James Joy Through the Eyes of James’ Suffering

 

James

Joy Through the Eyes of James’ Suffering

We are all fractured people and need God to complete us

It is the testing of our faith that causes us to know where we stand

If we fail to stand in the test, don’t worry God has not left you

And He is still holding out the wisdom you need

If you stand the test, thank God for the wisdom He has given you

And the joy of maturity and completeness in your life.

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

Remember how excited and joyful you were when you passed

A major test in your life

That is the joy we should have while in the test, because we know God

Will help us complete it and know the joy of developing maturity

James knew the joy of trials and he passed on to us his knowledge

 

 

Joy Through the Eyes of James’ Suffering

 

James writes his letter to Jewish Christian

believers who have fled because of hard times.

 

Unlike many of Paul’s letters to

Churches, James is writing to people.

 

James opens with…

 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers,

whenever you face trials of many kinds,

James 1:2

 

James witnessed the suffering and trials of people.

  

As a young boy, the impressionable stories from His

mom and dad telling how they had to flee with Jesus.

 

How Herod had the baby boys ripped from their

mother’s arms and killed in search of killing Jesus.

 

James saw the conflicts Jesus had and seeing

his brother Jesus crucified on a cross.

 

James as one of the 3 pillar of the Jerusalem

Church lived with the pain and suffering of

 the people as he shepherded the mother church.

 

Persecution include the confiscation or destruction

of property, incitement of hatred, arrests,

imprisonment, beatings, torture, murder, and executions.

 

Acts 4, Peter and John are threatened.
 

Acts 5:18, the apostles are arrested and

in verse 40 the apostles are flogged.

 

He was there when Steven was martyred.

Acts 7:54-ff

 

He saw Christians flee Jerusalem after Steven

was murdered and great persecution broke

out against the church at Jerusalem.

Acts 8:1

 

There were those scattered by the persecution

in connection with Steven leaving Jerusalem.

Acts 11:19-21

 

 In Acts 11 27-30, we see James lived and served

the church in Jerusalem during a great famine.

 

And in Acts 12:2, James and

John are put to death as martyrs.

 

James is addressing these suffering

saints from personal experience.

 

In light of the horrible suffering,

James sees a positive point of view.

 

A view point he hoped would

help the suffering saints of his day.

 

James does not vent anger, or

play the victim card, James says…

 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers,

whenever you face trials of many kinds,

 

“Consider it”

 

How do we view hardship?

 

What are you and I considering when life is tough?

 

 I have to confess I have considered

revenge, running, even ending my life.

 

I have considered God’s love and

existence, Satan’s power as greater.

 

James says many trials…

 

 When something goes wrong,

I am looking for the next shoe to fall.

  

James uses the word trials but

a better translation is “temptation”.

 

That is right…

 

 I am tempted to think all the things we listed

above with the opposite of joy, misery and despair.

 

The KJV says “Count it all joy”.

 

James realized from his experience the things

that happen to us are a testing of our faith.

 

When our faith is tested, we find what we are

lacking and what we need to add to our faith.

 

And with these one liners, James lays it out…

 

“Testing of your faith develops perseverance.”

 

When the work of perseverance finishes its

work in us we become mature and complete.

 

James says “not lacking anything”.

 

The lacking he is talking about is “wisdom”.

 

No matter what mistakes you make

God does not hold back on you.

 

God does not want to condemn you

but to make you mature and complete.

 

You and I cannot become mature

and complete without “wisdom”.

 

Wisdom from God is a gift.

 

This gift is given to those who

see their need enough to ask for it.

 

There is a condition.

 

Don’t doubt Him.

 

There are two types of people…

 

The people who are looking for excuses

and the people looking for answers.

 

If you are going to look for anything,

 look for answers.

 

 And to look for answers,

 you have to be looking for wisdom.

 

There are two areas of your life you will need to control…

 

Your mind and your heart.

 

Your thoughts and your emotions.

  

The Apostle Paul defines James’ words

of counting trials as joy and the adding

of maturity and being complete.

 

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Romans 5:3-5

 

We are all fractured people

and need God to complete us.

 

It is the testing of our faith that

causes us to know where we stand.

 

If we fail to stand in the test…

 

 Don’t worry, God has not left you and He

is still holding out the wisdom you need.

 

If you stand the test…

 

 Thank God for the wisdom He has

given you and the joy of maturity

and completeness in your life.

 

Being confident of this, that he who began

a good work in you will carry it on to

 completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6

 

Remember how excited and joyful you were

when you passed a major test in your life?

 

That is the joy we should have while in the test…

 

 Because we know God will help us complete it

and know the joy of developing maturity.

 

James knew the joy of trials and

he passed on to us his knowledge.

 

 

 

Scripture Reading

 

James 1:2-8 NIV

 

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.