September 10, 2023 | James 1:1-12 | Pastor Chris Baker
Good morning, church! Kids who are four years old through the second grade can go to children's church this time.
Those of us who stay here are going to be starting something new today. I am excited to get to spend the next couple of months with you in the book of James.
There are several men named James in the New Testament. Most scholars agree the Jame who rote this letter was James the half-brother Jesus Christ. He’s mentioned in Matthew 13 and Mark 6. Over in John 7 we learn he was a skeptic.
But grace has a way of reaching the unreachable. During those forty incredible days between the resurrection and ascension of Jesus appeared to James and his doubt transformed into faith (1 Corinthians 15:7).
In time, he became the leader of the Jerusalem church. (Acts 15; 21:18; Galatians 1:19; 2:9, 12). And he writes this letter teach the true character of living faith. For something to be valuable, it has to be authentic.
In 2010, SWBTS purchased rare fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls—ancient manuscripts discovered in the 1940s-50s. They were in caves so they’re pretty well-preserved and contain some of the oldest extant manuscripts of a handful of New Testament books. That makes them essentially priceless.
It was neat that an institution like SWBTS came into possession of something so important. Except they didn’t. The seminary announced in April 2020 that they were likely fraudulent. They didn’t endure a test of their authenticity.
Anything valuable should endure a test of its authenticity and most priceless thing in the world is eternal salvation. It's beyond measure, of the highest value. To be in a right relationship with the living God is possessing the most precious thing that exists. And for all of us who believe we hold that treasure, we should expect to subject it to a process of testing to confirm its authenticity.
King David seemed to seek testing, in Psalm 26: 2, he cries out, "Test me, Lord, and try me; examine my heart and mind."
True salvation will manifest itself in a faith that can be tested. A faith that manifests itself in the works of someone who belongs to Jesus.
James heavily echoes the sermon on the mount. And we will look at several places where that is true, but in one sense all five chapters of this book unpack, a statement, Paul makes over in Ephesians 2.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
The one-sentence summary of James is this: Genuine faith is visible faith. We will come back to that statement many times between now and Christmas. This is one of the most practical books in all of scripture. In just over 100 verses, there are 54 direct commands. For those of you who want application and actionable truths from a sermon, this series is for you. And he gets to it right off the bat, we are going to read the first 12 verses this morning.
Let's do that and then we’ll further unpack this idea.
Read
Pray
I need to tell you a Covid lockdown story. We all have them I guess, even though it’s a time a lot of us would like to forget. But there are some good things that came from it.
This would’ve been around May 2020. The initial lockdown wave had passed, and we were living the “new normal.” If you were part of our church back then you’ll remember that we were meeting outside at that point, so I was preaching off of the front porch and you were sitting out in cars in the parking lot and all of us hope that we never have to do that again.
But it was an experience. At home things were good. Monika hadn’t gotten tired of me yet, despite all of the forced alone time. Let me remind you, I was 35 years old with two kids in the spring of 2020. I only expected to have two kids. So I was rather surprised, one day during the Covid madness when Monika tested positive if you catch my drift.
She didn’t have Covid, she had what we came to discover later was Remington. One day Monika showed me the little test that had the little blue line on it, and, remember, 35-year-old-two-child having me may have gone temporally insane.
I went immediately out into the dangerous world of Covid, braved the elements and purchased a pregnancy test. She already taken one, but I was convinced it was expired. And let me just say, buying a pregnancy test in the town of 4000 people is a risky proposition. But I did it. And I brought it home, and she took it and guess what? Still positive.
The next day, I went to two more stores in town, bought two different brands of test, brought them home again, and you’ll never guess what happened. Still positive.
Despite my insanity, every single one of those test was going to come back positive because when a baby starts growing, the body releases, a hormone and it’s the only time that body releases that hormone is picked up by the test. So every single time that test is going to be positive.
As long as the baby is present, that test is going to return the same result. I tell you that, because James makes very clear early in this letter, that if genuine faith exists in you, it’ll show up in your works.
If genuine faith is present, it will be visible. Genuine faith has an impact on the way you live. Thats the big picture in James.
In these opening verses, we learn genuine faith responds by moving toward maturity when it is tested.
Scripture testifies to the fact that James’ faith had matured. We see him go from an unbeliever to a leader to a man who looks on himself as a humble servant of Jesus. That’s how he refers to himself at the beginning of the letter. James, a servant of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Remember, this is James, brother of Jesus. James leader of the Jerusalem, church. James, who is remembered in church history as James, the just. James, who was an author of the New Testament. Not referring to himself in any of those ways, simply as a servant. James, his faith had matured. And he’s writing this letter to instruct Christians, who were formerly Jews, who used to live in around Jerusalem, but had been scattered because of persecution. They faced adversity and James was writing these first few verses to show how authentic faith responds.
Genuine faith matures under adversity. That’s our one sentence sermon today. It’s an overarching theme of Jameses letter, sure, but it is the headline of these first few verses.
