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James 1. I'll read the chapter, then we're 
going to look at just the introduction and the first section. The believer's 
response to trials in verses 2-4. 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. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Let 
the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his 
humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 
For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers 
the grass. Its flower falls and its beautiful 
appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade 
away in his pursuits. Blessed is the man who endures 
temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the 
crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love 
him. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God. 
For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt 
anyone. But each one is tempted when 
he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire 
has conceived, it gives birth to sin. and sin, when it is full-grown, 
brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved 
brethren. Every good gift and every perfect 
gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, 
with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His 
own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we 
might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. So then, my 
beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, 
slow to wrath, for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness 
of God. Therefore, lay aside all filthiness 
and overflow of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted 
Word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the Word 
and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is 
a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing 
his natural face in a mirror. For he observes himself, goes 
away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But 
he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues 
in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, 
this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you 
thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives 
his own heart, This one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled 
religion before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and 
widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from 
the world. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we thank you for the written word and we pray again 
for the ministry of the Holy Spirit, that one who breathed 
through the human authors to pen the very word of God Most 
High. Give us ears to hear and hearts to receive, and especially 
in a topic like our response to trials. May we heed this, 
brother. May we listen. May we understand. 
May we know the remedial ends in view, the trials and afflictions 
that we face in this world. We thank You, our God, that You 
work all things for Your glory and for the good of those who 
love You and those who are the called according to Your purpose. 
Even trial and affliction and difficulty, these things are 
overruled by a great and glorious God who has purpose to conform 
us under the image of Your beloved Son. Give us grace, Lord, give 
us help now, and give us the power and presence of Your Spirit, 
and we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, as I said, 
our focus this evening will be on verses 2 to 4, but just by 
way of a general introduction, we won't look at everything involved 
in introducing a biblical book, but just some of the highlights 
concerning this epistle of James. First, in the first place, we 
identify the author, James 1.1. James, a bondservant of God and 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, he indicates, just by stating 
his name and showing us his relationship to the Father and to the Son, 
that he is pretty well known. He doesn't have to give us any 
further identifying marks. He doesn't have to describe at 
great length which James in the New Testament he is. And that's 
one of the things that we ought to do, is consider how many Jameses 
there actually are in the New Testament. There are various 
contenders, various persons have thought that one of these particular 
Jameses was the author of James. In the first place, there's James 
the father of Judas, not Iscariot. He is mentioned in Luke 6.16, 
and again in Acts 1.13, but otherwise he is completely unknown. Secondly, 
there is James the son of Alphaeus. I think Calvin took this particular 
James as the author. This James the son of Alphaeus 
is mentioned in Matthew and in Mark and in Luke when Jesus calls 
the apostles or calls the disciples. He's obscure and probably not 
the one who needs no identification. Then there is James the son of 
Zebedee and the brother of John. Probably one of the Jameses we 
know even more popularly because he fares often in the gospel 
records. However, that particular James 
was martyred in A.D. 44, according to Acts 12, verse 
2, so he is most likely not the author. And then there is James, the 
Lord's brother. You can turn to Matthew 13, verse 
55, just to sketch a little bit about what we know concerning 
the James, who authored the epistle of James. He was a brother of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. They, of course, had the same 
mother. The Lord Jesus Christ, however, was conceived by the 
power of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 13, 55. Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary, 
and his brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And then again in Mark 6, 3, 
and then in Galatians chapter 1, 19, we learn that this James 
is the Lord's brother. As well, John 7 indicates that 
during Jesus' earthly ministry, at least at some portion, this 
particular James was not a believer in Jesus Christ. John 7, verse 
5, for even his brothers did not believe in him. Again, those 
of Mary's household. And then also we see in 1 Corinthians 
