Hello Dave! Are you on the air? Yeah, I'm on the air. If you have your Bibles, please
turn with me to James chapter 1. I'm going to read verses 2-5. My brethren, count it all joy
when you fall into diverse temptations, knowing this, that the trying
of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect
work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to
all men liberally, and abradeth not, and it shall be given him. Let us pray. Now, Father, we
come in the blessed name and perfect righteousness of Jesus
Christ the Lord, who loved us and gave himself for us. We are
ever thankful. for that perfect sacrifice that
He offered unto thee, wherein your justice and your law were
satisfied, and you imputed righteousness to your children, set them in
a right standing with thee, and accepted them in the beloved,
all because of what Jesus Christ did on Calvary Street. We thank
you, Father, that you have made Him unto your people wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. We pray, Father,
for those who are going through struggles right now. We pray
for all those who have been afflicted with this virus. We ask, Lord,
your help for them. We pray for our nation. We pray for our brothers and
sisters in Christ. We pray for every man who stands
today to proclaim the glories of your grace. We pray you'd
be with them, strengthen them in Jesus Christ. Help us, Lord,
to worship you as we consider the greatness of your person
and knowing that you do all things well. The Judge of Earth shall
always do all things right. Help us now, we pray, to seek
Christ in all things. We pray in His precious Name.
Amen. This epistle addresses the numerous
trials, but more, it addresses the believer's reaction to the
trials that the Lord sends His way. Being sinful human beings,
our first response to discomfort is to strike out against it.
and to resist it. This epistle, while comforting
us in trial, warns us to guard against our natural carnal responses
to trials. The believer knows in his heart
that the Lord God is in absolute control of all things and we
do give thanks for this. He knows this because God has
given him the gift of faith by which he heartily embraces the
truth that is in Jesus Christ The confidence that he has in
the person and work of Christ is unshakable, but the events
that come our way and cause us distress often result in us resisting
sovereign providence. We are all plagued with unbelief,
and though we are unbendable in the matter of doctrine and
teaching, our reaction to providence gives faith a run for its money,
revealed in our reaction to the trials that are ordained for
us. The thing that providence sends
to us is not anomalies or events born of happenstance. The trial
of your faith is designed to bring all believers to utter
dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ to shut us up to His grace. We have seen that in these last
days in this nation and in our church and in our community and
here on the reservation that we're shut up to Finally confess
there are things that are so far beyond our control that we
can't even imagine it. Providence works all things for
one reason, to bring all things to their appointed or expected
end. And though trials are never pleasant
and often painful, pain is not their intent or their goal or
their design for the believer. The anguish and pain that accompany
trials are but tools in the workshop of the benevolent sovereign.
overflowing with loving kindness and tender mercies designed to
bring us to the very best place, and that's the feet of the Lord
Jesus Christ. I compare it to the words of
the old saint who said, Oh, to believe that which I know. Oh, to believe that which I know. James begins these words by identifying
those to whom he writes. He calls them my brethren in
verse two, my brethren. count it all joy. This salutation
is important because it distinguishes the basis upon which these trials
come. These trials are not generic
or general, such as those that are common to all men. These
trials are designed exclusively and individually for the brethren,
to believers, to those who God has given faith. Natural carnal
men rejoice not in the trials or or any other thing for that
matter. 2 Corinthians 7.10 says, The
sorrow of the world worketh death. And since they are called trials
of faith, in verse 3, it says, Knowing, brethren, the trying
of your faith worketh patience. Since they are called trials
of faith, they cannot be divorced from the object of faith, which
is Jesus Christ and His gospel. The trials come to the believer
because he believes the gospel. The trial comes to the believer
because he is a child of God. In truth, these trials are a
testimony of God's faithfulness. For Scripture says, He chastens
every son whom He loveth. The Scripture is replete with
the principle of rejoicing when you fall into temptations. In
Romans chapter 5, we read these words as Paul speaks in verse
1. He says, Therefore being justified
by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
by whom also we have access by faith into the grace wherein
we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not
only so, but we glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh
patience, and patience experience, and experience in hope, and hope
maketh us not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which was given unto us. We know
the words of Romans chapter 8. We know all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them that are called according
to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He
also did predestinate, being conformed to the image of His
Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover,
whom He did predestinate, them He also called, and whom He called,
them He also justified, and whom He justified, them He also glorified.
What shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? For God spared not His own Son,
but really gave Him up for us all. And how shall He not with
Him freely give us all things? Paul even refers to such trials
and such temptations as a gift. He calls them a gift. Look over
at 2 Corinthians chapter 12. Here Paul talks about the time
he was stoned at Lystra And I believe he died there and was raised
from the dead because that coincides with the time he went to the
third heaven and saw things that no man could utter. But he says
in chapter 12 and verse 7, And lest I should be exalted above
measure through the abundance of the revelation, there was
given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet
me lest I should be exalted. For this thing I besought the
Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said, my grace
is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly, therefore, allow rather glory in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take
pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, necessities, and persecutions
and distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am
strong. But he says in verse seven, there was given to me, thorn in the flesh. That makes
it a gift if it was given to him. Note also the wording in
verse 2 of our text says, when you fall into temptations. It does not say when you fall
by temptations or when you fall because of temptations. That
you are to rejoice when you fall into temptations. The temptations,
therefore, are already in place. They are already by design and
waiting for just like the works that are ordained for you in
Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 10. Our Lord has clearly stated
in His Word that these things are according to His purpose.
His purpose. The one thing that everybody
who learns this truth has some peace and comfort in this world
But this is the truth that's essential to learn who God is,
that everything God does is on purpose, according to purpose.
He says in Ecclesiastes, to everything there is a season. So there's
a season for what's going on now, and a time for every purpose,
time to every purpose under heaven. That's where we live, under heaven. There's a time to be born, there's
a time to die, a time to plant, a time to pluck up that which
was planted, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break
down and a time to build up, a time to weep and a time to
laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to cast away
stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and
a time to refrain from embracing, a time to get and a time to lose,
a time to keep and a time to cast away, a time to rend and
a time to sow, a time to keep silence, and a time to speak,
time to love, and a time to hate, a time to war, and a time of
peace. What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth?
I have seen the travail which God has given to sons of men
to be exercised in it. He hath made everything beautiful
in his time." That's the two times that everything is mentioned,
everything on purpose, and everything is beautiful in his time. Also,
he has set the world in their heart. so that no man can find
out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
This is a wondrous thing when we think about it. This is a
fact that God has put the world in our heart. What does that
mean? Well, it has basically two meanings. The first meaning
is that God has put this thing in our mind where we think we
have an answer, but then it goes away. It's fleeting for us, like
we almost grasp it. But it also means this, that
we often, and more often than not, set our understanding based on
circumstances that surround us. What's going on in the world
somehow informs us into our opinions and often makes us think that
we have some answer to what's actually going on. We see a lot
of that today. Preachers are standing in pulpits.
People are writing in in papers and magazines that have answers
to all these things. Some preachers say, well, this
is the judgment of God. Some people say it's not a judgment
of God. Other people say it's just a trial. People have all
kinds of things. They have answers for everything.
Here's the fact, and if you learn this, you learn something in
the life in which you live. You do not know the reason why
things are going on right now. you do not know it and you cannot
know it therefore stop trying to fool around think that you
do just know this there's a purpose in it and according to God according
to his time it's beautiful it's beautiful may not look beautiful
to us but we don't know how this is going to turn out and we don't
know the purpose behind it but know this that it's a purpose
that will be for God's glory and for the good of his people
So the temptations, the temptations are already there. The trials
are already there. A lot of us just haven't run
into them yet, but we will. And they are for you. They are
for the believer. Your reaction to them will ultimately
be to rejoice because at some point the believer is made to
fully, thankfully, acknowledge that they were designed specifically
to work patience in their own heart. then this is the design of the
trials. It certainly points to a need
in us and a necessity for us. Evidently, we need patience or
trials wouldn't come our way. If a survey could be taken of
the things that most plague the believer, where near the top
of the list would be a failure to wait on God with patience.
