May it please God to bless our
souls this evening as we meditate in his word. Let's turn to the
epistle of James, the first chapter, and we'll read verse 12. The
first chapter in the epistle of James and reading verse 12. Blessed is the man that endureth
temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of
life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. So this is a gracious word of
instruction to us all to have some indication and realisation
of the path that the true Christian is called upon to walk in this
world and the wonderful blessing which awaits them when they leave
this world and enter into glory. And this word temptation can
also be translated as affliction. So blessed is the man that endureth
either temptation or affliction or both For when he is tried,
he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised
to them that love him. So there is here a qualification
to the beginning of this text. Blessed is the man. And what
is the qualification? The qualification is this, to
them that love him. So it's not something that is
attributable to everybody. It's only attributable to those
who love the Lord Jesus. And that may be a big question
mark in our hearts as to whether we do love the Lord. Well, thankfully,
we have a hymn by John Newton. You remember John Newton, of
course, is the man that wrote Amazing Grace, the man who was
a seafarer, a mariner. wicked man and wonderfully converted
by Almighty God. And he asks this question, it
is a point I long to know. Often it causes anxious thought. Do I love the Lord or no? Am I his or am I not? Well I wonder tonight whether
there are any here, perhaps one person here, who understands
what John Newton was expressing in this hymn. It was a point,
a necessary point, that he wanted to know. He longed to know. It wasn't something just casual
in his experience. It was very important to him
and it needed to be and it should be in our life, in our spiritual
life. Because if we do not love the
Lord, then there will be no heaven. And in reality, we would not
want to be in heaven. So the great question is tonight,
for all of us, do we come into this position that we do love
the Lord and we are therefore amongst those who are qualified
in this text? This great question. And as Newton
tells us, it often caused him anxious thought. And that's a
good point, isn't it? You see, the true believer is
concerned to know that their religion is real. They don't
want to be satisfied with a false religion. You see, the devil
is very keen to provide a false religion for us. A religion that
sets us down short. A religion that will not take
us into heaven. It may be a religion that brings
us up to the gate of heaven, but when we get there, we'll
find that we haven't got the necessary qualification, and
we will never enter in to that glorious place. And so the anxious
thought, his concern was, do I love the Lord or no? Am I his
or am I not? Well, tonight, you must answer
before God. I do not know what is in your
heart. The Lord knows what's in your
heart, and whether you have that real concern. And it's Hymn 283,
and you might like to go home and read it, 283, if you can
remember that. And it's nine verses long, and
it explains John Newton's concerns, and why he feels like he does,
and why he doesn't feel like he would want to feel, and yet
he comes and concludes with the last verse which says, let me
love thee more and more. If I love at all, I pray. If I have not loved before, help
me to begin today. You see, if we have a wrong thought,
a wrong idea of our love, then it's good to come to this position.
And to be honest before God, there's nothing No greater blessing
than to be honest in our prayers. Let us not be deceived. God is
not mocked. And we must not be deceived.
Remember, the devil is the great deceiver. The great deceiver. He deceived Adam and Eve. He
deceived the human race. He deceives millions every day.
My friends, let us not be deceived and to settle down in a false
religion. settle down in a religion which
is not God-given. It's so important that we have
a God-given religion, and a God-given religion centres upon the love
of Christ. And it comes this way, as the
Apostle John tells us, not that we loved God, but that he loved
us. God's love must be first, because
God has loved us with an everlasting love. And we haven't loved God
with an everlasting love. So if God has loved us with an
everlasting love, it's because of His love, and when the Holy
Spirit shows to us His love, it's then, by that Spirit, that
we then turn and love God. Not that we loved God, but that
He loved us. And how very, very humbling that
is. when the Holy Spirit comes and
applies his word to our hearts and we have the right understanding
and knowledge that God has loved us and therefore our heart is
touched and we return our love to him and it has an effect because
there has been a change in our life from a loveless condition
to a condition which loves God. Now don't be discouraged if you
think, well, I can't feel very much love. I often say, and it's
important, a little that a righteous man hath is better than the treasures
of many wicked. So if the Lord has touched your
heart with his love, be encouraged and realise it's of his grace. It's not that which you produced,
because we would never love God left to ourselves. No, we would
love the world. And we want to be in the world.
