparently this particular calculus
teacher wasn't very well liked. He was one of those guys who would stand at the
front of the class and yell out how much time was remaining before the end of a
test, a real charmer. Since he was so busy gallivanting around the room making
sure that nobody cheated and that everyone was aware of how much time they had
left before their failure on the test was complete, he had the students stack
the completed tests on the huge podium at the front of the room. This made for
quite a mess, remember there were 1000 students in the class.
During this particular final, one guy entered the test needing a decent grade to pass the class. His only problem with Calculus was that he did poorly when rushed, and this guy standing in the front of the room barking out how much time was left before the tests had to be handed in didn't help him at all. He figured he wanted to assure himself of a good grade, so he hardly flinched when the professor said "pencils down and submit your scantron sheets and work to piles at the front of the room". Five minutes turned into ten, ten into twenty, twenty into forty...almost an hour after the test was "officially over", our friend finally put down his pencil, gathered up his work, and headed to the front of the hall to submit his final. The whole time, the professor sat at the front of the room, strangely waiting for the student to complete his exam.
"What do you think you're doing?" the professor asked as the student stood in front of him about to put down his exam on one of the neatly stacked piles of exams (the professor had plenty of time to stack the mountain of papers while he waited) It was clear that the professor had waited only to give the student a hard time.
"Turning in my exam," retorted the student confidently.
During this particular final, one guy entered the test needing a decent grade to pass the class. His only problem with Calculus was that he did poorly when rushed, and this guy standing in the front of the room barking out how much time was left before the tests had to be handed in didn't help him at all. He figured he wanted to assure himself of a good grade, so he hardly flinched when the professor said "pencils down and submit your scantron sheets and work to piles at the front of the room". Five minutes turned into ten, ten into twenty, twenty into forty...almost an hour after the test was "officially over", our friend finally put down his pencil, gathered up his work, and headed to the front of the hall to submit his final. The whole time, the professor sat at the front of the room, strangely waiting for the student to complete his exam.
"What do you think you're doing?" the professor asked as the student stood in front of him about to put down his exam on one of the neatly stacked piles of exams (the professor had plenty of time to stack the mountain of papers while he waited) It was clear that the professor had waited only to give the student a hard time.
"Turning in my exam," retorted the student confidently.
"I'm afraid I have some bad
news for you," the professor gloated, "Your exam is an hour late.
You've failed it and, consequently, I'll see you next term when you repeat my
course."
The student smiled slyly and asked the professor "Do you know who I am?"
"What?" replied the professor gruffly, annoyed that the student showed no sign of emotion.
The student rephrased the question mockingly, "Do you know what my name is?"
"No", snarled the professor.
The student looked the professor dead in the eyes and said slowly, "I didn't think so", as he lifted up one of the stacks half way, shoved his test neatly into the center of the stack, let the stack fall burying his test in the middle, turned around, and walked casually out of the huge lecture hall.[vii]
The student smiled slyly and asked the professor "Do you know who I am?"
"What?" replied the professor gruffly, annoyed that the student showed no sign of emotion.
The student rephrased the question mockingly, "Do you know what my name is?"
"No", snarled the professor.
The student looked the professor dead in the eyes and said slowly, "I didn't think so", as he lifted up one of the stacks half way, shoved his test neatly into the center of the stack, let the stack fall burying his test in the middle, turned around, and walked casually out of the huge lecture hall.[vii]
The point is that in this time
of testing, in this lecture hall of life, you’ve got all the time you need to
learn and test. Tribulations and
temptations will come, and in a meaningful way (not a flippant way), God wants
you to “count it all joy!” because the testing of your faith determines not
only whether you trust God but whether He can trust you as well.
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