Because we simply don't do that. Paramount to rejoicing when we
fall into temptations is to wait on God. This is what the language
says here. You will notice in that in verse
four, it says this, but let patience have her perfect work that she
may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. There in verse four,
there is no given specific duration for the temptation. If a timeline
were given, men would try to invent ways to shorten it or
to take a psalmanex and sleep through it. The wording seems
to suggest that concerning temptations, the believer is to expressly
expect them and to realize that when one has done its job and
has run its designated course, another is soon to follow until
we slough off this mortal coil and go on to glory. Beginning
in verse 4 with the word with a conjunction but suggests that
the temptations we have fallen into have not yet worked patience
in us, that it was designed to do. This teaches us that this
experience of life is governed to bring us to this place of
understanding, that living in this world as a believer is a
guarantee that our faith will be tried. The admonition to let
patience have her perfect work teaches us many things. One thing
that it teaches is that at the end of patience, the duration
of the trial is to us a complete unknown. This is known only to
God and will not necessarily be discernible by any of us.
Can any of us point to a time when a trial has brought us to
full maturity? They seem to run together as
links in a chain. We will not know when the work
of a particular trial is finished, for as long as we have the gift
of faith, this is our necessary lot in life. Also, this admonition
is with the word let. is a revelation that we might
not be inclined to let, but rather resist. The reason he says, let
patience have her perfect words, because we're inclined not to
let it. That's why he says to let it. This is why the language
is purposely vague in this passage. God will bring all things to
their appointed end. We know that, and we trust that.
We know that, but patience will have its perfect word. This trial
will run the course it's supposed to run. And in the end you will
be made perfect. How? Mature. Mature in faith
and entire in patience and want for nothing. I do not know how
or even grasp that possibility while I live in the body of this
flesh. However, just as growth is sure to the living, yet it
transpires unseen and unrecognized, so too will this increase and
maturity result in patience at the appointed time. Now until
that day, it seems that the believer will go through this life falling
into one temptation after another, and their faith will be tried
in order to increase their patience. And until that day when all things
are made new, we will look at the world and the events of life
as our dear brother Solomon the wisest man said, I returned and
saw unto the son that the race is not to the swift, nor the
battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet
riches to men of understanding. nor yet favor to men of skill,
but time and chance happeneth to all men." People say, well,
I don't believe in chance. Well, it's there in the Bible.
You better believe it. What does that mean? Chance is simply this,
something that you have no control over. It's something that God
has absolute control over. That's what it means. The lot is cast in the laps of
the disposal thereof belongeth to the Lord. Let patience have
her perfect worth. And these struggles are trials
of faith and therefore have to do with the object of faith.
They have to do with the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember He is
our Great High Priest and was tried in all points, like as
we are, yet without sin. The design of these God-ordained
tribulations is to bring us to lay it all at the feet of our
Sovereign Lord, who sends us these things to wean us from
the world and teach us not to murmur against providence, But
the believer sometimes, yea, oftentimes, has questions. I've
had questions during this trial, during this thing going on in
the world. I've had questions, and most
people have. I've heard people ask questions. I've heard reporters,
usually they have an ulterior motive in doing so to try to
put somebody in a trap. They like to ask preachers, well,
why did the Lord allow this to happen? Why did the Lord, you
know, first of all, He is God and He doesn't give account of
His matter, so you don't have any reason to ask, but the idea
behind asking that question, if you really tear down the meaning
of it, if God allowed it to happen, that means He could stop it from
happening, so He must have wanted it to happen. So maybe people
ought to respond to that way to those who ask that question.
That's the question. People do have questions, and
our Lord addresses that fact in this passage of scripture.
The design that God has ordained tribulation is to bring us to
lay at the feet of Christ. Sometimes we have questions.
Sadly, because we are born to the natural works, free will,
religion, our questions often reveal that we are not completely
done with our works and the delusion of our mediocre capabilities.
Our minds wander erroneously to what we've done, perhaps,
to deserve this coming our way. What have we done wrong in the
past that we might have brought such a judgment upon us? This
is wrong thinking on many levels. First, thinking that some sin
in the past caused our trial is to think that we're not sinning
in the present. That's just stupid. Don't even go there. Can anybody
say, I'm not sinning now? I don't think so. But when you
say, what did I do in the past? You're saying, I'm not sinning
now. Why is the judgment coming my way? Also, it says, Staker
reveals that we are in unbelief concerning the truth that all
judgment was finished on the cross. Our judgment is done.