We want to be satisfied in the world. And that's why, you see,
James concludes this first chapter by these words of advice. We
can't do it ourselves, but it's good to pray. Keep himself unspotted
from the world. The world will take us away from
the love of Christ, be sure of that. So what a blessing it is
if the Holy Spirit comes and draws us to the Saviour, as we
realise what great salvation there is. and what great salvation
there is for us through his grace. That's why, you see, John Newton
was able to write those words, amazing grace. How sweet the
sound that saved a wretch like me. He realised the amazing blessing
of grace, the free unmerited favour, and so will we when the
Holy Spirit comes and touches our heart, we will indeed bless
God. As we come here this evening,
considering this Word, the great question is that we love the
Lord Jesus Christ. That is foundational. That is
fundamental. You see, everything else is,
by comparison, unimportant. But we need to know the love
of God in our hearts, and there is that return to the Saviour. the Lord Jesus Christ and what
a blessed change it produces in our lives. Yes, it produces
such a difference. Whereas we were wretched and
hard-hearted and rebellious, it breaks down barriers and it
draws us near unto our God. And that's a good place. That's
a place of favour and that's a place of blessing. So, let's
remember that as we think of these words here tonight. Blessed
is the man that endureth temptation. And so what that means is there
will be temptation. If you and I are to be blessed,
this is the way. Blessed is the man that endureth
temptation. It's not something that just
comes and disappears and goes away and we can get rid of it
and think well that's fine. You see there will be a continual
battle, continual fight. in our lives because the devil
is very active. He always has been, and he's
as active today as he was with Adam and Eve. He's on the alert
to try and catch us out and to produce many temptations before
our eyes. And you see, he knows what your
weak point is, he knows what my weak point is, and it may
be very different. Some things attract one person,
some things attract another person. But be sure of this, the old
devil will bring those things before you and bring you into
times of temptation. That's why we know those words
of the Lord Jesus when he spoke to his disciples and instructed
them in how to pray, lead me not into temptation and deliver
me from evil. We don't want to be left to tempted
and to give in to the devil but to be able to resist the devil
that he may flee from us. That's why the Word of God tells
us in the Ephesians to take unto us the whole armor of God that
we may be able to resist the devil because he's very active
and very powerful. Never think that you're strong
in yourself. If you think that be very sure
that very quickly You'll fall under the temptations and you'll
have much to regret. So remember, your strength doesn't
lie in yourself. Your strength relies upon the
Lord. And the Apostle Paul tells us
that. He had that strength. He believed
in the Lord. Yes, his strength was there,
not in himself. Well, here we have this statement.
Blessed then is the man that endureth temptation, not the
man that gives in to temptation. but the man that endures temptation. And James, he tells us further
on in this little epistle in the fifth chapter and in the
eleventh verse, he tells us, Behold, we count them happy which
endure. Happy which endure. And he gives
us an illustration. You've heard of the patience
of Job and have seen the end of the Lord, The Lord is very
pitiful and of tender mercies. So remember this, we can am happy
which endure, not those who don't endure. Our life is one of endurance
and we should recognize the truth of that. And what a good thing
if the Lord helps us then in our day and age to endure temptation. The Apostle Paul, when he wrote
to the Hebrews, He also touches on this. There are many words
of instruction in the Bible with regard to enduring. And he tells
us in the 10th chapter to the Hebrews when he says in verse
32, but called remembrance the former days in which you were
illuminated. That means when the light from
heaven shone into our heart. And you alone know whether that
light has shone into your heart. And if it has, what does the
apostle say? After you were illuminated, ye
endured a great fight of afflictions, we may say a great fight of temptations. You see, the devil never gives
up. Don't think that when the Lord
shines light into your heart, that now everything is going
to be plain sailing. The blessing is that you have
a God to go to, a God who hears and answers prayer. But understand,
the battle continues right down until you pass out of time into
eternity. And so Paul tells us, but called
remembrance, the former days in which you were, after you
were illuminated, you endured a great fight of afflictions,
partly whilst you were made a gazing stock, both by reproaches and
afflictions, and partly whilst you became companions of them
that were so used. So when the light shines, and
by God's grace we're able to profess the name of Christ, let
us not think that the journey is easy. But in that situation,
you see, the apostle tells us, whilst we were made a gazing-stock.