chapter 15 that at some point, most likely relative to the resurrection 
of our Lord, James had become a believer. 1 Corinthians 15 
verse 7, Paul writes, after that he was seen by James, then by 
all the apostles. Notice, Paul assumes that people 
know which James he's talking about. So, it's a well-known 
James in the early church. That's why in James 1.1, he doesn't 
have to give us any long description as to who he is. James was very 
well-known, and that's the point we look at now. He was a leader 
in the church in Jerusalem. You can turn to Acts chapter 
12. Acts chapter 12, specifically in verse 17. But motioning, this is the account 
where Peter escapes from prison, but motioning to them with his 
hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought 
him out of the prison. And he said, go tell these things 
to James and to the brethren. And he departed and went to another 
place. So James fares in this particular 
passage, indicating something of his leadership in the Jerusalem 
church. Acts chapter 15, James is the 
leader of that church that does preside over this Jerusalem council. And so we see that this man clearly 
and early emerged as a leader. Galatians 2, you can turn there, 
specifically in verses 9 and 12. Galatians 2.9, And when James, 
Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the 
grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas 
the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, 
and they to the circumcised. And then dropping down in verse 
12, For before certain men came from James, most likely a reference 
to the church in Jerusalem. Now this has been a very quick 
sketch. I just want to quote from one commentator. He says 
that James became a respected and beloved figure in the early 
church, especially among Jewish Christians. He was considered 
the first bishop of the Jerusalem church. Now, bishop doesn't mean 
big hat. It simply means the overseer 
in the church in Jerusalem. of the church, and he was called 
the righteous or the just because of his faithfulness to the law 
and his devotion to prayer. Hegesippus claims that James 
was stoned to death by the scribes and Pharisees for refusing to 
renounce his commitment to Jesus. It's recorded for us in Eusebius, 
the history of the church. And then the Jewish historian 
Josephus confirms the essentials of this story, and he also enables 
us to date the incident to A.D. 62. So James died in A.D. 62. So if you understand properly, 
you'll note that that makes James an earlier letter written in 
the New Testament. In fact, when we consider the 
date, we'll put it at around 46 to 49, and there are reasons 
for that. But notice the audience to whom 
James writes, back in James 1.1, to the 12 tribes which are scattered 
abroad. This is most likely a reference 
to Jewish Christians living outside of Israel. It's called the dispersion. They were dispersed. They went 
to places outlying the nation of Israel and they lived as foreigners, 
as sojourners. We see the Jewishness of the 
letter itself, again indicating it's a very early epistle in 
the New Testament. The word is synagogue is used, 
and interchangeably with church. As well, the reference or an 
absence of a reference to anything concerning Gentile Christians. 
James presided over the Jerusalem Council. That probably occurred 
in the early... I'm sorry, that occurred in A.D. 49. So if he'd have written later, 
no doubt he would have written something concerning that particular 
situation, how Gentile Christians were relating to Jewish Christians. as well James' references to 
God in this particular epistle. Allison says, the God of James 
is the God of Abraham, 2.21-23. He is the God of Rahab, 2.25. 
He is the God of the prophets who spoke in the name of the 
Lord, 5.10. He is the God of Job, 5.11. He is the God of Elijah, 
5.17-18. In other words, he is the God 
of Israel. That makes sense, considering 
that James is writing to a primarily Jewish audience of believing 
Christians. So, the fact that James is written 
in this particular manner, in this particular style, and as 
well, I said, it's probably one of the earlier dates. Now, I 
just want to share something very quickly, just to hopefully 
pique your curiosity, so that you'll read a book. The book 
is called Why Four Gospels, and it sets forth the dates of the 
Gospels and provides the rationale for the four Gospels that we 
presently have. It's a book written by a man 
named David Alan Black. And I just set this in context, 
or I set this for you, to show you something of the context 
of the early church. Some have long believed there's 
a synoptic problem, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Those are the 
synoptic Gospels. They are very similar in nature 
to one another. Most scholars today believe that 
Mark wrote first, and one of the primary reasons they believe 
that is because Mark is the shortest or the briefest. And then they 
suppose that Matthew and Luke used Mark, but they also used 
a document called Q in order to write their particular Gospel 
records. So they have long since held 
this particular position, and in many respects, it really doesn't 
help the believer, it doesn't help us to make heads or tails 
of some of the differences in the gospel narratives. David 
Alan Black proposes a much simpler solution, and he does so parallel 
to the growth of the church indicated in the Book of Acts. What was 
the first phase of the church? It was in Jerusalem. He says 
that Matthew wrote first, and I've often believed that that 
was the case as well. This was a good confirmation, 
not, you know, a bully for me, what a great guy, but it just 
seems to me that Matthew is the priority. But Matthew wrote first 
for that Jewish phase of the church. Matthew was published 
probably in A.D. 42, and it was highly circulated, 
and it satisfied and did all that it was supposed to do up 
until the point, not up until, but when Paul started going out 
to evangelize Gentiles. Remember the pattern of Acts. 
