Consider It Pure Joy Whenever You Face Trials

Sermon on James 1:2-8, 12

Text: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

What brings you joy? Think about that for a moment. What brings you joy? I would imagine that the answer to that question would vary from person to person. For a child, joy might be finally getting that toy or video game that you wanted for a long time. It might mean that your team wins the championship. For a farmer, joy comes when the harvest is finally done. A grandparent finds joy in their grandchildren. The answers to the question “What brings you joy?” would greatly differ from person to person. How many of you answered the question with “trials and troubles”? I think it is safe to say that trials and troubles didn’t make it on the list. However, James tells us “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” (Verse 2) Why does he say that? As we spend our time in God’s Word this morning, we see that 1. They Mature Your Faith. 2. They Drive Us To Our Knees. 3. They Will Be Replaced With A Crown Of Glory.

James tells us why we can rejoice in trials of many kinds “because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (Verses 3&4) The trials produce perseverance. They help us to keep going no matter what might happen. In what way is this possible? The reason is that our trust in God grows when we have to sweat, or be frustrated or wait. Think of it this way. The muscles of our bodies need regular workouts to grow strong. If you lie around on the couch and eat potato chips, you will never develop your muscles. Unused muscles stay weak and atrophy. If you want your muscles to grow, you have to build them through some sort of resistance. The same holds true for our faith. It’s easy to say that we trust in God when everything is going well in our lives. That takes very little to trust in God. However, when we face these trials, they strengthen our trust in God. They make us realize that we need God’s help. Our faith grows stronger when it meets resistance and when it overcomes the trials that are going on in our lives. As the saying goes, “No pain, no gain.”

They help us to persevere and become mature in our faith, as well. Whenever we face trials, we can look back and remember how God has helped us in the past. He didn’t just leave us to fend for ourselves. He was there to help us in the past. Armed with that knowledge, we can face the present trial, knowing that the God who has helped us in the past will also help us with this present trial, as well. Each trial that we are undergoing is helping us to get ready for the future trials that we will face. That is why James tells us that we can consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds. Ultimately, they strengthen our reliance on God, as we realize that we cannot do it on our own. They help us to grow and become mature in our faith.

The trials that we undergo can also be good for us because they drive us to our knees to ask God for help. It is the height of arrogance to think that we are completely self-sufficient. We don’t need anyone else’s help. Again, we might think that we are self-sufficient when everything is going well. However, we quickly realize when we are in the middle of trials and troubles that we can’t do it on our own. A lady that I used to visit in the nursing home in South Dakota once put it this way, “When you’re flat on your back, there’s only one way to look.” We look to our God and we come to him in prayer. James writes, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (Verse 5) If you are looking for answers, if you are looking for help, God is waiting right there for us. We come to him in prayer and know that he hears us.

How do we know that God hears our prayers? In speaking of prayer, James says that God gives “without finding fault.” (Verse 5) This reminds us of what our Savior has done for us. Truth be told, there could be many things that God could find fault with in each and every one of us. Those faults are our sins. There are so many sins that we have committed over our lifetimes. We have complained about our present circumstances, implying that God doesn’t know what he’s doing or that he just doesn’t care. We have thought that we were the masters of our fate, instead of remembering that God is the one who is in control of our lives. These “faults” should have condemned us for all eternity. Yet, in his amazing love for us, Jesus Christ came into the world on his divine rescue mission. His entire purpose was to set us free from the condemnation of our sins. Through his perfect life, his innocent suffering and death and his glorious resurrection, he has removed our sins forever. Because that wall of sin, which had separated us from God, has been taken away, we have free and full access to God in prayer. God invites us to pray in verses like Psalm 50:15, “Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” Because of this, we can come to our God “who gives generously to all.” (Verse 5)

We pray to God in the midst of our trials and troubles. Yet, as we pray, we also want to think about our attitude when we pray. When we pray, do we do so with the full confidence that God will hear our prayers and help us? Do we, sometimes pray, not sure if God will help us? Do we have the attitude “I don’t know if God really is going to help me, but I’ve tried everything else, so I might as well pray to God and hope for the best”? James reminds us in verses 6-8, “When you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” Just think how insulting and how ungodly it is to doubt that God would help us, when we pray to him. ‘Yes, I know that you told me that I could call on you in the day of trouble and that you would deliver me. But, what I am going through is really hard. I don’t know if you can help me or if I’m all that important to you.’ When we doubt, we are calling him a liar. God has promised that he would help us. May God forgive us for the times when we have acted and thought this way. Christian prayer expresses full confidence in God’s unlimited love, God’s unlimited power, and God’s unlimited wisdom. May God increase our trust in him, so that when we pray to him, we do so with full confidence that he will hear and help us. May we not doubt his love and willingness to help us. Remember that God “gives generously to all.” (Verse 5) My dear friends, if you’re going to pray for rain, bring along an umbrella.

There is one other way that trials can bring us joy, because they remind us that, as difficult as life can be at times, it’s only temporary. James reminds us in verse 12, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” We know that, one day, all of the trials and troubles that we are facing will be gone. We will be enjoying all of the blessings and peace and joy of heaven. We will receive the “crown of life.” It’s interesting to note that the Greek word for “crown” in our text is not a golden crown, full of jewels. Rather, it is a crown that was made of laurel leaves that was given to the victor in an athletic contest. How fitting! Think of the marathon runner. That’s not a short race. The marathon runner has to run for miles. They will endure many hardships as they run. They get thirsty. They get tired. They may have to deal with aching muscles. The race is hard and the race is long. However, when they win the race, all of the difficulties that they endured while running the race are soon forgotten. They are the winner. The same hold true for us as Christians. As we go through life, we will face many kinds of trials. Some will be more severe than others. Some will hurt more than others. Yet, with God supporting us and strengthening us along the way, we have the sure knowledge that, at the end of our race, we will receive the crown of victory, the crown of life from our Savior’s hand. This fact helps as we plug along during the race of our lives. We have the confidence of St. Paul, who wrote, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

The fact is that we will probably never really enjoy the trials and troubles in our lives. They cause pain. They bring sadness. They make life weary and hard. Yet, God wants us to think of them as something that is beneficial to us. Those heavy trials and troubles that we are bearing are there to strengthen and mature our trust in him. They remind me that I cannot bear them alone and I don’t have. I come to God in prayer asking him to grant me deliverance in his gracious time and way. Through the sweat and tears in my eyes, God directs me to see the crown of victory, the crown of life that is waiting for me. I can see that God uses the trials and troubles that come my way for my benefit. With that in mind you can “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” Amen.