People gaze at us and might think, well, what a fool, what an idiot. Fancy that person taking up his
cross and following the Lord. Well, this is a time of endurance. This is a time of testing. You
see, our religion is tested. It's a good job it is. And that's
why in this chapter, in this verse here, In James we're told,
for when he is tried, this time of temptation, there will be
testing, there will be trying. And that's why we have these
words written to us and encouraging. And the apostle tells us, partly
whilst you have made a gazing stop, both by reproaches and
afflictions, and partly whilst you became companions of them
that were so used. For ye had compassion of me,
in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing
in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring
substance." There is a secret. The secret of the Lord is with
them that fear him. And this is the secret of the
Lord, which the Lord gives to us, knowing in ourselves, by
his grace, we have that good hope of eternal life. And that's
what One of the elements that enables us, through the grace
of God, to endure times of temptation, times of testing. The saints
of God, down through the ages, have walked that path. It's not
something which is new. It's not something which is strange.
We can recognise then that we are fellow pilgrims. Indeed, we are strangers in this
world. Strangers. And the Apostle tells
us a glorious truth. He says, when the Chief Shepherd
shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth
not away. So there will be an end and there
will be a glorious end and a wonderful time of favour and blessing. When the Apostle wrote to Timothy,
we know that Timothy was his son in the faith, and there were
many things that the Apostle was able to write to him and
instruct him in. And they were good words of instruction
and good words of encouragement. And he tells him, he explains
something of his life to encourage him, and he says, But thou hast
fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering,
charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto
me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra. All those things. And then he says, what persecutions
I endured. What happened? But out of them
all, all those times of enduring, everyone Out of them all, the
Lord delivered me." And then there's this encouraging word,
for the church of God, for you and me tonight, yay. And all
that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. We're not exempt. We never will
be. And therefore we need this grace
to endure. And it comes like this, casting
all our care upon him, believing that he cares for us. You see,
these times of enduring have the effect, to the Church of
God, of driving them to the Lord. Yes, to the worldling, he goes
and tries to satisfy himself in the things of time, the things
which perish with the using. But to the true child of God,
the effect is to drive them to the Lord. And sometimes we need
a lot of driving. Sometimes we would just carry
on in this poor sinful world. But the Lord wonderfully and
graciously deals with His children and therefore brings us into
situations like this so that we have the evidence that we
are amongst the children of God. Those whom the Lord is dealing
with in love. And so as the Apostle Paul tells
us, yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution. But evil men and seducers shall
wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." Oh my friends,
let us not be deceived. Let us realise the path of the
true living child of God. Not someone who is dead, but
someone who is spiritually alive. This is the path. This is the
evidence because the devil worries us. The devil tries to turn us
out of the way. The devil brings so many things
into our life to really make us perhaps think, well, is it
really worthwhile? Why should I have this opposition?
