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You can turn with me in your Bibles to the book of James, James chapter 1. We'll return to our study in the Psalms in a couple of weeks, but our focus this morning will be on verses 1 to 8 in James chapter 1. I'll read the section, we'll pray, and then we'll look at it in some detail.

James 1 beginning in verse 1, James a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greetings. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, for he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." Amen.

Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your Word. We thank you for the God-breathed Word that you have given for our encouragement, for our edification, for our correction, our reproof, instruction, and righteousness. And we pray the Spirit would guide us now and lead us as we consider this section in James' book. Pray for any and all here that are dead in their trespasses and sins, that you would awaken them, that you would cause them by the Spirit to look unto the Lord Jesus Christ and to believe on Him and to know the joy of being found in Him. Forgive us all now for all of our sins against you. Cleanse us in that precious blood of the Lamb, and we pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Well, last week we looked at Jude 3, contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. Kind of an emphasis on the corporate nature of the people of God coming into 2026.

This week, the believers specifically in 2026 as James deals with something that we all deal with. We all have trials, we all have difficulties, we all have afflictions and challenges and hardships in this present evil age. We know, for instance, that when a man, a woman, a boy or a girl is born again, they are not then passed into a state of a carefree and easy life.

Remember David, according to 1 Samuel 16, the Spirit comes upon him, sets him apart for his future as king in Israel, and that's really when his troubles and difficulties began. Not that fighting bears and lions, protecting sheep wasn't hard, but when he gets converted, when he's on the path to the throne, it is then Saul trying to destroy him. He's got to fight Philistines. He had a life of much adversity.

David's greater son, it's prophesied concerning our Lord Jesus in Isaiah 53, that he would be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. As we look in the gospel narratives, we see that very thing. Our brother Cam just read that. He must go to Jerusalem. He must be tried at the hands of godless men. He must be crucified. He must be raised again.

So trials are symptomatic of life in this world generally, but it's also symptomatic for the believer in this world. We have trials at the individual level. And this is inevitable, we are purchased by the blood of Christ, we have the Holy Spirit, but nevertheless we have remaining corruption. Paul speaks of this in Romans 7 and Galatians 5, so it is inevitable that at some point we will be tried, we will be afflicted, we will have hardship. At the family level. We don't always all get along as we ought to get along. We don't obey God. We don't listen to the commands. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. And we don't listen to the command. Wives, be submissive to your own husbands as to the Lord. So it is inevitable that trials and hardships and friction and tension come out. 

And then in the church, again, we don't always get along as we ought. We have agendas, we have vendettas, we have all this sort of thing going on where it does result in trial, hardship, difficulty. And then of course at the societal level, it's obvious that we don't all get along in this present evil age. There is much tension, there is much trial, there is much affliction. And so with that in mind, let's see how James encourages us to deal with that. 

I want to look first at the believer's response to trials in verses 2 to 4, and then secondly, the believer's request during trials in verses 5 to 8. So James, Pastor James, provides here for us a very helpful remedy. Not completely, with reference to dealing with our trials. We'll never be trial-free or affliction-free or hardship-free until we are safely folded in Emmanuel's land. 

But note first with me, after his greeting statement in verse 1, he then starts the epistle in verse 2. when you fall into various trials. So in terms of the identification of the trials, I think we have a good rendering here. When you fall into various trials, there are the hardships, the difficulties, often, well, sent by God always for our good. The same word, a form of it, is used in verse 13. If you look down there, it's translated as tempted. We're not supposed to interpret verse 2 as tempted. God is not tempting us. And in that context, it is a solicitation to do evil, a solicitation to do sin. Here it's the kinds of tests and the kinds of hardships and the kinds of afflictions that bring maturity, that bring conformity unto our Lord Jesus Christ. 

In fact, it's said of our Lord Jesus in Hebrews 5.8, according to His humanity, that He learned obedience through suffering. He didn't learn obedience through sitting on a beach and reading a book about obedience. He learned obedience through suffering. And for us to be conformed unto the image of our blessed Savior, there must also be these hardships, these tensions, these afflictions, these trials, and these difficulties. 

Remember Abraham. In fact, the writer, James, is going to mention Abraham in James chapter 2. James chapter 2, he points to Abraham as a model expression of faith, and whose faith was evidenced by his works. He believed God, Genesis 15, it was accounted unto him as righteous, or for righteousness. Genesis 22, he demonstrates that faith when he responds to the call of God to take his son, the son whom he loved, his only son, up to Mount Moriah and to sacrifice him. Well, what James doesn't mention in James chapter 2, it's outside of his scope, but what Moses mentions in Genesis chapter 22 at verse 1 is that this was to test him. It was God's means to test Abraham, to demonstrate, to validate, to confirm, to authenticate the faith that he had according to Genesis chapter 15. 

So what we have here in terms of count it all joy when you fall into various trials, he's not suggesting you rejoice over your temptation. He's not suggesting you rejoice over the temptation to look at porn. He's not saying you're to rejoice in the temptation to steal from your employer. It's not saying you should rejoice when you're tempted to gun somebody down because they cut you off on the road. That's not what's in view here.

If you drop down again to verse 13, this is a solicitation to do evil. This is the activity of the devil. The Spirit led Jesus out into the wilderness, according to Matthew 4, and there the devil tempted Him. He solicited Him to do evil. We have the devil, according to 1 Peter 5, in verse 8, roaming about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. That's not what James is talking about in verse 2.

