Stronger from Trials – James 1:1-12

Trials are inevitable and God intends the trials in your life to deepen your faith in Him. Right out of the gate, James chapter 1 introduces us to a number of themes, but its primary focus is on trials and temptation.  James will help us understand how a Christian can face trials in a way that is totally and utterly different than the world.

Trials come in a lot of different ways.  Sometimes we are locked in a conflict with outside sources and circumstances beyond our control.  Other times, we are fighting against ourselves, our proclivity for sin and our own flesh.  This letter was originally written to Christians who were enduring rejection and persecution.

James begins his letter by introducing himself as a servant of God and then telling us that he’s writing, “To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion.”  The Jews were scattered all over the known world.  They sometimes refer to this scattering as “the Dispersion.”  Of the New Testament writers, James was a devout Jew so he was especially concerned with other Jews.  He was writing to Jewish Christians who were scattered throughout Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean, Asia Minor, and Europe.

Major cities all over the region had Jewish populations.  Jews living in gentile cities tended to be exploited by the Gentiles.  To make matters more difficult, Jewish people who converted to Christianity faced further rejection and persecution from their own kinsmen.

Jewish believers often found themselves homeless, robbed of their possessions and subjected to the gentile court system.  In that context, James’ exhortation in verse 2 is truly counter intuitive; he says, “² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.”  Has James lost his mind?  When someone is homeless, destitute and rejected, how can they possibly have joy?

A great example of joy in trials comes from Acts 16, where we find Paul and Silas setting off on what’s often referred to as the Second Missionary Journey.  Paul sets out for what’s called “Asia” (modern day Western Turkey), but the Holy Spirit forbids him to preach there.  Paul moved onto Philippi in the region of Macedonia (located in modern day Greece).  Let’s pick up the account in Acts 16:16

¹⁶ As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling.

This slave girl was ensnared by a demon that would overpower her and predict the future.  It was commonly believed by the people living in her area that these sorcerers could issue curses and, as a result, they were feared by the people.  She proceeded to attach herself to the missionaries.  Verse 17:

¹⁷ She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.”

It sounds like the slave girl is proclaiming a truth, so you might wonder why this posed a problem for Paul.  Bible commentators cite two possible reasons why this was an issue:

1. Some say that having a demon-possessed girl following them around was discrediting the legitimacy of Paul’s ministry. She may have been scaring people off.  He didn’t really need her testimony!
2. Other Bible commentators say that the reference to “the Most High God” was a commonly used idiom that referred to Zeus. She was, in essence, proclaiming that Paul was preaching salvation through Zeus and in doing so, she was furthering the false worship of the Greek gods.

Either way, it makes Paul really annoyed, so he takes care of the distraction.  Verse 18-19:

¹⁸ And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

The Bible does not say what happens to the girl.  Most people believe that she eventually became one of the first members of the Philippian church plant.  I think we can assume she was thankful that she was no longer controlled by the whims of an evil spirit.

However, without demonic power working within her, she was not nearly as valuable to her gentile owners.  Her owners were making a healthy profit off her sorcery. They trumped up some false charges in an attempt to make Paul and Silas pay for what they had done.

¹⁹ But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.

The main problem for the slave owners is a financial one, but in order to bring charges against Paul, they try to make it into a religious and political issue.  There probably weren’t very many Jews in Philippi since they didn’t even have enough men to build a synagogue at the time.

However, the Gentiles were already uneasy about the Jews in their town and this new sect of leaders trying to convert Jews to Christianity is difficult for them to understand or tolerate.  They make a couple of charges against Paul and Silas.  Verse 20:

²⁰ And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city.

The slave owners are rightly accusing Paul and Silas of challenging both the Jewish and the local pagan belief system.  When Paul pointed people to the God of the Bible, proclaimed Jesus as the promised Messiah for the Jews and questioned the legitimacy of the Greek gods, that may have caused a “disturbance.”

²¹ They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.”

This accusation was a false one.  The Romans had a certain level of tolerance for various religious practices.  In fact, there are very few things in the Bible that are in opposition to the Roman law, but claiming that they opposed the Roman Government would be sufficient for getting folks all riled up.  In fact, they incited a riot.  Verse 22

²² The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods.

Don’t be too quick to discount how severe it was to be “beaten with rods.”  This practice was roughly equivalent to the modern-day “caning” that occurs in some parts of Singapore and Malaysia.