Why can't I enjoy myself in this thing and that thing? Well, remember
we have an inheritance which is incorruptible and undefiled
and which is reserved for us, which is everlasting, it's not
something which fades away. Whereas the devil tries to involve
us in things which are fading, things which have no value, things
which are of no benefit. And so he tells us, but continue. The Christian life is one of
continuing, one of enduring, one of continuing, but continue
thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured
of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. And that from a
child, what a blessing that is, if you and I have learned these
things from a child, and that from a child thou hast known
the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation
through faith which is in Christ Jesus. You see the Blessing is
that these enduring seasons lead us, without any doubt, to the
Lord Jesus Christ. And it's a wonderful favour then
to be blessed with a closer walk with God. Oh, for a closer walk
with God. I wonder if that's your prayer
and my prayer. Not a walk with the world, but
a walk with God. And a walk with God brings us
into these situations testing times of enduring. Blessed is
the man that endureth temptation. So we're thankful that we have
the testimony of the apostle as he writes to Timothy. And
it's not only on one occasion, several times, but just one other
reference in the fourth chapter, we've heard the third chapter
just now, In the fourth chapter we read, and for the time will
come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their
own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching
ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and
shall be turned under fables. And today surely we see that
on every hand almost, you know, people who don't want to endure
sound doctrine, they don't want to hear the truth of God. It's
too cutting, it's too dividing, it's too separating and therefore
they don't want to hear it and therefore they wander away and
go after other things, having itching ears. But he says, but
watch thou in all things. Endure afflictions. Do the work
of an evangelist. Make full proof of the ministry.
Endure afflictions. You see, that's the apostle.
He homes in again on this to speak to Timothy, his son in
the faith, to strengthen him and to warn him. and to encourage
him so that when he finds these difficulties, these temptations
and these afflictions, to not think that he's out of the way,
to not think this is something unusual, but to recognise this
is the path that you and God are called to walk in. And it's
the path that leads to eternal life. And so what a blessing
if you and I are found a follower. of these exhortations and to
have the evidence and the blessing and the need we realise in our
own hearts and in our own souls. Well, the favour is that the
Lord graciously looks upon his people and doesn't deal with
us as our sins deserve. Otherwise, you see, we would
be left, wouldn't we? We'd be left to ourselves. Again
the Apostle in the earlier chapter, well-known verse, he says, they'll
therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. We must remember that we are
in a time of warfare. The warfare is between the flesh
and the spirit. And so the Apostle encourages
us and he says, Thou therefore my son, be strong in the grace
that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast
heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful
men who shall be able to teach others also. They'll therefore
endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. The clear inference
here is that the people of God will have to face hardness. The battle is never easy. It never has been. You only have
to trace it out through the Word of God, trace it out through
the 11th of Hebrews, where the Apostle gives that long list
of those who are blessed with living faith, and they had to
endure many temptations, many oppositions, a great fight of
afflictions. They were enduring hardness. And we don't like perhaps to
think that you and I have to face such things today. But times
naturally have changed, but spiritual times have not changed. They
are the same. And we should anticipate and
recognise there will be these times of hardness. And the benefit
is this. And there is a benefit. What
is the benefit? The benefit is it drives us in
prayer to Christ. Because we realise the Lord Jesus
Christ endured hardness. Look at his life, the blessed
life of the Saviour. Was it easy? Not at all. opposition
all the way, and he endured, seeing him who is invisible. And my friends, what a blessing
if when we face these times of hardness, we look to the Saviour. We meditate upon what he endured,
so that we might be blessed with the gift of eternal life. So
that puts things in a right perspective. We then realise what a favour
it is to be called by the grace of God. What a favour it is to
be found walking in the path set before us in the Word of
God, so that we are not a stranger to it. It's not something we
don't understand. It's something the Lord has blessed
us with. You see the Word of God here
tells us this. It says, Is the man that endureth
temptation or endureth affliction blessed? Naturally, we wouldn't
think that at all. We think, how can that be? Well,
it is so because under the blessed influence of the Holy Spirit,
it draws us to Christ. And what does that mean? Fellowship
with the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what the Apostle Paul
desired, wasn't it? Fellowship with a saviour. And
we don't find fellowship with a saviour walking with the world.
You don't find fellowship with a saviour following the things
of time. You find fellowship with a saviour
when you are called upon to endure sufferings, endure times of temptation,
endure times of affliction. Indeed, the apostle tells us
in that third chapter to the Philippians, what he looked forward
to. He said, what things were gained
to me, naturally, those I counted loss for Christ. Why? Because they set his heart and
affection upon the things of the earth, not on things above. And he says, yea, doubtless,
and I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and do count them but done, that I may win Christ.'
