William Cowper wrote many of
our very best hymns, hymns that express much concerning God's
free grace in Christ and much regarding the trouble and adversity,
heartache and pain and conflict that goes on in the souls of
God's people in this world. wrote these words, "'Tis my happiness
below, not to live without the cross, but my Savior's power
to know, sanctifying every loss. Trials must and will befall,
but with a humble faith to see, Love inscribed upon them all,
this is happiness to me. God in Israel sows the seeds
of affliction, pain, and toil. These spring up and choke the
weeds that would else forspread the soil. And Calvary continued, trials
Make the promise sweet. Trials give new life to prayer. Trials bring me to his feet. Lay me low and keep me there. And I wouldn't ask for trials
or heartaches or pains, afflictions, adversities, not for me, not
for you. But my God, I do beg of you,
whatever brings me to your feet, lays me low and keeps me there,
send that for Christ's sake to me. and to you. Did I meet no trials here, no
chastisements by the way? Might I not with reason fear
I should prove a castaway? Bastards may escape the rod,
sunk in earthly vain delight, but the true born child of God
must not, would not, if he might. My subject this evening is the
trying of your faith. Our text will be James chapter
1 verses 1 through 4. James chapter 1 verses 1 through
4. In the opening verses of his
epistle, the Apostle James was inspired by God the Holy Spirit
to tell us that the trying of our faith should be a cause of
joy in our hearts. The trying of our faith should
be a cause of joy in our hearts. And he tells us why. James chapter
1, verse 1. James, a servant of God and of
the Lord Jesus Christ, To the 12 tribes which are scattered
abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy. He could have just said joy and
that would have been enough to shock us. He said, count it all
joy. As if to say there is no joy
for us apart from this. Count it all joy. when you fall
into divers temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your
faith worketh patience, but that patience have her perfect work,
that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Now, here's
the first thing we see in this passage of Scripture. What a high honor What a high
honor God puts upon poor sinners in Christ Jesus, making us his
servants. This man, James, was an apostle. He was not only an apostle, he
was blood kin to Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, half brother to
our Lord. But when he speaks to these brethren,
He speaks to these brethren as one on their level and counts
it his high honor to be just this, a servant of God. A servant of God. God's people,
all who are born of God are servants of God. All who are born of God
taught of God, washed in the blood of Christ, robed in his
righteousness, are willing servants of God. All of them. In the church of God, there's
no such thing as clergy and laity. I am God's servant gifted to
preach the gospel to you. Sent of God to preach the gospel.
but no more God's servant than any of you men or women who worship
and serve our Redeemer. We are co-laborers together in
the cause of Christ. In the church and kingdom of
God, God's people are one, all on one level, all accepted of
God, all placed by God where he would have them in his kingdom
for the building of his kingdom and the glory of his name. And
one is never to be elevated above the other, but rather each esteemed
as one with Christ and each esteemed perfect in Christ. As Brother
Larry just prayed, God teach us to look upon one another as
we are in Christ. Preachers are inclined to think
too highly of themselves and people are inclined to elevate
preachers too highly. Now, hear what the scriptures
teach. Yes, highly esteem those who
labor among you. I urge you, I teach you all the
time, hold God's servants who preach the gospel in the highest
possible esteem for their labor in the gospel. Esteem them very
highly in their work for the gospel's sake and for Christ's
sake. But don't ever imagine that the
preacher is somehow a super saint and let no preacher imagine that
he is somehow a superior servant. I was sitting here thinking about
this assembly right here tonight. You men and you ladies have come
here from a hard day of work, beating your heads all day long
against the wall with folks who hate God. And you have to do that day after
day after day, week after week after week, year after year after
year, relentlessly, until you can retire and stay at home. And that's just, that's a constant
battle. And here you sit. Do you know what I've been doing
all day? You know what I've been doing
all day long? Ever since I got up this morning,
you know what I've been doing? I've been in this book. I've been able to sit back here
in my study and read and study, pull out commentaries and read
their comments and pull out sermons and read the sermons and study
this book. And I haven't had, let me see. I haven't even had a phone call
from somebody today who didn't believe God. I haven't had to
listen to anything. I haven't had to fight with anything.