Verse 13, a bit of a different context. Verse 2, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. John Gill makes this point with reference to the trials in view. not the temptations of Satan or temptations to sin, for these cannot be matter of joy, but grief. These are fiery darts and give a great deal of uneasiness and trouble, but afflictions and persecutions for the sake of the gospel, which are so called here and elsewhere, because they are trials of the faith of God's people and of other graces of the Spirit of God.

So just so we're clear on this, according to chapter 1 verse 2, count it all joy when you fall into various trials at the individual level with reference to family, with reference to church, with reference to society at large. Notice as well the expectation concerning trials. Note that James does not say count it all joy if you fall into various trials. Count it all joy if perhaps you're of that small subset of the people of God that may one day possibly encounter a trial. No, James assumes, James presupposes, James understands what is all too real in this present evil age. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.

The teaching of Jesus confirms this. 15 at verse 18 all the way to John 16 at verse 4. He tells them, he tells the apostles in the upper room, if the world hates me, they're gonna hate you. They're gonna kill you thinking they're doing service to God. They're gonna put you outside the synagogue. In fact, he summarizes or brings to completion the very upper room discourse on that note in John 16, 33. He says, in this world you will have tribulations. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

So Jesus promises that the people of God will be tried. Jesus promises that the people of God will be afflicted. Jesus promises that the people of God will indeed have hardship. When you turn to the book of Acts, what do you see? You see that very thing. Acts chapter 5, disciples are beaten and then they leave from the place where they are beaten under the hands of the godless magistrate and it says they rejoiced Because, or rather, they were rejoicing because they had been counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of our Lord Jesus.

You get to Acts chapter 12 and you see the imprisonment of Peter and you see the beheading of James. Not this same James, but the other James. But with reference to the apostles, we see that. We see it through the history of the church. We sang that hymn, It Is Well With My Soul. Horatio Spafford is the author of that, and as memory serves me, he's a man who lost his wife and children in a boating accident. I don't think it was like at Cultus Lake. They were behind on the skis and that sort of a thing. But transport-wise, there was a storm that overtook a ship, and his wife and his children died. It's on the heels of that that he composes It Is Well With My Soul. 

So James assumes there's going to be suffering. James assumes there's going to be hardship. James assumes there's going to be difficulty in the Christian life. Brethren, it's not a matter if, it's a matter when, and how are we going to deal with it. And at very many levels, if we do not appropriate the lesson of James here, we're not going to improve upon these things. We're going to make a mess of these things, and we're going to end up being much more out than in, in terms of the favor of God Most High. 

Notice, then he goes on, he speaks about the disposition necessary during trials. Verse 2 again, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. I don't think that James means that if you're operating machinery and your arm gets cut off in the midst of it, that you respond with laughter, that you respond with joy, that as your stomp is gushing and you're heading to the hospital, you're singing hymns of prayer. I don't think that's what he means there. 

But count it all joy knowing, and we'll get to that in just a moment, that God is behind the trial. God is in the midst of the trial. God has brought you the trial. Why? to do good things in your life, to further conform you unto the image of his beloved son. Again, if the son learned obedience through suffering, then how are the sons by adoption gonna learn obedience? Through pleasure, through vacation, through benefit, through prosperity? No, it's through suffering, it's through hardship, it's through difficulty, it's through affliction. And so James calls us here to rejoice when these things happen. 

The specific emphasis, count it all joy. You can turn back with me to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter five. Matthew chapter five, the last beatitude, specifically verses 10 to 12. Matthew chapter five, verse 10, blessed. It's how each of the Beatitudes starts out. It simply means be happy, not be happy again in a weird way, but that peace with God that surpasses all understanding, that joy in the Holy Spirit. So he says in verse 10, Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

He's not calling you to masochism. He's not calling you to rejoice in suffering for suffering's sake. He's not calling you to blessedness just because you're getting persecuted. Know the end game. You've got a kingdom laid up for you by our gracious God. You've got conformity to Christ in this present evil age under the hand of God. You've got all good things that He has purposed in these things. 

Notice in the book of Hebrews, same sort of an emphasis. After the author has told us about the sorts of things that the people of God suffer, or will tell us in more detail in chapter 11 what the people of God will suffer, notice in Hebrews chapter 10. Specifically at verse 32, but recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings, partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated. For you had compassion on me and my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. Again, the idea isn't they plundered the goods that I had planned to take to the dump or the thrift store anyway, so they saved me a step. No, no, not at all. Joyfully accepting the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.

In other words, keep a heavenly perspective. Earthly trials should promote, should encourage, and should lead us to that heavenly perspective, that reality, that we have Emmanuel's land in our future, that God is working in us, and God is conforming us under the image of His beloved Son.

So James tells us, very specifically in verse 2, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. And I really believe that James is very counterintuitive here. Very counterintuitive. I would suggest, if you're anything like me, when trials come, the first response isn't joy. When trials happen and afflictions are from the hand of God, the first response usually is not, blessed be God. I'm going to sit back and navigate this situation, praying for a great big dose of the Holy Spirit, for a mind filled with the word of truth, so that I can navigate through this affliction or trial in a way that brings glory to Him.

Joy typically isn't what we associate with trial. Joy typically isn't what we associate with affliction. Joy typically isn't what we associate when it comes to suffering and hardship. But James says, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. And then, James goes on in verses 3 and 4 to tell us to recognize God's purpose in our trials.