What a wonderful testimony that is, and how he draws the wonderful
analogy, and how good it is. and how necessary that you and
I may ponder such words as this. Just remember what he says, I
count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord. How do we value the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord? How do we value it? It's a good
question, isn't it? He tells us then, you see, and
he goes on to say, and be found in Him. How important, how vital
for all of us to be found in Christ, not out of Christ. Out
of Christ we're eternally lost. In Christ we're eternally saved. Be found in Him, not having mine
own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through
the faith of Christ. God gives faith. God gives faith. You and I don't produce faith.
We can't produce it ourselves, but God gives faith. And what
a mercy it is. Indeed, the wonderful verse in
the second of Ephesians, in the eighth verse where we read that
great statement, for by grace are you saved through faith.
And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. And it's
the only verse in the Word of God that spells it out so clearly. In these terms, it is the gift
of God. Faith is the gift of God. I don't
think you can produce it yourself, but what a blessing when God
gives it. And God gives that faith to believe, and God gives
us that faith to desire this condition and this situation,
as the Apostle goes on to say, which is of God, by faith, that
I may know him, the apostle knew the Lord of course, but he wanted
to know him more. You see that's the spiritual
life of the exercised soul to press on, as he says further
on, press toward the mark. So pressing on, it's not standing
still, it's not stagnating in the Christian life, and be found
in him. not having mine own righteousness
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, that I may
know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship
of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death."
Now, in these times of affliction, in these times of temptation,
in this enduring As we are directed to the Saviour, let's put things
in a right perspective. And we shall be satisfied in
measure to think that we are counted worthy to suffer for
His sake, so that He may be honoured and glorified and our souls blessed,
as the Apostle says, and the fellowship of His sufferings
being made conformable unto His death. And surely there is no
greater blessing, really, than to be united to Christ in his
sufferings. In his sufferings. Now, your
flesh will never desire such a blessing. But, you see, you
may fear you'll have to go into real and deep physical sufferings. The Word of God doesn't tell
that at all. No, fellowship in his sufferings may be in a very
different way. And it may be in a spiritual way. And the Lord
Jesus Christ suffered the hiding of his father's face. That was
indeed extreme suffering. And sometimes it may seem like
that. You may be seeking the Lord and
you can't seem to get access. And it seems the Lord has forsaken
you. Fellowship with his sufferings.
That doesn't mean to say you sit back and say, well that's
alright, I'm not worried. You won't be like that. You'll
be on the stretch after Christ, if you are a true living soul. Blessed is the man, remember,
blessed is the man that endureth temptation. The indication is
here, the inference here is, that if we are not tempted, aren't
faced with affliction, and that we're not enduring, then we're
not blessed. It is a path of blessing. Let us not think it's not. Let
us not think, well, how hard my way is. Why is it so difficult? Why do I have to face all this
opposition? He that endureth unto the end shall be saved,
is the Word of God. Unto the end, not the end of
this week, not the end of this day, but the end of our life.