I haven't had to contend with anything. I haven't even done
any business on the phone. All I've done today is had the
privilege of reading and studying God's Word best I can, praying
and praying for you. Now, which one's had the tougher
service? You by far. Let me never forget
that. And were it not for the laboring
of men and women and the giving generosity of men and women in
the cause of Christ, I couldn't do what I do. And this assembly
couldn't do what God's put in our hands to do. We who are gods
are the servants of God, the servants of the triune Jehovah,
and servants of our Lord Jesus Christ. who said to us, I am
among you as he that serveth. Our Lord Jesus counted it his
highest honor as the God-man, our mediator, and his greatest
joy to serve his people for the glory of God. How much more we
ought to count it our highest honor and esteem it our greatest
joy to serve our God in serving his people. The gospel of God's
grace teaches us by love to serve one another. Paul considered
it his highest honor to write to the Corinthians and minister
to them as their servant. Are you willing to be a servant?
Am I? That's what God's people are.
Listen to this. Oh, Lord, truly, I am thy servant. I am thy servant. I will offer
thee the sacrifices of thanksgiving and will call on the name of
the Lord, will worship the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows
unto the Lord now in the presence of his enemies. Now, remember
who and what we are by nature. You see your calling, brethren?
Look around you here. Do you see the kinds of things
God has chosen? Do you see the... Do you understand
what you are? Just nothing but fallen, sinful,
depraved flesh. And God's put his grace in you.
God's put his grace in me to make us his servants. James,
a servant of Jesus Christ. We will never rise above this
blessed position, and we ought never desire to rise above it,
not even in glory. These are his servants, we're
told in Revelation 22, who shall serve him. All right, here's
the second thing. Look at the text again. James, the apostle, the half
brother of our Lord Jesus, shows us that all God's church is one
family, the family of God. He addresses his epistle to folks
he calls my brethren over and over and over again. He calls
us my brethren. He's writing the book to my brethren.
It appears when you get to chapter 2 that he's speaking it as though
they weren't brethren, but he repeats it again. He says, my
brethren, my brethren, my brethren, the things I'm talking about,
I'm talking to you, my brethren. I'm speaking to you, my family.
This is not a word that I have to speak to some foe. This is
not a word I have to speak to one I hold in contempt. This
is what I have to say to you my brethren who are my kinsmen
the servants of God with me in the body of Christ my brethren
James a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the
twelve tribes which are scattered abroad Greeting my brethren my
brethren these twelve tribes without question the Historic,
grammatical, accurate understanding is these were Jews who had been
converted by the grace of God and they, because of persecution,
had been scattered to various parts of the world among the
Gentiles and they were scattered to the various parts of the world
worshipping God and serving Him. But these Jews from the 12 tribes
of Israel were but representative of all who were Abraham's seed. all who believe God, all who
are Jews in the inward man, Jews in their hearts, the Israel of
God, God's holy nation, His church, His family, His kingdom. They
represent all of us who are born of God, all of us who are redeemed
by the precious blood of Christ, all of us who have faith in the
Son of God. He calls us, my brethren. This The Church of God, wherever
it is found, is the family of God. You remember what our Savior
said twice, both in it's recorded by both Mark and by Matthew.
The disciples said, Your mother wants to see you. And the Lord
Jesus looked at his disciples and he said, Behold, my mother
and my brethren. This is my family. Now, I have
family. of flesh and blood that's dear
to me. And I seize every opportunity I can to be in their company,
to talk with them, to chat with them, visit with them. And I
love it. Every year, Shelby and I, when I'm down in North Carolina,
we get together with my sisters and we'll spend about three hours
one day together. That's about the most time we
ever get to spend. We'll spend about three hours,
have lunch together and just sit and talk, just sit and talk.