We are not being judged. This trial that's facing America
right now, invasion of the world, in fact, is not a judgment on
God's people because Jesus Christ bore all the judgment of God
on His people on Calvary's tree. Also such thinking smacks of
the notion that we might be able to undo the trial somehow if
we can figure out a way to do it by some good and admirable
deed. Maybe we can outdo the bad by
doing some good. It ain't gonna work. It ain't
going to work. You see, patience is going to
have her perfect work. It's going to last as long as
it's supposed to. The fact that these trials are
necessary medicine for our ailing souls, and the language employed
in verse 4 suggests that there's no end to these trials until
we leave the flesh in the grave. But let patience have her perfect
work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Nevertheless, our Lord in His
grace mercifully accounts that his tempted ones often feel a
need to understand what's going on. That's just the way we're
made. We need to understand it. Thus
we have these words. If any of you lack wisdom, let
him ask God. If you want to know, ask God. The context makes us know that
the wisdom lacked and to be asked for is not generic. You're not
asking about how many hairs in the horse's tail in Revelation.
You're not asking that. You're asking about this trial,
the struggles you're facing. You're asking things specific
to the trial of your faith. This wisdom will bring us to
rejoice when you fall and divide diverse temptations and teach
us patience. Because folks might stop here
with just the first part of the verse. Our Lord goes on to quantify
what it is to ask for wisdom. The first thing to notice is
a gracious guarantee that God gives to His seeking saints. The promise is full of mercy.
God declares He will give this wisdom liberally. He will give
it liberally. Gil said the word liberally means
readily and at once, freely and cheerfully and largely and abundantly,
not grudgingly, not sparingly, and with a straight hand, but
with an open one, and in a very extensive manner. The believer
can count on this. In the time of designated temptation,
if he asks for this wisdom, God will give it freely and immediately. Secondly, God will never hold it against us for asking. Some
people believe that when they ask, am I doubting God? Am I
doubting my faith? Is my faith falling? All that.
Don't think such things because it's simply that God don't hold
it against you for asking Him a question. God don't hold it
against you for seeking wisdom in the time of your trial. He
said He'd give it to you liberally. It says this. It says, if any
of you lack wisdom, let him ask God that giveth of all men liberally
and upbraideth not. Upbraideth. not. He's not going to be upset with
you at all. The fact that he says abradeth
not means that though your asking suggests weakness perhaps and
ignorance or even a sense that such things should not befall
us our gracious God the all wise God will never charge you or
approach you for asking. This is a true comfort to we
who believe that God is absolutely sovereign because we often think
that asking God during times of trouble is the same as questioning
Him or doubting Him, and that's not the case. This verse puts
that notion to rest. This wisdom is singular. It's
singular. It must be sought in faith. This
wisdom is the wisdom of God. This wisdom comes from outside
ourselves. This wisdom gives us understanding
of our trials and allows us to count it all joy when we fall
into diverse temptations. This wisdom is the object of
faith. The wisdom is the Lord Jesus Christ. Over in chapter
3 of James in verse 17, it says this, this wisdom, or verse 15,
it says, but the wisdom, verse 17, excuse me, but the wisdom
that is from above is first pure. Then it's peaceable, it's gentle
and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits without
partiality and without hypocrisy. That's that wisdom you can get
if you ask the Lord for wisdom. What is that wisdom? That wisdom
is Jesus Christ. God has made Him to be unto us
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. It says in 1
Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 30. In the midst of trial, ask
for this wisdom and faith, not wavering. And the understanding
you will receive is that this happened for the gospel's sake
and for your good and for God's glory. And that's wisdom. Boy, in a world that's gone crazy
it seems and in chaos, it's nice to know this. Look out. Put on
your mask. Stay six feet from people. Stay
at home. Do your best to do what the medical
people require. Know this. Think about it all.
This is for God's glory. And this is for your good. And this is for the Gospel's
sake. To God be the glory. For let Him do what seemeth good
in His sight. Let us pray. Father, bless us
to understand that we pray in Christ's name.