You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and 
then to the uttermost parts of the earth. Well, when Paul the 
apostle to the Gentiles starts going out and ministering to 
the Gentiles, he sees a need for a gospel record that isn't 
so Jewish. And so he commissions Luke to 
write Luke. And Paul then goes out, or rather 
he has Luke write this particular narrative. So Luke uses Matthew 
mostly, but then Luke does his own investigative research. This 
probably took place during Paul's imprisonment in Caesarea. So 
Luke pens the Gospel of Luke, and then Paul, realizing that 
neither him or Luke are original in terms of the 12 apostles, 
What Paul does is he appeals to Peter, and he says, Peter, 
I want you to validate and verify that this gospel according to 
Luke is good, it is legit, it does jive with Matthew. So Peter 
preaches a series of lectures. He has Matthew on one scroll, 
and he has Luke on another scroll, and he preaches from that, and 
he gives his stamp of approval to Paul and to Luke for the gospel 
according to Luke. Now the person, or rather Mark, 
was a close companion of Luke. Mark might have been the one 
rolling down the scrolls. Mark was certainly recording 
this particular data. And scholars have long known 
this, that Mark is dependent upon Peter the way that Luke 
is dependent upon Paul. And so Mark records these lectures. And this makes sense, because 
in Mark there's no introduction and there's no conclusion. It's 
sermonic. There are details in it, most 
likely because what Peter preaches from Matthew and Luke are those 
things he was an eyewitness to. Have you ever read through Mark 
and seen certain things that make you stop and consider for 
a moment? When Jesus goes to lie down in 
the boat, we learn in Mark that He does so on a cushion. It's 
my doctrine of naps, by the way. He lies on a cushion. When Jesus 
feeds the 5,000, Mark's gospel tells us they sat on the green 
grass. These are details from an eyewitness. 
So, Peter preaches to authenticate and validate and affirm the gospel 
according to Luke. Mark records it, and the persons 
that Peter preached to say, we want a copy of this. So this 
supposition says that Mark was never really intending to write 
a gospel record. But because Peter preaches, he 
writes this stuff down, this then becomes the gospel. And 
we see in the early church fathers, they always indicate Matthew, 
some indicate Matthew, Luke, Mark. But you can see the rationale 
for the list now. Matthew, Mark, Luke. Mark is 
that sort of go-between, that transition between that gospel 
to the Jews and that gospel to the Gentiles. Again, they're 
all substantially the same. There's no doctrinal contradictions. 
There are no things that are out of sort or out of place or 
out of mind, but rather they are based on the specific context. And so Black, and I think he's 
right, dates Matthew at A.D. 42. Luke is written in A.D. 58 to 60. It's published and sent out for 
circulation in A.D. 62, and then Mark comes to pass 
in about A.D. 68. Now, I tell you all that 
so that you'll understand. I think that at times we have 
this idea that first-century Christians were just kind of 
doing this, and what are we supposed to do? The apostles were brilliant. Paul saw a need. I'm going to 
Gentile Christians. Some of the stuff in Matthew 
they just don't crack with because they're not Jews. Luke, I want 
you to pen this gospel so I can take it into these Gentile areas. 
Peter, I want you to validate, authenticate, confirm, and affirm 
that this is indeed apostolic so that nobody questions the 
existence of Luke. The church was highly organized 
in the sense that they saw, they had, they received a body of 
divine revelation. They took pen to paper, they 
wrote it down, and they started preaching and teaching and circulating 
these documents. Well, James, by virtue of his 
conversion, by virtue of his status in the church, James then 
writes this epistle that, again, is very early, it's to Jewish 
believers, it's very much oriented that particular way. Now, let's 
look at verses 2 to 4. Note, the believer's response 
to trials. Four things we ought to consider. 
First, the identification of the trials in view. Secondly, 
the expectation concerning trials. Thirdly, the disposition necessary 
during trials. And fourthly, the recognition 
of God's purpose in our trials. Note, the identification of the 
trials in view. Verse 2, my brethren, count it 
all joy. When? you fall into various trials. Notice verse 12, Blessed is the 
man who endures temptations. Now those two words are the same. Context is necessary to help 
us make heads or tails out of what is in view here. Specifically in verse 12, we 
have those trials, or those tests, or those afflictions, or those 
difficulties, or those hardships that befall Christians. Later 
in James 2, he's going to appoint to the example of Abraham. Remember 
how Genesis 22 verse 1 starts off. God calls Abraham in order 
to test him. We, the reader, have that information 
as we ascend Mount Moriah with Abraham and Isaac. Now, Abraham 
doesn't have that information, but that's what's going on. The 
Lord God is testing him to validate, confirm, to testify concerning 
his faith in the living God. Verse 2 deals with those types 
of trials. The word is used similarly in 
1 Thessalonians 2.4, and then as well in Hebrews 11.17. Again, a reference to Abraham 
and the test that befell him. Now the temptation, or I'm sorry, 
it was verse 13, that no one is tempted, that's the solicitation 
to do evil. So that's not what James is talking 
about in verse 2. My brethren, count it all joy 
when you fall into various solicitations to do evil. That would be most 
unlikely. This solicitation to do evil 
occurs by the prodding of the devil. But as well, even without 
the devil, according to James 1, 14 and 15, we have enough 
remaining corruption in our own hearts to lead us away, to tempt 
us to sin. And so the verse 2 temptation 
or verse 2 trial that we see are those afflictions, those 
difficulties and hardships that we as God's people face as a 
regular course of life. James tells us when we fall into 
these particular things. Now certainly we can be irresponsible, 
certainly we can be foolish, certainly we can be not so bright 
and bring these things on ourselves, and in that case the same counsel 
holds true, but James envisages a point where the believing Christian 
falls into a various trial, and his counsel proceeds on that 
way. Gil says concerning this distinction, 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. Is everybody 
on board? That was a lengthier introduction 
than we normally make, but fall in with me now to verse 2. Count 
it all joy when you fall into various trials, hardships, difficulties, 
testings of your faith. The apostle, or James rather, 
wants us to understand how we are to bear up when we come to 
these hardships. We looked at this a bit last 
week and the week before in our studies in Hebrews 12. Run with 
endurance the race that is set before you. Realize that within 
this Christian race there are hardships, there are afflictions, 
and there are trials. Note, secondly, as we move forward, 
the expectation concerning trials. He doesn't say, my brethren, 
be absolutely shocked and perplexed when you fall into various trials. Sometimes that's how we respond. 