But that relationship, no matter how long, is but a temporary
relationship. How old is your dad now? Did
you say 90? 92. Not many of us have that privilege. Not many
of us have a father that long. But if he lives another 8 or
10 years, that's just a temporary relationship. That's just a temporary
relationship. This relationship is forever. We're brothers and sisters in
the kingdom of God. All brethren, all brethren, so
that we all have one father, one elder brother, one family
blood. We eat at one family table. We have one family nature. We're
going to one home and we have one inheritance. Everyone that
is born of the Spirit of God is brother to everyone that is
born of the Spirit of God. Oh, it's way past time we started
acting like that. Everyone that is born of the
Spirit of God is brother and sister to everyone that is born
of the Spirit of God, no matter what color their skin. no matter
where they live, no matter how learned or how unlearned, no
matter what part of the world they live in, no matter how rich,
no matter how poor, no matter how highly educated or poorly
educated, no matter how well read or how little read they
are. Everyone that is born of the
Spirit of God is brother and sister. to everyone that is born
of the Spirit of God. In the family, a basic part of
family life is sympathy and care one for another. That's just
a basic part of family life. I happened to be over at Larry
and Carol's yesterday morning briefly, and I think you had
just gotten an email post from your grandson, broken arm. How
come? Why on earth would they send
that to her? How far do you live from them? That's grandma. That's how come. She cares. That's how come. Family really
does care for family. And I got news for you. One saying
common in the world is really true and the world doesn't understand
it. Blood is thicker than water.
I'm talking about the blood of Christ. And God's people are
one in Jesus Christ, one holy family. Bear ye one another's
burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Remember those that
are in bonds as bound with them. Those that suffer affliction
as being yourselves also in the body. Remembering the trials
of his brethren. James wrote this epistle. First and foremost to cheer his
brethren. Isn't that amazing? First and foremost to cheer his
brethren. I so much, oh my God, help me. I so much want in everything
I preach and in everything I write for you to cheer your hearts,
not just to instruct your minds, to cheer your hearts with the
knowledge of our Redeemer. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith the Lord. James doesn't write this epistle
to upbraid his brethren. He doesn't write this epistle
to scold his brethren. He writes the epistle to cheer
his brethren. And even when he must correct
them in their erroneous views of anything, he does so that
their hearts may be cheered in the knowledge of Christ. Not
just to reprove them, but to comfort them. Not just to correct
them, but to comfort them. My brethren, verse two, count
it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations. Now, here's
the third thing. James here shows us that if we
have faith in Christ. Our faith must and will be proved
by our God. If we have faith in Christ, our
faith must and will be proved by our God. It will be tried,
tested, and proved by our Father. My brethren, count it all joy
when you fall into divers temptations, knowing this, that the trying
of your faith worketh patience. Now James is talking about believers.
and faith in Christ. Settle this issue first. Do you
have faith in Christ? Do you believe on the Son of
God? Trust Jesus Christ the Lord. But I'm here to tell you that
life in Christ is not what preachers make it out to be. I read someone
today who did make a very good statement. He said Life in Christ
is life in a bed of roses, thorns and all. That's a pretty good
description. Oh yeah, a bed of roses, thorns
and all. Life in Christ is not a life without trouble, a life
without complication. A life without turmoil, a life
without sickness and pain and bereavement and sorrow and heartache
and trouble, one kind and another. No, no. Life in Christ is life
of faith that must and will be tried, proved by God. Our trials are marks of adoption,
of sonship. marks of union with Christ. As
Cowper said in the hymn I referred to earlier, bastards may escape
the rod, sunk in earthly vain delight, but the true born child
of God must not, would not, if he might. Hold your hands here
in James and turn back one page to Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. Verse 5. You have forgotten the exhortation
which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not
thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked
of him. Now watch this. For whom the
Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If you endure chastening, God
dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the father
chasteneth not? But if you be without chastisement,
whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards and not sons. I know this is contrary to everything
around us. in society, in philosophy, in
psychology, in sociology, all those things that folks think
they're brilliant about. A loving father, a loving father
sees to it that his children obey. A loving father sees to
it that his children obey. If that means wearing their behinds
out, you wear their behinds out. If that means hurting them, you
hurt them. If that means causing them pain,
you cause them pain. Why? Because you want that child
to be raised to be a mature, responsible adult who makes a
contribution to society rather than living like a leech on society. That's the reason. And our God,
bless His name, is a loving Father. And I'll tell you what He's going
to do with His children. He's going to force us to obey. He's going to force us to obey.