Genuine faith matures under adversity.
For that maturity to come to fruition, we see that genuine faith must be tested.
Genuine faith will be tested (vv.1-4)
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ:
To the twelve tribes dispersed abroad.
Greetings.
2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
You might think James has lost his mind. Here he is, writing to a bunch of folks who are weathering some serious storms in their lives, and he tells them, "Count it all joy."
"Don't worry, be happy!" That's the message, right? Well, not quite.
You see, this command to “Consider it great joy... whenever you experience various trials" might come across as irrational, especially to a culture, like ours, that's obsessed with avoiding trials and discomfort at all costs. But it even sounds irrational to some who identify as Christians.
James isn't ordering us to plaster a phony smile on our faces when life hits us with a sledgehammer. He's not saying we should find joy in the pain itself. James isn't that naive.
The original audience was going through a mess, and James knew it. Remember, he is writing to people dispersed. That means they had lost their homes many of them had lost their livelihood and it was all because of their faith in Christ. Their persecution, their trial, was a direct result of their faith. They were incredibly well acquainted with trouble and James is not giving them some sort of pie in the sky hope.
Instead, James is challenging them and us us to consciously embrace a Christian perspective on life that infuses joy into the trials we face because of our faith. He's telling us to make a deliberate and thoughtful decision to experience joy even when the going gets tough. And yes, it's absolutely possible. Paul, the apostle himself, told the Corinthians, "I am overflowing with joy in all our afflictions." (2 Corinthians 7:4). He was literally brimming with joy amidst the hardships.
Here's another example: When the Sanhedrin took the apostles, beat them, and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, what did they do? They left the council and, believe it or not, they were rejoicing! They were thrilled that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for Christ's name (Acts 5:40-41).
This experience isn't a thing of the past; it's alive and well in the church today. James didn't say, "Count it all joy, my brothers, if you meet trials"; he said "when" because trials are an integral part of every believer's life. We're called to find joy in our difficult experiences—times when we feel like strangers, when we're marginalized, when we're not the popular kids in town, even when trials strike that have no obvious connection to our faith.
It's a two-step process, James says. First, the testing of our faith produces toughness—endurance, what we might call "staying power."
Guitar players develop calluses on their fingertips as a natural response to the repeated friction and pressure exerted on their fingers when they press down on the guitar strings.
Over time, as the calluses develop and harden, guitar players find that they can press the strings more firmly and comfortably, enabling them to play for longer periods without pain or discomfort. Calluses provide a smoother surface to interact with the guitar strings, allowing for greater control and precision in playing.
Testing develops a calloused faith. That doesn’t mean we’re hard and unfeeling. It means that trials thicken the skin of our faith and remind us we can endure.
Testing toughens our faith and - second - produces maturity.
Paul himself affirms this in Romans 5:3, "we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance." Endurance brings maturity. When you let "endurance have its full effect," you become "mature and complete, lacking in nothing" (verse 4). Mature here means fully developed, while complete means whole - every part of your character is refined and brought together. Trials touch every facet of your being with grace.
Trials aren't a sign of God's displeasure; they're opportunities to endure in the Lord. James isn't talking crazy talk; he's giving us a command with a double rationale: testing toughens us up, and toughness brings maturity. That's what makes this command rational and supremely sane: "Count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds." James isn't asking for a fake smile; he's inviting us to embrace trials as opportunities for joy and endurance.
That shift starts with where we turn when that adversity strikes. Because embracing adversity isn’t our natural response.
When we face difficulty, James is clear about where we should turn.
Genuine faith turns to God for wisdom (vv.5-8)
5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, 8 being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.
The thing you're going to need in those tough moments is wisdom. You won’t keep a joyful attitude if you rely fully on human understanding.
When you're knee-deep in a trial, when you're longing to grasp what's happening and how to find joy amidst the chaos, it's God’s wisdom you need.
We're not talking about philosophical musings here like Yogi Berra. He had wisdom, but I’m not sure it was helpful.
Ninety percent of the game is half mental. You can observe a lot by just watching. When you come to a fork in the road.... take it. Wise, but maybe not helpful.
We’re talking about the kind of wisdom that helps you make the right choices. James dives into this deeper in chapter 3, verse 17, where he talks about wisdom from above – pure and peaceable.
So, where do you find this wisdom? You go to God. When trials hit, when you're feeling weak and desperately in need of strength, don't waste your time trying to figure it all out on your own or seeking answers from well-meaning friends. Run to God and ask Him for divine wisdom.
Trials have this beautiful way of pushing us to our knees. It's like Job, who tried getting answers from everyone around him, and guess what? They all got it wrong. The real answer is always available from God Himself.
James 1 holds one of the most incredible promises for a believer in this world. It's the promise that if you need wisdom, God will give it to you. I mean, what more could you ask for? God’s own insight to understand and respond wisely to every trial – that's the prize.