So with reference to the believer's response to trials, we've got the identification, we've got an expectation, we've got a disposition, and now we've got a recognition of God's purpose in our trials. Notice in verses 3 and 4. He says, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

In other words, it's not joy because I lost an arm in farm equipment. It's joy knowing that what God does, in terms of the presence of afflictions, hardships, and trials, produces good ends. It produces good ends. Sometimes, and I know this is true in every situation, or a truth known by most of us, that good comes after hard. You work hard to get paid well. You deny yourself to get benefit. Solomon says, do you see a man who excels in his work? He shall stand before kings.

Well, in order to excel in your work, you gotta get up early. You've got to show up. You don't spend the time gossiping. You actually do the job that you're paid to do. He shall stand before kings. Hard work, brethren, oftentimes, all the time, yields good fruit, good benefit. Well, it's the same thing here. Count it all joy when you fall into various trials. Not the suffering, not the pain, not the stomp, not the whatever, the deprivation, but knowing. There's theology in your suffering. There's theology in your trial. There's theology in your affliction and in your hardship. And you need to know that theology because that's what steadies you, and that's what helps you, and that's what brings glory to God Almighty.

So notice what he says. Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. The believer must know what James relates here. It can't be some idea that some have and others don't. James is what we call a general epistle. It's instruction to the church, the blood-bought children of God, those who have the Holy Spirit, on how they're supposed to function in life.

And if you're not a child of God, if you're not a believer, if you're not blood-bought, if you're not indwelt by the Holy Spirit, let's just take a moment to say, come to the Lord Jesus. Believe on Him, look to Him, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for God is God and there is no other.

In other words, this is a cordial, this is a text, this is direction specifically at or directed at the people of God.

Imagine being an unbeliever. Imagine being an unbeliever in the same sort of a world. It's not like there's a believing world and there's an unbelieving world. I think in some sense there is, but let me illustrate here. The believer gets cancer. The believer loses jobs. The believer has tension in their homes. The believer has tension in their workplace. The believer has tension in his society. So does the unbeliever. Unbelievers aren't immune to these things.

Now, I'm sure you can think of an unbeliever or two that everything seems to go pretty well for them. You've got those Asaphian moments from Psalm 73, I saw the righteous suffer, I saw the unrighteous prosper, and it vexed my soul. Yeah, that's a general or an exception to the general rule. Unbelievers have the same trials, they have the same difficulties, if not the same, same in kind.

So, my encouragement to any unbeliever here is to believe, to look unto the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.

He must go to Jerusalem. He must be tried by wicked men. He must be crucified. He must be resurrected. Why must he do that? For the glory of his Father, for the obedience that he had expressed in covenant obligation, and for the salvation of miserable sinners. All that Jesus did in His life, death, and resurrection was for the benefit of those whom the Father had given Him. This is the way of salvation. And this is most blessed.

But with reference to this particular imperative, He says, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. The people of God must know this. Manton said, ignorance is the cause of sorrow. Ignorance is the cause of sorrow. If afflictions happen and trials happen, you didn't ever have any familiarity with James or Jesus or the apostles or the prophets or anything like that, you would be perplexed. You might be tempted or inclined to say, well, I didn't sign up for this. I signed up for what Benny Hinn promised me. I signed up for what these guys told me, that when I come to Jesus, all my cares will be gone.

It's kind of like that old World War II song, pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile. I thought that's what the Christian white life was all about. Can I just burst everybody's bubble? It ain't all about that. Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

And one of the difficulties of church life is getting to know each other. That's not, but knowing the trials of the people of God, knowing the hardships, knowing the afflictions, knowing what it is that people are going through, wishing at some level you could just wave a magic wand and take it all away.

But God could wave a magic wand and take it all away, but he has a theological purpose for the trials, the afflictions, and the hardships that exist. In other words, he governs all his creatures and all their actions. And some of us as creatures, believing creatures, need times in the woodshed. Some of us as believing creatures need some deprivation. Some of us as believing creatures need the school of hard knocks.

How come? Because if the son learned obedience through suffering, the adopted sons are probably gonna learn obedience through the same sorts of suffering that mark the Son of God by nature.

The believer must be prepared and sustained by such knowledge. Again, I think James, Pastor James here is preparing the people of God. Interesting, he starts his epistle with this. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. Come on, James, that's kind of a downer note upon which to start. Start with the happy, the smiles, the smiles and the smiles. Celebrate redemptive benefit. Talk about justification. Point us to our glorification. 

Pastor James pastored the flock in Jerusalem, and Pastor James ministered to the flock in Jerusalem. At a very tumultuous time, brethren. At a time, first century, Roman Empire, city of Jerusalem, lots of tension between state and civil state and Judaism, and then Judaism and the Christian faith. He saw all kinds and witnessed all kinds of hardships and afflictions and difficulties. So he says to them, you need to know these things theologically. And as well, you need to be prepared and sustained by that knowledge. 

And then specifically note the content of what it is we're supposed to know. Knowing that the testing of your faith, this is the various trials, produces patience. The trials undergone produce patience. I think it's better translated endurance or perseverance. I think it's better there. Hebrews 12, 1, same thing in terms of enduring. And the emphasis is not on passivity, which patience suggests. Just be patient, sit on your couch, and ride out the trial. No, that's not it. Endure it. Persevere through it. march forward in the midst of it, never give up, never bow down, never stop fighting, and never yield. That's his emphasis, to endure, to be patient. 