If we're His, He's going to force us to obey. He will bring us
to His feet. He will lay us low. He will keep
us there. He commands us to trust Him. And He'll fix it so we have to. He commands us to seek His face
in prayer. And we just won't do it. We go
through the motions. We do that, but we just won't
do it. But he's going to fix it, so we have to. He commands
us to love one another. And somehow we just can't manage
it until God fixes it, so we do. He commands us to be sympathetic,
tender, and kind. And we're hard, selfish, mean. But he fixes it and makes us
sympathetic, tender and kind. And only he can do it. Every
heaven born soul in this world is born for adversity. Who are
these? Who are these? Who are these chaste virgins
I see around the throne? Who are these seated with Christ
in his glory? These are they who came out of great tribulation
and they washed their robes and made them white in the blood
of the Lamb. We must through much tribulation
enter into the kingdom of God. Trials for God's people are a
matter of certainty. All that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution. For unto you it is given in the
behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer
for his sake. Turn back to the book of Psalms.
Turn first to Psalm 119. Psalm 119. And listen to what David says
concerning this matter of trials, the trying of our faith. Psalm
119, verse 65. Thou hast dealt well with thy
servant, O Lord, according unto thy word. Teach me good judgment
and knowledge, for I believe thy commandments. Before I was
afflicted, I went astray. But now have I kept thy word.
Thou art good and doest good. Teach me thy statutes. The proud
have forged a lie against me, but I will keep thy precepts
with my whole heart. Their heart is fat as grease,
but I delight in thy law. It is good for me that I've been
afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes. It's often said, we only learn
by experience. And the fact is, we only learn
by experience. We only learn God's word as we're
made to experience God's word. We only learn the way of faith
as we're made to experience the way of faith. We only learn the
things of God as we experience the things of God Someone asked
for the Rob Barnum one time said do you believe everything in
the Bible? He said I don't know I haven't experienced it all
yet That's the reality We only learn by experience Now turn
to Psalm 13 where the Lindsay read this back in the office
and I thought what a what an astounding Astounding expression
of what I'm trying to talk about James tells us that our trials
are a matter of joy a matter of joy How could that be? How can that be that these things
are a matter of joy to the believer? Blessed are ye our Savior said
when men shall revile you and persecute you Look here at Jake
at Psalm 13 How long wilt thou forget me? Oh Lord forever How
long will thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take
counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall
mine enemy be exalted over me? David's expressing heaviness
and sorrow, heartbreaking heaviness and sorrow. Heartbreaking heaviness
and sorrow caused by outward things But speak of inward things,
the sense of abandonment by God, a sense of God forgetting him,
a sense of God not even paying any attention to the fact that
he existed. Read on. Consider and hear me, O Lord
my God. Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep
the sleep of death. Lest mine enemies say I have
prevailed against him. and those that trouble me rejoice
when I moved. Now what's the next two verses?
Watch this. But I have trusted in thy mercy. My heart shall
rejoice in thy salvation. How on this earth? Lord, how
long are you going to forget me? I'll rejoice in your salvation. You can't say both things. Yes, I can. And yes, I do. When I can't see Him, I'll still
trust Him. When I can't hear His voice,
I'll still trust Him. I have rejoiced in thy salvation. I've trusted in thy mercy. I
shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the Lord. because
he hath dealt bountifully with me. Brother Don, how can our
trials be reasons for joy? James gives us three reasons.