Something happens to us and we just can't believe it. This is 
what happened to me? Are you kidding me? I'm me. Why would these things happen 
to me? I understand it happened to others, but to me? James assumes 
the presence of trial. James acknowledges the fact that 
believers from time to time fall into various trials. There ought 
to be a certain settled expectation in your heart that trials are 
part and parcel of the Christian life. I hope that doesn't take 
much convincing to you. Notice in John 15, our Lord's 
Upper Room Discourse. John 15, verse 18. If the world hates you, you know 
that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, 
the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the 
world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world 
hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, a servant 
is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will 
also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will 
keep yours also. You see, Jesus alerts his disciples 
to this present reality, that there is going to be hardship, 
affliction, difficulty, testing in their Christian lives. John 
16.33, how does the Lord end the upper room discourse? Before 
He transitions into the high priestly prayer, He ends on this 
note, Therefore, I have spoken to you, that in me you may have 
peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good 
cheer, I have overcome the world. You will have tribulation. You 
see, brethren, James does not say, when you fall into various 
trials, panic, freak out, and lose it. Because why in the world 
would anything that bad ever happen to you? No, there ought 
to be a certain expectation of the reality that there is difficulty 
in the Christian life. There is trial in the Christian 
life. The experience of the early disciples. 
I already read just a bit from Acts 12 to show you that James 
is most likely a leader of the church in Jerusalem at that time. 
But what happens in Acts 12? Peter is in prison because he's 
a Christian. James, the son of Zebedee, loses 
his head because he's a Christian. Acts 14.22, Paul the Apostle 
tells the people, we must, through many tribulations, enter the 
kingdom of God. The early church was not shocked. 
They were not freaked out. They were not absolutely caught 
unawares when difficulties had come. They saw the way the Master 
was treated. They reckon that that's the case 
that's going to be for us, the servants, and it makes sense. 
When we live in a world under the curse of sin, and we live 
in a world where people are in opposition to the living and 
true God, certainly they're going to target God's people. I hope, 
brethren, you have some certain expectation that there are the 
possibility of trials in your life. If you've made it thus 
far with no significant trials, then praise God. I'm not saying, 
you know, go out and court trials, try to jump into trials. He doesn't 
say, count it all joy when you jump into various trials. You've 
heard that account of the martyrs when somebody was burning in 
the fire and other martyrs came along and jumped in with them 
and said, we're with them. Now, that's certainly a noble 
thing to do by all means, but Jesus also said that you can 
flee from city to city when they come to persecute you in one. 
Don't jump into trials, but don't think that there will never be 
trials. It's not always someone else's 
problem. Note the specific experience, 
still under the heading the expectation concerning trials. Note specifically 
the experience of James' audience. If you're not in James, go back. 
Verse 1-1, they are exiles. They are exiles. That would mean 
something akin to you and I having to leave Chilliwack or Abbotsford 
or Langley or from whence we hail and having to go live somewhere 
else, being cast out or being dispersed from our homeland and 
having to go elsewhere. Exile is a trial. Exile is a 
hardship. Exile is a difficulty. The several 
references to poverty in this book of James indicates that 
some in his audience were poor. Certainly, poverty can present 
its share of challenges, trials, afflictions, difficulties, and 
hardships. The people James wrote to suffered 
religious persecution. 2, 6, and 7. But you have dishonored 
the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and 
drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble 
name by which you are called? And certainly, the people to 
whom James wrote suffered with remaining corruption. James 1, 
14, and 15 have already indicated this. So you see, there was no 
absence of suffering and trial and affliction and hardship and 
difficulty that had been experienced by these people. So Pastor James 
comes along with his my brethren in a very loving and a very gracious 
and in a very kind way, with a heart that is genuinely characterized 
as pastoral, and he provides to them a remedy so that while 
they face these particular things, They know how to bear up under 
it. They know how to deal with the difficulties associated with 
the Christian life. They don't rage against God. 