And then the trials have a theological purpose. Again, verse two, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. I wonder why my faith is always being tempted or tested. Can I suggest that maybe you're lacking patience? I should say maybe me. That was pretty much directed to me. If you're anything like me, own it alongside of me. Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. Again, brethren, we don't learn patience. I'm sure there's a place for the new book on Amazon, How I Mastered Patience. You might read that and gain a benefit or two, but the means by which we acquire patience is going through affliction. It's going through hardship. It's going through trial. 

With reference to this purpose, Davids makes the observation, tempered metal is more precious than the raw material. I think that's bang on. Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. We get that in the realm of metal. You burn out or forge out all of the impurities, so what you're left with is the pure. Manton says, God's aim in your affliction is not destruction, but trial, as gold is put into the furnace to be refined, not consumed. So the theological purpose for the trials that exist, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience, or endurance, or perseverance. In other words, there's an end game to your suffering. There's a reason for your suffering. There's a rationale for your suffering, and that rationale is that you would endure, not quit. That rationale is that you'd persevere, not throw in the towel. That rationale is that you would go forward in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, not say, you know what? This isn't what I signed up for. I just can't handle it. I'm done.

That's not an option as Christians. That is never an option for the people of God, to just throw up their hands and say, you know what? It's too hard. It's too difficult. I'm just not able, so I'm going to throw in the towel. I'm going to quit. I'm going to be done with all of this. That's not ever an option under God.

And then notice he highlights the value involved in this patience or endurance or perseverance. Notice in verse 4, Now the perfection in view is not perfectionism. It's not teaching or suggesting that somehow through trials you can achieve a Christ-like perfectionism. That's not what James has in view here. The word could be maturity. It's used this way in 1 Corinthians 14. It's used this way in Ephesians 4. The perfection in view could also be blamelessness. Blamelessness, Genesis 6, 9, description of Noah. He's perfect. Does that mean he never sinned? Well, we know he sinned. We know because the Bible tells us so. But he was blameless. He was upright. He was complete, if we might say.

The perfection ultimately will not be realized until the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ or we depart from this world through death. And I say that to show you that it's probably not the case that you can plan an easy week in 2026. A trial and carefree year. 2026 is gonna be the year of no care. Again, brethren, I hate to burst bubbles, but somebody's gotta do it. And this is probably not gonna be a trial-free year. It's probably not gonna be an affliction-free year. It's probably not going to be the case that every day is like a Friday afternoon, that every day is marked by wealth and prosperity and health.

There's suffering, there's affliction, there's conformity unto Jesus. Until the eschaton, until we are with Him, until we are glorified, we've got a lot of rough edges needing to be paired off. We've got a lot of trips to the woodshed. We've got a lot of discipline. We've got a lot of chastening to undergo in order that there might be a conformity unto the Son of His love.

Now then, that's the believer's response to trials. Let's look at the believer's request during trials in verses five to eight.

First, he tells us to pursue wisdom. Remember how in verse 2 I said it's counterintuitive, count it all joy when you fall into various trials? That's counterintuitive, right? We don't usually, you might, good. I don't. When I fall into various trials, joy isn't my sort of reflex response. This is great. So glad God is conforming me unto the image of his beloved son. It's counterintuitive.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. I think there's a counterintuitiveness in verse five as well. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. What's our tendency when trial comes? What's our inclination when afflictions arise? It's to pray to God to take away the trial. It's to pray to God to take away the affliction. Lord, this is tough. It's hard. I've got my lesson now. Can you remove this burden? I'm not suggesting it's wrong to pray for the removal of a burden. I'm not suggesting it's wrong to pray for the removal of an affliction. I think that is intuitive. This is counterintuitive wisdom. Why would I need wisdom when I'm going through this particular trial? Well, the question itself, as I mention it like that, sounds completely absurd. Of course we need wisdom as we navigate the trials in this present evil age. Of course we need wisdom as we go through the various assaults upon us. Of course we need wisdom in the midst of attack.

If we're on the battlefield against an enemy, yeah, we could pray God just vanquish the entirety of the enemy. cause all their guns to jam, cause their tanks to crash, cause their bombers to fall out of the sky. We can pray that. Probably not going to happen, but we can pray that. We also pray, God help me. Help me to navigate in the battlefield. Help me to be a better shot. Help me to have more wisdom when it comes to these tanks and these fighter jets. Help me, Lord God, to navigate the affliction or the trial or the difficulty that I'm in in a way that brings glory and honor to you.

Why? Because I know that the testing of my faith produces I know that the testing of my faith produces perseverance. And I know that when that has had its perfect work, I will be complete. I will be where you want me to be. So the connection highlights, verse 4 highlights the perfection and completion of the one who has been trained under trials and indicates that he will be lacking nothing. Verse 5 starts with the supposition that you will be lacking something. In order to get to this verse 4 sort of a posture or place through the trials of verses 2 and 3, you're going to need something crucial to help you navigate along the way. And that's verse 5, if any of you lacks wisdom.

And in terms of wisdom, this isn't a general request. This isn't, God, I need wisdom to be a good employee today. God, I need wisdom to be a good wife today. God, I need wisdom to be a good husband today. It's wisdom specifically oriented to the trials that are in view. In fact, Manton makes the observation along with Gill, but Manton first says, it wisdom is to be restrained to the circumstances of the text. Not taken generally, he intends wisdom or skill to bear afflictions. We need wisdom or skill to bear afflictions. Why is that? So we don't panic, so we don't lose our minds, so that we don't conduct ourselves like unbelievers, so that we don't renounce God and the faith, so that we don't throw up our hands and say, I cannot believe that God is doing something like this to somebody like me. No, you need wisdom so that you don't respond with that kind of lawlessness.