First, we're providentially brought under these trials by the hand
of our Heavenly Father who works all things together for our good. Satan uses them as instruments
to destroy us. God uses them as instruments
to bless us and to benefit us. Every trial, every trial sent
by God, flung from his quiver, the arrow strikes our hearts
and causes grievous pain. because God's determined to do
us good. Second, James tells us that our
faith must be proved. And the only way you can prove
it is by trial. Trials are given that we may
determine if we're leaning on the flesh or leaning on the Lord. If I would know the genuineness
of my faith, if I would know that I've not run in vain. If
I would know that I'm not a stony ground hearer, my faith must
be proved. And this is how God proves faith. Then the Lord did tempt Abraham,
saying, Take your son, your only son,
Isaac, whom you dearly love, and offer him on a mountain a
sacrifice to me. Seems strange. Then the Lord
tempted Abraham. Read what happened in the previous
chapters. He just had temptation and trial,
temptation and trial, temptation and trial, temptation and trial,
one after the other. God promised him a son. And years
went by, 12 years I think it was, before God gave him that
son. 12 years before God gave him
that son. The Lord God spoke wondrous things
to Abraham, and he walked through the earth, walked through the
land of promise, not possessing any of it, looking for a city
whose builder and maker is God. His nephew Lot, their herdsman,
began to strive, and God God separated lot from Abraham and
his herdsmen from Abraham's herdsmen and then lots carried away in
captivity By those Kings and Abraham goes to war to defend
his nephew lot Ishmael and Isaac at war with one another from
their infancy but now God did tempt Abraham You see God proves,
and proves, and proves, and proves, and proves, and proves the faith
of His own with trials, with trials. If need be, you're in
manifold, or you're in great heaviness through manifold temptations
because God's trying your faith. And He does it to do us good. God said to Satan, now Satan's
all, he's ready with everything that's in him to assault you,
to attack you, to destroy you, but he can't wiggle except God
says to Satan, have you considered my servant Job? The trial came,
world, by God's decree, by God's hand, using God's devil to cause
Job horrible pain. and we don't know anything about
that. We read about it and we're shocked.
Who can imagine going through what that man went through? Who
can imagine going through it? We read about it and we're shocked,
but we know nothing about it. We know nothing about it. Why
did God do this? Get to the end of the book and
see how God blessed Job. I remind you again of Brother
Scott Richardson's statement. If we had the power of God, we
would change everything. If we had the wisdom of God,
we would change nothing. And then James tells us that
the trials by which God proves our faith in Christ are the instruments
of his grace, by which God teaches us patience. And that brings me to the last
point. Look at verse four. James tells
us that we are to endure our trials with patience. But let patience have her perfect
work. What's he talking about? Endure your trials with patience. With patience? God forgive me, but when it comes
to trials, and heartaches, difficulties, tough times and tough things. Dominary patience is about the
farthest thing from my mind or my being. Patience. Patience when your
wife's about to leave you. Patience when your Husband has
abandoned you. Patience when your children run
off. Patience when your boy's in jail. Patience! Let's hurry and get
through this thing. Let's figure out a way to overcome
this thing. We want to take care of everything ourselves. And because we keep trying to
take care of everything ourselves, there's no patience involved
in it. What's he say? Let patience have her perfect
work. Tribulation worketh patience,
and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh
not ashamed. Oh God, teach me patience like
Job had. That patience that comes only
with tribulation that works patience. That patience that produces experience,
that experience that produces hope because the love of God
is shed abroad in our hearts. Patience. What do you do when God takes
out the rod, when your father exposes his rod? Snuggle up as close as you can
get. Snuggle up as close as you can
get. Because the closer you get to the rod, the less painful
it will be. Snuggle up as close as you can
get to God our Father. Come close as you can to the
throne of grace. Because the closer you get, the
less painful the rod. Patience, have her perfect work. Wait on the Lord. Wait on the Lord. Wait. That doesn't mean we have to wait and see what
God does. No, that's not it. Wait on God. looking for God to show himself,
looking for God to intervene, looking for God to keep his word,
looking for God to fulfill his promise, and be sure he will. Be sure grace will prove triumphant
at last. Be sure when patience has had
her perfect work, then, then, when our trial is over, and bless
God it soon shall be then we shall be perfect and entire wanting
nothing then we shall be complete in Christ when this day of trial
is over this day of testing is over this day of proving is over
then we shall be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. They that wait upon the Lord, that patience, have a perfect
word, shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings
as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Teach me, oh Lord, teach me to
wait. Amen.