They don't panic when they come into these situations. They don't 
just go off and, you know, live in a hut somewhere and hope that 
it all goes away. No, there's a particular strategy 
that Pastor James lays forth here for the people of God. And 
that brings us, thirdly, to the disposition necessary during 
trials. Notice, verse 2, count it all 
joy. Now, why does James say this? 
Because it is absolutely counter to the way that we think. Isn't 
it? When trials come, do you count 
it all joy? I mean, just think, experientially, 
in your own hearts, in your own lives, a bad thing has happened. 
Do you count it as all joy? Now, this isn't some sick grin. 
You fall off a ladder and you break your spine, and you're 
happy and rejoice. That's not what's in view here. 
It's not that sort of thing that would be psychologically impossible 
and would be scripturally foolish. I suggest that James is telling 
us and preparing us for the eventuality of trials and what ought to dictate 
in terms of our understanding. God has a purpose in it. God 
is doing something here. God is conforming me further 
unto the image of Christ. I may not be able to explain 
every jot and tittle, I may not be able to see every part and 
parcel of it, but I realize this, that there is a theological context 
for the suffering that I'm engaged in, and I'm going to count my 
joy in the reality that God the Lord is tending to my good. God 
the Lord is looking after me, and He is going to watch over 
me. Count it all joy. Notice in Matthew 5, the last 
of the Beatitudes, Matthew 5, Jesus, the brother of James, 
says this, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' 
sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 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." This is probably the same direction that 
James has in view. is not, again, laughing when 
calamity strikes, but rejoicing at the reality that there is 
an end in sight. Rejoicing at the reality that 
there is a new heavens and a new earth. rejoicing in the reality 
that there is eschatological benefit for the people of God, 
that we can resign in the face of trials to not lose our joy, 
but to be firmly grounded in it because we know that God is 
working these things out for our good. It's that Romans 8, 
28 emphasis. We know, Paul says, that God 
does cause all things to work for good. That's what James is 
doing. That's what we ought to be doing. 
That's how we ought to be preparing. If we are in trials, we need 
James 1, 2-4. If we are not in trials, we need 
James 1, 2-4. we need to gird up our minds 
and our hearts so that we appreciate and appropriate the reality of 
this passage when we go into the midst of suffering. Now, 
some of you will say, you know what, my life's pretty good, 
I don't really have many difficulties, and when it does come, I'm able 
to, you know, just kind of knuckle under and bear up. Well, that's 
not what James wants. That's not what James says. He 
says you are to count it all joy when you fall into various 
trials. You're supposed to see the grander, 
greater purpose of God in the midst of this. And what's one 
of the first things that goes when trials come? We don't see 
God, we only see our suffering. We don't see God, we only see 
our affliction. We don't see God, we only see 
our hardship. Now, maybe this isn't your experience, 
but at least it's been in mine, and in some of the people that 
I've spoken to over my years as a Christian, we forget God 
when we need to remember Him the most. Have you ever done 
that? You've encouraged a brother who's 
going through a particularly hard part in his life, and you 
bring Scripture to bear upon him, and he just, it's like, 
doesn't even hear it. Why is that? I think sometimes 
persons, Christians, are, you know, we don't want to just throw 
Bible verses at them. Why not? That's what they need. 
But it's like, at times, when we as believers go through these 
hardships, it's like giving, you know, broccoli to a dog. 
It just doesn't even, it doesn't even faze them. James says, count 
it all joy when you fall into various trials. The same teaching 
is in Romans 5.3 and 1 Peter 1, verses 6-9. You see, the apostles 
in concert realize that the people of God face hard times. And the 
people of God need to be prepared in the church for those hard 
times, and the people of God need to keep in their minds and 
hearts these truths for those hard times. Calvin says he means 
in short that there is nothing in afflictions which ought to 
disturb our joy. Another commentator says, the 
imperative to rejoice in the midst of trials, which can be 
construed as consolation, is paradoxical. For not only do 
people often view trials as punishments or calamity, but everyone avoids 
trials precisely because they bring misery, not joy. Right? 