Here the apostles were likely beaten violently across their back side, but their hands, arms, legs, and feet may have been badly injured as well.  When a rod was applied to bare skin, each stroke of the rod could potentially leave deep gashes and permanent scars, causing a tremendous amount of pain.

Being “beaten with rods” is a severe trial in itself.  These beatings were extensive, as indicated by verse 23.

²³ And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely.  ²⁴ Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

The jailer took in Paul and Silas and topped off their poor treatment by locking them into stocks.  Stocks were uncomfortable and it was possible that they would have forced Paul and Silas to sit on their freshly inflicted wounds.

Paul and Silas had done the right thing.

• They were telling people the truth about the gospel.
• They had released a young girl from a demonic influence.
• They were trying to lead people into an everlasting relationship with God, but they were wrongfully accused as a result.
  • They were the victims of a violent mob.
  • They were punished and imprisoned without due process or a trial.

In the flesh, you would expect them to be upset with God for allowing this to happen to them.  But, what was their reaction to their terrible circumstances?  They were the embodiment of James 1:2.  They found JOY in this trial.  Verse 25 tells us that:

“²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them…”

How were they able to find joy and sing songs in the midst of such a terrible trial?  Going back to James, he makes it clear that trials are never outside of God’s control.  Trials are inevitable and God intends to use the trials in your life to deepen your faith in Him.

Teaching that God is sovereign over trials and intends each trial for our growth does not usually attract a large crowd to church!  I would love to be able to tell you that God’s Word says that Christians won’t face trouble in this life, but nothing could be further from the truth!

As we study James, we’ll see that the Bible makes it clear that trials are a critical part of our spiritual growth.  James wrote to Christians who were largely displaced, poor, and persecuted and is telling them to “count it all joy” in their troubles.

• So what exactly is James telling them to do?
• Is this a command to grin and bear it?

Being joyfully confident that God will follow through on His promises and slapping a fake smile on your face when you are inwardly grieving are two totally different things.  Think about Jesus in John 11.  Mary and Martha approached Jesus to let Him know that his friend Lazarus had died.  What did Jesus do?

• He didn’t put on a happy face and go merrily about His day.
• The Bible plainly says that “Jesus wept.”

Jesus took time to comfort His friends and to weep with them over their loss.  Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”  It’s rare that a trial is joyful in itself, but our joy isn’t supposed to come from trials.  Our joy comes from the Lord.  Joy is founded upon a confidence that God always follows through on His Word and that God is always good.  God is totally sovereign over trials and He uses them to accomplish His divine purposes.

James exhorts us to embrace the God who is sovereign over the trial and who intends to use that difficult situation for our good and His glory.  Let’s unpack two ways that we grow strong through our trials.

#1 Trials help us become more like Jesus – James 1:2-4

Look at James 1:2-4

“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.”

God’s ultimate purpose for trials in our lives is that we’ll grow spiritually strong as we become more like Jesus.  One day we are all going to stand before God, who is actively preparing each one of us for that day.

• For some people, the goal of life is to have the perfect family. A family that lives in a nice house, goes on great vacations, gets along perfectly, is perfectly healthy and has plenty of money.
• For others, it is a successful career where there is meaning and respect in the workplace along with regular advancement and promotions.
• For others, it is perfectly healthy body that is strong and fit and rarely sick.

For most people, the peaceful family, a trouble-free workplace, and a perfect body are a far cry from reality.  Real families lose jobs, have fights, run low on funds, and face sickness.

If our goal is to have a perfect life, then setbacks are devastating.  However, if the goal is to be “steadfast,” spiritually “perfect and complete” like Jesus, and “lacking in nothing” then trials are an effective tool to develop strength in character.

James 1:3-4 calls for a totally different perspective on life.

• If our main goal in life is to fix all our problems and acquire a worry-free existence filled with pleasure, then we will never reach that goal. Usually as soon as one difficult circumstance is resolved, another one comes right on its heels.
• If our main goal is to grow strong in the midst of trials and to become more like Jesus, then we are able to rejoice in the midst of difficulties knowing that God is using every trial to make us more like Jesus.

We can find joy in the midst of problems when conformity to the image of Jesus is our end goal.  Malcolm Muggeridge was a Christian journalist who died in 1990.  He spoke for those of us who desire godliness and growth over painlessness and pleasure.  He said,

“Contrary to what might be expected, I look back on experiences that at the time seemed especially desolating and painful, with particular satisfaction. Indeed, I can say with complete truthfulness that everything I have learned in my seventy-five years in this world, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my existence, has been through affliction and not through happiness, whether pursued or attained.