Gill says it intends wisdom to behave aright under temptations and afflictions. So notice again, verse 5 assumes, if any of you lacks wisdom, but then verse 5 goes on to exhort what we're supposed to do when we understand this lack of wisdom. What do we do? We ask of God. Isn't that beautiful? Get the newest book on wisdom from Amazon. Get your copy right now. Let them ask of God. In other words, when we lack something, to whom shall we go? We go to the God who doesn't lack anything, that has promised in and through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, every redemptive benefit and the things we need to navigate that redemptive benefit of sanctification. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God. He is the source and giver of wisdom, Job 9. 4. God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Job 12.13, with him are wisdom and strength. He has counsel and understanding. Psalm 147.5, great is our Lord and mighty in power. His understanding is infinite. Isaiah 40.28, his understanding is unsearchable. Romans 16.27, to God alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever, amen. And of course, Colossians 2.3, in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 

So we're in the midst of trial, we're in the midst of hardship, we're in the midst of affliction, what should be the reflex? Well, count it all joy. Why? Because we've got the theology down, knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience or endurance or perseverance, knowing that it will have its work in us, bringing us to maturity and conformity unto the image of his son. 

And while we're in the midst of it, we realize, you know, I'm just not up for this. It's not wrong to admit that. I'm just not up for this. It's wrong to stay in that place. Right? You get that. There's no shame or sin in admitting, I'm not up for this. The sin or the shame is in remaining in that condition. I'm not up for this, so therefore. I'm not up for this, so I'm not even going to try. I'm not up for this, so there's no way that I can do this. 

In fact, just by sort of a parallel thought, turn over to James 3. James 3. He's talking about the tongue and the perverse, or the inclination to perversity with the tongue. Notice what he says in verse seven. For every kind, this is James 3, every kind of beast and bird of reptile and creature of the sea is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. I always use the illustration. You can probably find it on YouTube. You know, these guys that put their heads in, you know, between the crocodile's jaws. Why does he do that? Because the crocodile has been tamed or subdued enough not to bring his jaws down on that guy's head. Or how does a guy get a bear to dance? He's tamed it. He's trained it. How do these guys, again, YouTube videos, lions come up and hug them. I just don't have that inclination to go try to hug a lion. but I'm not a lion tamer. 

Now note what James goes on to say, but no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil full of deadly poison. You can put your head between the jaws of a crocodile, you can get a bear to dance, and you can have a lion hug you, but no man can tame the tongue. Does James say that to discourage us? Are you supposed to wake up in the morning, say horrible things to your spouse, and then say, well, James tells me I can't control the tongue. It's an unruly evil. I don't think that's why James is saying that. No man can tame it, but the God of infinite glory can. The God who has purchased you through the blood of His Son, the God who has supplied you profusely with His Spirit can help you tame the tongue. 

I think the same emphasis is in James 1 in this section on wisdom. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach. So prayer. Manton says, God will have everything fetched out by prayer. He giveth nothing without asking. We usually wear with thanks what we win in prayer. And those comforts are best improved which we receive upon our needs. That's good Puritan theology based on James 1. But notice, James not only gives you the strategy, you lack wisdom in the midst of trial and affliction. The strategy or the encouragement or the exhortation is to ask of God, and then James gives you several reasons why you should ask of God. He doesn't just say, ask of God, figure it out. He gives you enticements, he gives you encouragements, he gives you invitations, he gives you all kinds of helpful things for you to ponder when it's this let him ask of God.

Notice in verse 5 again, who gives to all liberally and without reproach and it will be given to him. The promise is simple. You ask, he gives. Now again, brethren, the wisdom that we might like may not be exactly what he gives, but the wisdom that we need is what he gives. He gives to all liberally and without reproach.

In other words, ask. You don't have to shimmy up Mount Sham and spend 40 days and four, you can ask of God right now, grant me wisdom. You can ask of God when you're driving in your car, give me wisdom. You can ask in the midst of domestic intranquility, I don't know if that's a word, Cam will correct me later, lack of tranquility, God give me wisdom. You can ask of God in the midst of ecclesiastical lack of tranquility, God give me wisdom.

See, we always have access to God through the mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. Solomon in Proverbs says, for the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk uprightly. So ask of God and the promise is sure, he will give it.

But again, he's encouraging, he's inviting, he's enticing, he's kinda like the host or the hostess who's saying, come on over for dinner tonight, we're gonna have beef, we're gonna have vegetables, we're gonna have a cake for dessert, there's gonna be all kinds of good stuff here, so you really should contemplate on coming.

Notice what James says, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who does what? He gives to all a little bit, Partially? No, he gives to all liberally. We're dealing with the God of infinite wisdom. And for us to get some of that wisdom doesn't deplete him of any of it. It's not like you can spend his wisdom account. It's not like you can plummet the depths of his wisdom. He gives to all liberally.

In fact, he shows his approbation with reference to the ask. with Solomon. When God comes to Solomon in the first vision and God says, what do you want? What is it that you want? What does Solomon say? I want more cars. I want summer homes. I want a bigger harem. There's a nice watch I've had in my house. I want wisdom. Why is that, Solomon? Because I'm about to administrate a kingdom for the living and true God. Solomon knows he's out of his league, so Solomon asks for wisdom. What does God do? God rejoices. I speak in the manner of men. God rejoices at the request or at the ask. That's a good thing you've asked for. It's a blessed thing that you've asked for. That's the necessary thing that you've asked for.