Hey, you want some trial tomorrow morning? No thanks, I'll just 
take bacon and eggs. I don't want trials. I don't 
want hardship. I don't want misery. We are not 
inclined that way. But whether we want it or not, 
when it falls upon us, James' counsel, James' command, James' 
exhortation must be heard. My brethren, count it all joy 
when you fall into various trials. That means step back, it means 
survey the situation, it means consider what God the Lord is 
doing, what lessons you are supposed to glean, how this will conform 
you more and more unto the image of Jesus Christ. You want excellent 
exposition in terms of practicality on this passage, no one beats 
Thomas Manton. He will take you to the school 
of Christ and lead you by the hand in appropriating this passage 
for your good in the midst of trials. James calls for a counterintuitive 
or unnatural interpretation of events, which then becomes educational. We need to keep the proper perspective. David, the commentator, says 
this is not the detachment of the Greek philosopher. My brethren, 
count it all joy. Joy in some schools of Greek 
philosophical thought was detachment, stoicism, being removed from 
a situation and therein having some sort of peace. He says it's 
not that, but the eschatological joy of those expecting the intervention 
of God at the end of the age. You see, some suggest that we 
as Christians have this pie-in-the-sky mentality, that we somehow stick 
our heads in the sand, we neglect the hardship and the pain and 
the suffering and the aching that goes on in this world, and 
we just look for that great cosmic event at the end of the age. 
Hopefully we don't have our heads stuck in the sand, but we ought 
to be looking for that great cosmic event at the end of the 
age. We have the hope of heaven, brethren, 
and that ought to promote in us zeal in this world, steadfastness 
in this world, testimony in this world, and joy in the midst of 
struggle, trial, and difficulty. James says it must be done. Now notice, fourthly and finally, 
the recognition of God's purpose in our trials. He says, my brethren, 
count it all joy when you fall into various trials. Then he 
highlights a particular virtue and then indicates its value. 
Notice verse 3, knowing that the testing of your faith produces 
patience. The word can be and probably 
is better translated as endurance. It's the same word we met in 
Hebrews 12. We run with endurance the race 
that is set before us. Patience here suggests a passivity. Endurance suggests a bravery. Endurance suggests a steadfastness. The word can also be interpreted 
or translated as perseverance. Knowing that the testing of your 
faith produces perseverance. It's just like a person that 
wants to build muscle. What do they do when they go 
into the gym? They rip the muscle apart so that what happens is 
that growth takes place in its wake. It's just like taking a 
metal and throwing it into the refining furnace. Why do you 
do that? So that the finished product is much better. We need 
to understand that God uses the trial in this particular fashion 
so that it will promote in us or produce in us endurance or 
perseverance. And note what James tells us 
in verse 3. You need to know this. You need 
to understand this. You need to be equipped in this. You need to read your Bible. 
You need to see how other saints have dealt. You need to understand 
the theology of suffering and trial, so that when it happens 
to you, you don't freak out. I mean, that is some people's 
response to trial and difficulty. They freak out. They just lose 
it. They panic. They rage against 
God. They say proverbs, like in Ezekiel 
18, it's because of our fathers that we reap all this sourness. 
Because of our fathers all the... No, no, no, no. You need to think 
biblically, righteously, and properly concerning these things. 
Manton says ignorance is the cause of sorrow. Ignorance. James says, knowing that these 
things transpire, Manton rightly affirms that ignorance is the 
cause of sorrow. Notice, knowing that the testing 
of your faith produces patience. Again, Manton, God's aim in your 
affliction is not destruction, but trial. As gold is put into 
the furnace to be refined, not consumed, See, God has a purpose 
in this. It would be nice if God could 
give us an airline ticket and fly us to the shores of Hawaii 
and have us sit down and have us drink beverages so that we 
could learn how to endure. But that's not how it is. How 
do military personnel train for battle? Do they go lay on the 
beach? Do they go swimming? Do they go play games? No. They 
train for battle through military exercise. How are we conformed 
under the image of Him who learned obedience through suffering? 
We are conformed by learning obedience through suffering, 
more often than not. And James' exhortation and command 
to us is to count it all joy when we fall into various trials. 
Again, not because our spines snap, but because our God is 
involved in our lives, He is sanctifying us, He is putting 
us through the fire, so that the finished product will be 
far more lovely than what He began with. And then note the 
value involved in verse 4, but let patience, or let endurance, 
or let perseverance have its perfect work, that you may be 
perfect and complete, lacking nothing. The presence of this 
endurance ultimately leads to perfection. Virtue begets virtue 
is what the Apostle says. This is what Paul says in the 
various places in his epistles. This is what Peter says in 2 
Peter chapter 1. Virtue begets virtue. This endurance, 
this patience leads to perfection. Now the perfection here is not 
perfectionism. You've heard of John Wesley. John Wesley taught a version 
of Christian perfection is up, meaning that a believer could 
be fully sanctified on this side of heaven. That is absolutely 
untrue, and that's not what James is suggesting. Notice, in James 
1.12, blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when 
he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which 
the Lord has promised to those who love him. James has an eschatological 
view in verse 12, so what he is suggesting in verse 4 is more 
likely something like completeness or maturity. The word is used 
for maturity or adulthood. in 1 Corinthians 14.20 and in 
Ephesians 4.13. How do we receive or how do we 
achieve adulthood in the Christian life? How do we mature? Yes, read your Bible. Yes, pray. Yes, go to church. Yes, read 
the Confession of Faith. Yes, read Burkha. There's an 
aspect of maturity involved in all that. But more often than 
not, we achieve maturity by going through the furnace of affliction. 