He that endureth unto the end shall be saved. And my friends,
Let's remember, we don't endure in our own strength. Because
in these times of enduring, it causes us to cry unto God Most
High. And that's the benefit. What
is it then? It's not just a formal prayer. It's not just reading off repetition
words that we're familiar with. It's then we pray from our heart. It's then this reality. It's
then that we desire God to visit our souls in this time of affliction,
in this time of temptation. Now then, it has a wonderful
and glorious result. Yes, blessed is the man that
endureth, not someone that gives up halfway, not someone that
says, well I've had enough of this. There are many you can
see today. They are not prepared to take
up their cross. No, they are not prepared to follow a despised
and crucified man. They want to have an easy life
and fall into hell. The path of a Christian is not easy,
it's enduring. But oh, what a blessing when
you and I walk with Christ. It's a wonderful blessing of
the answer of a good conscience, union with the Saviour. It's
a wonderful experience and testimony. Many there are who go back, they
don't walk anymore. They don't want to take up their
cross. They think, no I can't do that,
it's too costly. I have to give up this, I have
to give up that. Well, do you want God to give up you? Blessed is the man that endureth
temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of
life. The crown of life. Well, do we
desire a crown of life? Something that won't be taken
away. Something that God gives. You
see, we receive. We haven't earned it. We haven't
earned it, but we receive it. And it's an eternal blessing,
because it will give us entrance into heaven at last. And it is,
receive the crown of life and then we read, which the Lord
hath promised to them that love him. It's a promise. God's promised, you see. Here's
the path. of the Christian. What a good end it has! Those
who don't endure, those who give up, those who are not true followers,
those who do not take up their cross, there's no enduring. And
therefore, there's no promise to them that they'll be blessed
with this crown of life. See the wonderful blessing of
being amongst those who have received the gift of eternal
life. Those who do desire to follow
the Saviour, those who do desire to do that which is in accordance
with the Word of God, weaken themselves, yes indeed. Remember
what the Apostle said, don't forget it, again in Philippians,
I can do all things, everything my friends, everything through
Christ. It strengthens me. You may think,
well, I'm just too weak. Not at all. You are, in yourself,
a great saviour. Isn't it wonderful? All things. The Apostle knew. You look at
the Apostle's life. How hard it was, wasn't it? How
much opposition? Did he give up? Did he give up? Not at all. He did his Master's
bidding. and what joy there was, and what
blessings there was, and what favour there was. Of course we
know the Apostle therefore was so blessed that he was able to
testify, for me to live is Christ. It wasn't for me to live is the
world, for me to live is to enjoy this, for me to live is Christ,
and to die is gain, and that's eternal gain. Let us not be satisfied
with natural gain. Let us be concerned about eternal
gain, eternal blessings indeed. Let us lay out for ourselves
treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not corrupt and where
thieves do not break through and steal. And the Lord says,
where our treasure is, there will our heart be also. So tonight,
where's our heart? Where is your heart? Is it in
the things of God or is it in the things of the world? Be honest,
don't deceive yourself. Is it in the world or is it in
the things of God? Are you longing after Christ
as John Newton did? He longed to know the love and
to know more of the love of Christ. The Apostle Paul desired to know
more of the love of Christ. The true child of God desires
to know more of the love of Christ because it is an eternal blessing. And it will never cease, it will
never wear out, it will never fade away. Things of time fade
and disappear. The things of Christ are eternal. They don't fade. What a blessing
it is then. And may you and I be found then
seeking after these things and remembering this crown of life
which the Lord has promised to them that love Him. And what
the Lord has said is true. God's promises never fail. The
devil's promises always fail. Unless he's speaking about casting
you to hell. My friends, the devil's promises
always fail. Don't believe him. Believe the
word of God. Believe the truth of God. Believe
those words. It is well with the righteous. It's not well with the unrighteous.
It's not well with those who follow the devil. Those who desire
to go their own way. But it is well with the righteous.
Those for whom Christ has died. Those for whom he shed his most
precious blood. Those who he has indeed redeemed. Yes, taken away all our sins. Every single one. We can't remove
it ourselves. No, but the Lord has taken them
away. They are taken away. They are
washed away. in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and we are complete in Him. We're white, we're washed in
the blood of the Lamb, and therefore we are then fit to enter into
glory, not because of what we've done, but because of what the
Lord Jesus Christ has done. We depend totally and wholly
on His righteousness, not ours, so that we stand complete in
Him, and on that great day we shall be found clothed in His
righteousness, nothing of ourselves, but it's all of His, all of His
grace, and all for His honour and for His glory. and the eternal
good, and the eternal blessings for our soul. So let us ponder
these words, let us realise the importance of them, and let us
recognise the reference and how they apply to each of our lives. And we shouldn't think that we
can somehow get round them. They are the words of God, the
words of life. Blessed, remember that, blessed
is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried he shall
receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them
that love him. Amen.