In James 1:5, when it says God gives "generously," it means unconditionally, generously, without any strings attached. It's like the promise in Matthew 7:7-11, where Jesus tells us to ask, seek, and knock, and the Father will give us good things. God is the giver of every good and perfect gift, and He doesn't hold back. He doesn't lay down conditions. He gives freely and generously, pouring out the wisdom you need without reservation.
So, church, when trials come knocking, don't hesitate. Go to God in prayer. He won't hold back. He'll give you the wisdom you need to respond properly to those trials. And one more thing, He won't scold you or berate you for asking. He's a loving Father, ready to pour out His wisdom on His children.
Thats wisdom helps us put our trials in the right perspective. The reality is the no matter how hard the trial, we have much to be joyful about. Verse 9:
Genuine faith remembers reality (vv. 9-11)
9 Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation, 10 but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field. 11 For the sun rises and, together with the scorching wind, dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance perishes. In the same way, the rich person will wither away while pursuing his activities.
A joyful contented peace in this life is not unattainable, no matter who you are. It doesn't matter what kind of trial you're facing – be it poverty, illness, persecution, or any other adversity. As we grow in wisdom, James reminds us we grow in humility.
Let the brother of humble circumstances boast. That’s a command! It's not a mere suggestion; it's a mandate for rejoicing. In the context of the scattered believers to whom James wrote, they were victims of persecution. They would have lost jobs and homes and friends along the way. Poverty was a stark reality for them.
Even if you find yourself in the lowest socioeconomic bracket, even if you've experienced trials and tribulations that have stripped away your worldly comforts, you have every reason to boast. Why? Because you are exalted in the eyes of God. You may not have material wealth, but you possess the inexhaustible riches of Christ. You might experience physical hunger, but your soul is nourished by the bread of life. You could be thirsting for worldly success, yet your spiritual thirst is quenched by the living waters - according to Jesus. Your earthly possessions may be few, but you're heir to eternal riches. Society might marginalize you, but in God's kingdom, you're valued and welcomed. You may lack a physical home, but you're destined for an eternal dwelling in the presence of the Almighty. So, even amidst poverty and trials, you have every reason to rejoice, grounded in the hope that God is exalting you spiritually and, ultimately, preparing you for eternal glory.
And remember, poverty is a temporary - just like every other trial you face today. It won't endure indefinitely. Those who endure trials, poverty included, can look forward to a future of joy in the kingdom of God.
The heart of the matter is this: rather than finding your joy and contentment solely from your worldly circumstances, look to a bigger reality. Find your joy in your spiritual exaltation, in the knowledge that you are being conformed to the image of Christ, and in the promise of future glory.
In verse 10, James addresses those who are well-off, seemingly having everything they need. Those folks should also find reason for rejoicing, but not in their worldly riches. Instead, they should rejoice in their moments of humbling. When a wealthy person faces trials, they come to realize that, despite their financial abundance, it cannot purchase what truly matters in life. So, the affluent Christian should find joy in being humbled during these experiences, as it is through trials that they discover the limitations of their worldly wealth and learn to depend on God's grace.
Whether you're rich or poor, trials have a way of humbling us all. During these trials, we're all brought to a place of dependence on God. Money may provide temporary solutions to some problems, but it cannot address the deeper issues of life. Trials, however, level the playing field and teach us true humility. In these moments, genuine humility declares, "My ultimate source of strength and resources is in God alone."
And God alone is the one who causes our faith to mature. Trials remind us, church, that on our own we can’t do this. We’ll never endure perfectly. We needed one to endure for us. Look at verse 12:
Genuine faith looks always to Jesus (v.12)
12 Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
George Whitfield once remarked that all trials serve a twofold purpose. First, they illuminate the depths of our own flawed hearts, revealing the darker corners that need redemption. Second, they introduce us to our Savior in a more intimate and profound way.
James reminds us that when we face trials with endurance, when we cling to our faith and remain steadfast, there's a reward waiting for us. It's not just any reward; it's the "crown of life" promised by God Himself.
Remember, though, that none of us endure trials perfectly. But Jesus did.
Jesus endured trials beyond imagination on our behalf.
Jesus, the sinless Son of God, walked this earth, faced ridicule, rejection, and betrayal. He experienced physical agony on the cross, bearing the weight of our sins and enduring separation from His Father. He faced the ultimate trial, a trial He didn't deserve, but willingly embraced for our sake.
Jesus endured the greatest trial of all time, conquering sin and death, so that we could be reconciled to God and receive the "crown of life."
So, when we read James 1:12, we're not only reminded of the promise awaiting us when we endure trials, but we're also reminded of the incredible sacrifice and love of our Savior. His endurance was for our salvation, and it serves as the ultimate example of steadfastness under trial.
Church, in your own trials, remember that Jesus has gone before you. He knows the weight of suffering, and He's there to walk with you through it all. So, take heart, stand firm in your faith, and fix your eyes on the "crown of life" promised to those who love Him. You're not alone and the best is yet to come!