It's just the way it is. It doesn't do us any good to 
say, well, I don't like that. Well, it doesn't matter what you like. 
If Christ learned obedience through suffering, then the sons who 
have been called by grace are going to likewise learn obedience 
in the same manner. This perfection in view could 
possibly be blamelessness or having integrity. The marginal 
note for Genesis 6-9 where it describes Noah as being a perfect 
man. The margin reads that he was 
blameless or he had integrity. Deuteronomy 18, 13. They're commanded 
to be perfect. Again, the idea is blameless. 
It's having integrity. So note James' procession here. Count it joy when you fall into 
various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces 
patience, or endurance. And that endurance will have 
its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking 
nothing. The path to Christian maturity 
is through the veil of tears. And this is what our brother 
is telling us. Turn to Philippians 3, where 
you see Paul use this term in two separate ways, just so we 
don't come out Wesleyans. I don't want that to happen to 
you. You know the best proof that Wesleyan perfectionism isn't 
correct? It's your life. and my life. Best proof right there. Just 
go out and try to do something that's good. Just go try to love 
God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love 
your neighbor as yourself. It's probably not going to happen. 
So, John Wesley, at least in that doctrine, was wrong. Notice 
in Philippians 3.12, Not that I have already attained, or am 
already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that 
for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. You see, Paul 
realizes he's not perfected. Paul realizes he's still in this 
life. Paul realizes he hasn't reached 
that eschatological prize. But notice, he uses the same 
language to identify the fact that he's mature. Verse 15, Therefore 
let us, as many as are mature, have this mind. And if anything 
you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. So back 
to James chapter 1. What we are not told is that 
if we endure trial, we'll become Wesleyan perfectionists. If we 
endure trial, we will be without sin. That's not what's in view. 
When we, by God's grace, endure through these tests, that testing, 
or that endurance rather, yields the peaceable fruit of maturity. It yields the peaceable fruit 
of completion. It yields the peaceable fruit 
of conformity unto Jesus. Well, in conclusion, in the first 
place, the believer's preparation for trials. Hopefully you listen 
to sermons like these. I think if Christians listen 
to sermons not like these, but on this passage, let's say, and 
they get this in them, it will be very helpful. It will be most 
helpful for you to understand something about the nature of 
trial, the nature of affliction, the nature of Christian hardship. Manton said this, Christ's eye 
salve 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. I love 
this. This is an appeal to Samson. 
He says, 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. So 
the means by which you prepare is to be in passages like these, 
to be in the Scriptures, so that you'll realize that there are 
trials coming to the believer, and there is a strategy presented 
to us in the Word of God on how we are to deal. In the second 
place, the believer's disposition during trials. We are to count 
it all joy. That means we're not supposed 
to rage against God. We're not supposed to get angry 
with God. We're not supposed to yell at 
God. We're not supposed to kick and scream like a child at Walmart 
who doesn't get a lollipop. Sometimes you are not given the 
lollipop, and the response is not to be, I hate you, and I 
can't stand you, and you never give me anything good. Have you 
ever been at Walmart and seen one of those spectacles and it 
takes every ounce of grace in you not to go assist that parent 
in subduing their little one and bringing them under the sweet 
submission of God's rod? You see, sometimes believers 
act that way. I can't believe God is doing 
this in my life. I can't believe He's not giving 
me this in my life. I can't believe He's frustrating 
my pursuit for something good. Why is it that the Lord is always 
against me? James says no to that. Count it all joy when you fall 
into various trials. Don't count God as your enemy 
when you fall into various trials. Don't scream in His face. Don't raise your fist at Him. 
Don't imitate Israel in Ezekiel 18 and say, the way of Yahweh 
is not fair. Because if the way of Yahweh 
was fair, I'd have everything I wanted, but He only confounds 
me. No, count it all joy when you 
fall into various trials. Secondly, James tells us not 
to freak out. Panic never helps trial. Maybe 
you've heard the story. Growing up in Southern California, 
I heard it often because we'd go to the beach. and maybe it 
was just an urban legend that when lifeguards had to go out 
and save somebody, they'd give them a good whack and make them 
pass out so that they could then bring them back to shore. Well, 
what's the justification of the rationale? While the guy's flailing 
and flipping out in the water, the lifeguard can't get a good 
grip on him, and he certainly can't bring him back to the shore. 
So a nice pop in the face to put him out for a little while 
will help to bring him to the shore. Now, again, whether that's 
true or not, I don't know. But it made for good fare when 
I was a youngster. You see, sometimes believers, 
that happens to us. Trials come and we freak out. 