In other words, if it ever were to be possible to eliminate affliction from our earthly existence by means of some drug or other medical mumbo jumbo … the result would not be to make life delectable, but to make it too banal or trivial to be endurable. This of course is what the cross [of Christ] signifies, and it is the cross more than anything else, that has called me inexorably to Christ”[1]

When we set our sights above the things of this world and fix them firmly upon God, then trials can become a joy to us because each trial is custom-made to draw us close to Him so that we know Him, trust Him, and love Him more!

#2 Trials help us to trust God’s promises.  – James 1:5-11

Faith can simply be defined as trusting that God will fulfill His promises.  God makes promises on the basis of His perfect wisdom.  James encourages us to ask God to give us His wisdom if we find ourselves lacking.  James 1:5-7 says,

“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.”

Wisdom grows out of three factors: knowledge, perspective, and experience.  We lack wisdom because, unlike God, we lack unlimited knowledge, perfect perspective, and eternal experience.   God does not lack these things.

One of the great promises of James 1:5 is that God wants to generously pour out His wisdom into our lives.  The eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-wise God of the universe has given us an open invitation to share his wisdom.  All we have to do is ask for it.

He never promises that following His wisdom will be easy, nor does He promise to fix our circumstances in order to make our lives more comfortable.   Instead, God invites us to draw near to Him.  He wants to share His perspective on our trials.  He wants to walk with us through difficulties so that we might know Him better and trust Him more.

In the midst of the hard times, He wants us to learn that no amount of money makes us right with God, nor does poverty.  God’s resources are both different and better than ours.  Look at verse 9-11,

“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.”

Trials have an incredible leveling effect.  They reveal that everyone has the same fundamental spiritual needs:

• Many of James’ readers were poor. They needed to be encouraged to long for more of God rather than a larger paycheck.
• On the flip side, the rich needed to understand that money doesn’t buy them favor with God and a man who is hugely successful in the business world may find himself spiritually bankrupt when it matters most.

One day everything we have will be gone.  Whether we had a lot or a little, we will have nothing left as we stand before the Lord.  Will you be relying on your wealth or on a few good deeds at that moment?  OR, will you be relying on the finished work of Jesus on the cross?  Do you have a faith that can survive tests?

Our salvation and the eternal reward we inherit are the most important issues of life!

Application:

Those who persevere, receive the “crown of Life” – James 1:12, Matthew 5:11-12

Verse 12 says, “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.”

James was the half-brother of Jesus.  We’ll see throughout this book some very close parallels between James’s writing and the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus said in the Beatitudes, “¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”[2]

Why do we rejoice?  What do we have to be glad about?  James make it clear that our reward for endurance is the “crown of life.”

We can be sure that the crown of life is not a jewel-encrusted headpiece worn by a king or queen. Most of the original readers would have had an image of a wreath given to a victorious athlete.  The picture is that of a person who, running through the trials of life, was able to emerge victorious at the end.

Secondly, the crown was not intended to be a physical reward.  Faith is trusting that God will fulfill His promises.  Trials are a test of faith.  Those who persevere in trials prove that they trust God.  Those who trust God are saved, and they are the ones to whom God promises eternal life.  Therefore, the “crown of life” is referring to our eternal reward in heaven.

The Biblical response to trials persecution is increased faith in God.  1 Corinthians 4:17

Disciples believe that God will follow through on everything He has promised us:

• Faith trusts that God will walk with us in our times of loss in order to make us even more satisfied in Him.
• Faith knows that losing our life for the gospel is of little significance in light of never-ending life in heaven.

Christ never promised that we would be comfortable.  Most of us will never face the risks the church faced then, or those the persecuted church is facing right now, but:

• Are you willing to risk your finances, your time, and possibly even your reputation for the gospel?
• Are you willing to do the dishes for your spouse so she can do her Bible study?
• Are you willing to serve in kid’s ministry once in a while, give up an evening for a Bible study or sacrifice a few hours every month to serve the Christian community for the gospel to go forward here in Cottonwood?

Trials come in both large and small sizes, so don’t overlook how God is using the small things in your life to conform you to the image of Jesus!  Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:17, “¹⁷ For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”

[1] John Piper, Desiring God (Sisters, Or.: Multnomah Publishers, 2003), 265-66.

[2] Matthew 5:11-12