So we, in the midst of trial, we in the midst of hardship, we going through affliction, Knowing our theology, the testing of our faith produces perseverance. Knowing our theology, knowing what we need in order to deal with the particular affliction that we're faced with, ask of God. So if we actually do what God says and then we come to God and say, Lord, please grant me wisdom to navigate through this affliction, we have the certain confidence that he will give it to us liberally. If in 1 Kings chapter 21, God rejoices over Ahab's overture toward repentance, what's he going to do with the blood-bought children of God who have the Holy Spirit that are going through suffering and cry out to him for wisdom? He's going to give it to all liberally. And notice that there's further encouragement. This is, you know, beyond cake. Dinner's over. We got the best coffee you've ever had. And then an after dinner mint that'll just blow your mind. It's wonderful. Come over.

Notice what he says. Who gives to all liberally and without reproach. Or as the old King James has it, he upbraideth them not. What does that mean? Well, I think it means that no man, this is Calvin, ought to deprive himself of so great a privilege. The without reproach here means to rebuke, to reproach or to insult. Again, Calvin says, this is added lest anyone should fear to come too often to God.

Let me just bring this home, practically, for all of us. Kids, have you ever done the same thing over and over again that was bad? And you've had to go to your parents for the same thing over and over again for what was bad. And you said, mom or dad, please forgive me. I've done that same thing that I do over and over again, and I know it's bad. If you parents are like me, they'll probably be at times a response like, well, I can't believe you did that again. I don't know how you could do that again. It's funny how we forget us when we're correcting our children. Isn't it? It's funny. We forget us when we're correcting our children. But be that as it may, God doesn't do that. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Peter says to Jesus, Lord, if my brother sins against me, seven times in a day, should I forgive him? What does Jesus say? Seven times 70. The obvious implication there is doesn't God do that? If our standard or our model or our paradigm is God, we need to be very forgiving toward one another. So I think when James says, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, God doesn't mock us. God doesn't upbraid us. God doesn't say, I can't believe you're at my throne again asking for this wisdom thing. Just knuckle under, bear up, and deal with your trials. No, he gives to all liberally, profusely, abundantly, generously, without reproach. There's no mock. There's no, I can't believe you can't navigate this simple trial that I have sent your way. No, he doesn't do that.

See, James wants you to come to the throne of grace when you're going in the midst of trial. James wants you, whether it's an individual, a family, a church, or society-wide tension, affliction, hardship, or trial that you're undergoing, what's James' remedy for us? If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach. And then the sure answer response comes there at the end. Verse 6. I'm sorry, verse 5. And it will be given to him.

Now, there are several reasons. I don't want to go too far or too long in this sermon. I'll just give you quickly some thoughts as to why we might need wisdom to navigate these afflictions. One, to see the hand of God in our afflictions. Because typically in afflictions, we don't see the hand of God. Typically in afflictions we see problematic people. Typically in afflictions we see an overreaching state. Typically in afflictions we see nasty hearted people at my church. Typically in afflictions we don't see the hand of God. So why wisdom? So that we'll see the hand of God. Again, David serves a great example of this in 2 Samuel 16 after the usurpation by Absalom and the way that David is mistreated at the hands of his enemies. 

as well to appreciate the sovereignty of God in our afflictions. This is tough theology. I mean, as Calvinists or as Reformed, we believe God governs all his creatures and all their actions. There's no question, right? Every drop of rain that has fallen today hasn't fallen haphazardly. It hasn't fallen by chance or by fate or, you know, some lucky accident. Every drop of rain is ordained by God. He governs all his creatures and all their actions. Again, we have that theology. We've appropriated it. We as a church confess it in Second London Confession 1689. 

Practically, though, it's tough, isn't it? Practically, it's hard. Practically, when our lives do seem to be filled with hardships and trials and afflictions, we might stumble. We might start to think like the world. We might start to think like we've been taught to think by a culture in rebellion against God. You're victims. You're a victim of bad circumstances. Everything and everybody is against you. Because after all, you're that important that everybody and everything should be against you. 

We forget that we're subjects of divine providence. Circumstances, victimization, I can't believe these things are happening to me. The son learned obedience through suffering, and yet I find no place in the gospel narratives where the son says, I can't believe these things are happening to me. In fact, as Pastor Cam pointed out, everything was scripted. The Old Testament prophecies pointed forward to everything being against him. 

We need to see the hand of God in our affliction, as well to understand the good end of God in our afflictions, knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance There's a remedial purpose for the sufferings you have. It's knowing that the testing of your faith will produce perseverance or Romans 8 28. We know again another principle that the apostle assumes that we have. We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God to those who are the called according to his purpose. 

So, you know, in light of a Romans 8, 28, in light of a Romans 5, in light of a James chapter 1, the varied and sundry responses that we as the people of God come up with in the midst of trial, hardship, and affliction are really, really baffling. It's really tough, right? I mean, if complaint and whining and grumbling and, you know, being the victim, Wait a minute, did you forget you live in the world created by God? Did you forget that you were blood-bought by the Son of God who learned obedience through suffering? Did you forget that you're spiritually connected to those disciples in Acts chapter 5 who had their backs opened up with the lash? who rejoiced because they counted themselves worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ? Did you forget Paul's lesson in Acts 14.22? Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. Did you forget Paul's principle axiomatic statement in 2 Timothy 3? All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Did we just forget all that? 