We may not rage at God, but we forget all our Bible and theology. 
We forget crucial texts like Psalm 46.10. We forget to be 
still and know that God is God. We forget to realize that our 
God is in the heavens. He does whatever He pleases. 
That my God is o'er my troubles and my difficulties. God moves 
in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform. So James tells us, 
count it all joy, not freak out, not panic, not lose it, but rather 
have that resolution, that steadiness, that calmness of heart. As well, 
James highlights that we need to count it all joy when various 
trials come. Will you do this? Will I do this? I'm going to preach this. Something's 
going to happen tomorrow. I'm going to whine and cry and 
moan and grumble and flail my arms and get all upset and panicky. 
We need to take this to heart. Again, listen to Manton. 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. You see, this is a rich storehouse, 
brethren. If you want the works of Manton, 
it's a big, big daddy set. But I think they sell the exposition 
of James on its own. But it's rich. It's wonderful. As well, we must endure trials 
during, or must endure during the trial so that God's purpose 
is realized in our lives. James assumes something. Count 
it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that 
the testing of your faith produces patience, or it produces endurance." 
What does James assume? That you're not going to freak 
out, you're not going to rage against God, but you're going 
to count it all joy. You see, there's an unspoken 
assumption by James. You're going to do what he says, 
and then these things will be true. You're going to do what 
he says, and then endurance will lead into maturity. But if you 
lose it, and you get mad at God, and you flail about as a swimmer 
in the ocean, then you're not going to know endurance, you're 
not going to know maturity, you're not going to know that Christian 
completion, or that blamelessness, or that integrity, or that loyalty 
that seems to be James' emphasis throughout his epistle. Something 
like showing spiritual integrity is what James is all about as 
he writes this particular letter. As well, we must consider the 
conduct of other saints who went through trials. This goes along 
with what we considered in Hebrews 12.1. Since we have so great 
a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and every 
sin that so easily entangles us, running with endurance the 
race that is set before us. Consider the lives of those brethren 
in Hebrews 11. Consider the life of King David 
of Israel. I mean, I don't know about you, 
but Wednesday night was heartbreaking. I mean, David is ousted by his 
son. That's terrible. David at a certain 
point, before the Bathsheba incident, is able to say, the Lord has 
delivered me out of all adversities. But even post-Bathsheba, post-Amnon, 
post-Tamar, post-Absalom, in 1 Kings 1, he's able to testify 
of the same thing. The Lord has delivered me from 
all adversity. Brethren, you and I need to listen 
to him. We need to fill our hearts with the Psalms. We need to fill 
our hearts with the stories of men like Horatio Spafford, that 
man who wrote 580, that hymn we just sang concerning, My sin, 
O the bliss of this glorious thought. He lost his family at 
sea. And yet, nevertheless, he writes 
hymns of praise to the living and the true God. I suspect that 
he understood James' admonition and he took it seriously. He 
counted it all joy when he fell in the various trials. And we 
must seek wisdom so that we can successfully navigate through 
the trials. And God willing, we'll focus 
on that next week when we come back to James. We ought to consider, 
as we close, the Savior who endured trials. I hope it never rises 
up in our hearts or upon our lips to say, you know, why is 
it that God seems to always be picking on me? Why is it that 
there's all these hardships and all these difficulties that befall 
me? What about the Savior? He learned obedience through 
suffering. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. We 
hid, as it were, our faces from Him. He came to His own. His own received Him not. I mean, 
He was in exile in the land of Palestine, because no one wanted 
Him. They despised Him, they rejected 
Him, they forsook Him, they ultimately crucified Him. So brethren, before 
the servant starts to lament the treatment that they received, 
look at the Master and see what He withstood at the hands of 
godless men, in obedience to His Father, and with a firm and 
steady resignation, went all the way to the cross. who for 
the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, 
and is sat down at the right hand of God on high. That's our 
hope. After this present world that 
is punctuated with trials, afflictions, and difficulties, we will sit 
at the right hand of God. Not because we've earned it, 
but because we are in union with the Savior. Well, let us pray. 
Our Father in Heaven, we thank You so much for Your Word, and 
we pray that You'd help us to take these things to heart. It 
is so counter to the way that we oftentimes respond to trials. 
We do panic, and we do get upset, and we pray that You would help 
us to be calm, help us to be still, help us to know that You 
are God, and You are working out Your purpose in our lives. 
And may we indeed count it all joy. May we be that bird who 
sings, not only in the spring, but in the winter as well. And 
may we give glory and praise and honor to you, and may we 
set forth a good testimony, a good witness to others who would see 
us in such a state. Go with us now and watch over 
us in this coming week and protect each and every one of your people 
here. And we pray these things through Christ our Lord. Amen.