We need to see the hand of God in our affliction and we need to understand the good of God in our affliction. And then the last sort of practical reason here is to help regulate our response to afflictions. This might actually be the more important part. God help me to get through this affliction, not dishonoring you, not blaspheming, not betraying, not departing, not giving up, And help me to do it in such a way, in such a way that I don't lose my mind. 

Right? We panic. We freak out. We don't know how it's going to work out. We forget that a sovereign God has purchased us through the blood of His Son. We forget that He has promised us glory to come. We forget all that stuff. And so what happens? Consistent with that forgetting, we lose our minds. 

We need wisdom to help restrain our passions, our movements from one state to another that are not pleasing to God. Manton again says, to moderate the violences of our own passions. He that liveth by sense, will, and passion is not wise. Skill is required of us to apply apt counsels and comforts that our hearts may be above the misery that our flesh is under. 

So James tells us the response, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, and then James tells us the request we're supposed to make under those afflictions. Let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it shall be given. And then a final caution by James. He says to do this in faith. Notice in verses six to eight. Let him ask in faith with no doubting. For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, for he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 

That's a good corrective measure there. In other words, when we come to God, we pray, we ask, we seek, but we come to God by faith. Hebrews 11, again axiomatic. By faith we believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

The focus in verse five is theological in nature. God gives to all liberally and without reproach. The focus in verses six to eight is upon man. In other words, how do we approach this God? How do we come to this God? How do we present our case before this God? Gil says, not only in the faith of the divine being that God is, but in the faith of the promise He has made, and in the faith of His power and faithfulness to perform them. And in the faith of this, that whatever is asked according to the will of God and is for His glory, and His people's good, shall be given. 

In other words, believe what James says when you come to God to fetch out this wisdom. Because if you don't, you're showing yourself out as a sham. I'm not saying you're necessarily unconverted. I believe there's a lot of chapter 1, verses 6 to 8 still remaining in all our hearts. If you're exempt, praise God for his manifold blessings upon you. But for the rest of us, there are struggles. There are difficulties, there are hardships when it comes to affliction, how we navigate, how we deal with it, how we bear up, how we ask of God. 

But James gives us this correction. Verse 6, let him ask in faith with no doubting. Because if you don't ask in faith and you are full of doubt, then three things are true of you. First, you're unsettled. Secondly, you'll be unanswered. Thirdly, you are unstable. That's what he says. Notice. Verse six, let him ask in faith with no doubting for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 

A familiar metaphor at the time that James wrote, a familiar metaphor for us today. We know what it's like to see a ship tossed to and fro by wind and waves. I wonder what he means there. Well, he means what everybody knows by experience. It's used in Ephesians 4. What's the purpose for the teaching ministry in the church? It's so that the people of God will not be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. Well, here without faith, we're gonna be tossed to and fro. Here without faith, we're gonna be untethered. Here without faith, we're gonna be unsettled.

But then he goes on to say we'll be unanswered. Verse seven, for let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. Well, that's a bit of a difficult or tricky one because, you know, I've always preached and I always said and I always think and I always believe that no is just as good an answer as yes. It probably means we're not going to get specifically what we're after when we betray our attitude or disposition with an absence of faith. You're not going to be answered. Your motives are mercenary. You don't want wisdom to navigate. You don't want wisdom to see the afflictions as God. You don't want the wisdom necessary to see the end, glory with Jesus. You want the wisdom, or you want what you want, because it hurts.

Remember in the fall of the Northern Kingdom, it's recorded in 2 Kings chapter 17. The Northern Kingdomites, were taken away by the Assyrians. You ever read these Old Testament passages and it refers to fishhooks? I will guide them by fishhooks. That was the purpose, the plan, the strategy of the Assyrian army. If they went in and plundered you and they wanted to take you back to their land to use you for unsavory things, they would put fishhooks through your nose and string you together so they could lead you back to their property. Something else the Assyrians would do would be to repopulate conquered lands with other conquered peoples, which makes brilliant sense. If I'm ever a general, this is how I'm gonna launch warfare. You take mountain peoples and you put them by the sea. You take sea peoples and you put them in the mountains. You take people from the Arctic and put them in a desert. You take people from the desert and put them in the Arctic. That's good policy if you're a destructive general, but nevertheless, good.

Well, when the Northern Kingdom is repopulated with various peoples, they all start calling on their God. So what does God, the true God, do? He sends lions to bite them and eat that. They weren't lion tamers in that particular context. So you know what they do? Think there's still a priest up in Bethel. And that priest will help us to navigate the lion problem. That priest can work a bit of his magic to deal with the lion problem. That's an obvious mercenary motive, isn't it? Not have the priest teach us the religion of Yahweh so we can bow, confess, and worship, but we want enough of Yahweh to take away the lion problem.

That could potentially happen with us. I don't wanna be too condemnatory here or too much outing myself, but it can happen. God grant me what I need so it stops hurting. You're not getting answers for that. If you're not appreciating the hand of God in the affliction, you're not appreciating the end of God in the affliction, you're not seeking to restrain the passions that you're expressing that are anti-God in the midst of the affliction, why is God going to deliver you from that?

And then he's unstable according to James in verse 8. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Double-souled, double-minded. It's used again in James 4. 8. The word reflects or was used with reference to Old Covenant Israel when they departed from Yahweh. They were double-souled, they were double-minded. That's problematic for the people of God. The word further describes the person who comes with this kind of motivation, just deliver me from the hurt, just give me enough wisdom so I can deal with the problem of lions, or of hardships, or of church issues, or of family life, or of job, or of society. Just give me what I need so I can be comfortable, content, and happy. No. If you're not getting or fetching wisdom knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance, knowing that God has remedial ends in purpose for the afflictions that exist, you're not getting them. You're unstable. You should learn stability before you come seeking to fetch wisdom. 

Well, in conclusion, just a few thoughts and then we'll go. First, the believer's preparation for trials. not wishing you a bad 2026. I mean, I could hear that at the lunch table today. What was the sermon about? Pastor Butler said it's going to be a miserable year. Well, you might interpret it that way, and I'm sorry if it has come out that way, but it's more preparatory. Preparatory. Manton says, Christ's eyesalve must clear your sight, or else you cannot make a right judgment. There is no proper and fit apprehension of things till you get within the veil and see by the light of the sanctuary lamp. A man that hath no other light but reason and nature cannot judge of those things. God's riddles are only open to those that plow with God's heifer, and it is by God's spirit that we come to discern and esteem the things that are of God. 

In other words, no passages like these. Memorize Romans 8.28, not for your bumper sticker collection or your fridge magnet collection, but for your very soul. We know that God causes all things to work for good. That has to be appropriated. That has to be held on to. Understand that everything that happens to us comes from the hand of a good God. We are not victims of circumstance. We are subjects of divine providence. We need to prepare ourselves for battle. We need to withstand in the evil day. We need to clothe ourselves with the whole armor of God. We need to take seriously the apostolic injunctions on how we face this present evil age. 

The Christian life has never been easy. It wasn't easy for Paul. It wasn't easy for James. It wasn't easy for the early church. It wasn't easy for the medieval church. It wasn't easy for the Reformation church. It wasn't easy for the Puritans. It's not easy in our present evil age. God's never said you're gonna have an easy life as a Christian, just come to Jesus. In fact, Jesus says in this world you will have tribulations. So doesn't it make sense to try and prepare oneself to understand the strategies outlined by the apostles under inspiration of the spirit so that we may live in a manner that is consistent with our high calling in the gospel? 

I would suggest secondly, we need to have a particular disposition during trials. We must remember God's purpose and not rage against him. Can't believe God's doing this to me. Why can't you believe that? Why can't I believe that? In light of an Isaiah 5310, it pleased the Lord to bruise Him. That means it pleased the Father to bruise the Son. But I thought the Jews and the Romans nailed Jesus to the cross. They did. And it was the predetermined plan of God Almighty. We have to see things in terms of God's providence, in terms of subjection to that providence. We must recognize His purposes so that we don't panic.

Your inclination or your disposition might not be toward panic, but it might be toward something else. Whatever you want to call it, losing your mind, forgetting Bible, forgetting theology, forgetting purpose, forgetting plan, forgetting blood botanists, forgetting spirit, whatever, however you define it, panic, losing your mind, losing control, whatever it is.

If we approach these things in the manner in which God speaks it to us, we're not going to do that. We're not going to panic. We're not going to lose our minds.

As well, we must count it all joy when we fall into various trials. What does it mean, verse two? Well, it means count it all joy when you fall into various trials.

Listen to Manton again. A Christian is a bird that can sing in winter as well as in spring. He can live in the fire like Moses Bush, burn and not be consumed, nay, leap in the fire.

Got the three friends of Daniel getting poised to be thrown into the fiery furnace. They're confident, they're confident that Yahweh can deliver them from that, but even if not, they say, but even if not, We're not going to renounce. We're not going to recant. We're not going to depart. We're not going to come over to your religion. I love that. Daniel 3, 16 to 18.

We know God is able. The God who created the earth can certainly fetch us out of this potential burning fiery furnace. They say, even if not, even if not, King, you're not going to get what you want. You're not going to get defection. You're not going to get apostasy. You're not going to get us running to your camp.

As well, we must consider the conduct of other saints who went through trials. Be a Horatio Spafford. Write it as well. After destruction, after pain, after affliction, after hardship.

In the first hour at prayer meeting, we talked about our brother Steve read us or filled us in on William Cooper or Kelper. You want to talk about a brother who had a troubled life? It's just amazing what the saints of Christ can endure.

And I doubt that Cooper was one of these seven and a half foot guys with the massive muscles and, you know, ready to face the day. They're not physically fit. They're not, you know, emotionally superior to the rest of us dullards. They trust in God. They hope in God. They recognize that afflictions come from God and they recognize that trials are ordained by God for our good.

James is a pastor that wants us to deal faithfully with our God in the midst of hardship, in the midst of trial, in the midst of affliction. His strategy is simple. Count it all joy when you fall into various trials.

And when you're in those trials, you're going to need wisdom, but I've got good news for you. The God of infinite wisdom gives it to all liberally, and he does it without reproach. You come believing, you come fetching, and he comes giving.

Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the clarity of James 1, 2 to 8. I pray that you would help us to internalize these things and that we would live in light of them.

God, I pray for all the brothers and the sisters here in our local church. I just commend them to you and to the word of your grace. Pray for your protection. Pray for your blessing. Pray for us to think theologically when these things occur in our lives.

And may we respond in a manner that is consistent with our Bibles. We ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Thank you.