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So what I like to do is take our time through this, and we've got another little series coming up here, aren't you? We're making some progress. We're kind of like, again, like the snail. We're moving like a snail, but we're going to soak up everything we can, right?
So that's the way I like to look at it. I said, Lord, every verse, verse by verse, verse by verse, we need to soak up everything we possibly can. But when we look at the whole context of what God is telling us through the Apostle James, and this is a new series that we're looking at how to endure under temptations, trials.
We'll be looking at the differences of those words later on, how we can love God under trials. We just looked at a series all the way from verses one, actually started in verse two, all the way to verse eleven, or should I say verse eight.
Ten, eleven, and twelve basically dealt with the rich and the poor in that perspective. But if you look at it in context, what is He saying in the whole? It's talking about trials. It's all about trials and how we're to look at these trials and how we're to face these trials and to undergo these trials.
And this series, like I said, we'll be looking at how to love God under these trials. That's what we need, right? We need, Lord, how can we? Well, verse twelve today will scratch the surface. I want to make this a two-parter on this one verse because as I was studying, I said, wow, as I was breaking it down, again, the Scriptures have so many veins to it.
And it takes us to so many places. And we'll be looking mainly at today the word blessed. And then later on, I like for us, Lord willing, next week, look a little bit more into endurance, that word perseverance.
You know, John Calvin did not invent the doctrine of perseverance for the saints, did he? I believe it started with the Lord Jesus Christ, the founder of the Christian church, the head of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ.
So we're going to talk about blessed endurance, from James chapter one, verse twelve. So go with me there, please, as we look at God's word. A wonderful verse, I'm just going to read one verse. One verse is our text today.
But as this whole part, it continues from verse twelve all the way to verse eighteen. Loving God under trials. And I've got more to say about this, but this will be an introduction message to everything I've got to say in this series.
I think it's very, very important as we look in the light of this one wonderful verse. Hear the word of the living God. The Apostle James, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says, blessed is the man who endures temptation, or trials.
For when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him. May God bless the reading of his word to our hearts. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we come to you now only looking to you and you alone.
Only trusting in you and you alone. And Lord, we trust in the blessed Holy Spirit to teach us and to guide us into all truth. Lord, man is not the teacher here. It is your Holy Spirit that is the real teacher.
So Father, we bless your holy name. We thank you for your blessed Holy Spirit in whom you have given us a guarantee, a pledge to our salvation and our inheritance to come. Father, we desire to sit at the feet of Jesus and to learn of him.
Lord, just not learning about him, but learn of him. To gain more of the knowledge of the truth, not just head knowledge and facts. Facts, that puffs up our head. But Father, it is the knowledge of your truth that brings us closer to you and an intimate relationship with you.
So Father, we desire to grow more mature in the faith. And we realize that trials that you bring by your providence grows us. It strengthens us. It matures us. So Father, we pray come closer to us this morning.
We pray as we desire to draw near to you. Our desire is to know you intimately and in the knowledge of the truth. We desire to know you more and more, deeper and deeper. So that we will love you more and more.
And Lord, ultimately obey you more and more. So Father, this morning we pray. Lord, come now in your blessed Holy Spirit. Through the sanctifying work of your word. As we look into your word. Grant today, your people.
As we open wide our mouths. Fill us with yourself. Fill us with your word. Fill us O Lord. That we will leave here saying. That it has been good to be here. And tasted and seen that the Lord is good. Father, we ask this in Jesus name.
Amen.
Well, like I mentioned. The next several weeks we will be studying this wonderful text. All the way from verse 12 through verse 18. It covers a great deal of ground, doesn't it? And there's a lot to be said.
Especially when it comes to temptation. Endurance. Or there's another word for endurance. It's called perseverance. Perseverance. We by no means want to rush it again. Through this. And because it's of such a great importance.
To glean from these verses. And soak up all the truth we possibly can.
So that it will develop us.
Strengthen us. Make us stronger in the faith. Strong in the grace of God. As a good soldier of Jesus Christ as Paul said to Timothy. Better to equip us. To better equip you and me. So that we as children of the living God would love God.
I don't know about you. As I was singing that wonderful song. My Jesus I love thee. I get convicted every time. I say Lord I just don't love you enough. The more I look into my own heart. I see things that needs to be removed.
And God knows how to remove it. And tear every idol down. But he wants us. And that's the sanctifying effect of God's word. Really is to make us see our sin. But also as Father Keith mentioned earlier.
There's a remedy for that sin. And of course that's the blood of Jesus Christ. That cleanses us from all sin. And as we continue to draw closer to him. We desire to love him more. And to obey him more.
And it is better to obey than to sacrifice. That's what scripture says. God desires this more. Even more than the sacrifice of lambs. But the lamb of God is the sacrifice he loves the most. So it's all through Jesus right.
Now we are to love God even through trials. So as to please the Lord by his grace. And I say by his grace. It's nothing of our works we can do to please him. As I mentioned earlier it is all by his grace.
And the text before us today is rich with great truth. It has a lot of truth to it. And as I was studying this I said wow. I'm going to have to break this up. And you know me. I'm going to break it up.
So we will try to get everything I possibly can. We can get everything we can. The text is deep. It's simple but there is a lot here. It speaks to us in a promise. This is a promise from the Lord to us.
Through the pen of James the apostle. A promise from our great God to those who love him. It's to God's people. And that's who the Bible writes to.
Right?
To God's people. And really if you look at it according to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians. It's only those who have been born again regenerate that can understand the things of God. The spiritual. The natural man does not receive the things of God.
He does not understand them. For why? Their foolishness unto him. But here we have a promise. And it's to those who love God. And to those who love God are God's people. And God's people are the ones that will endure to the end and persevere to the end.
And to the end life's journey. No matter what comes their way. And how difficult the trials are. And they will be faithful to the end. Now God's people and his brothers and sisters in Christ. As we continue we have to keep our eyes on Jesus.
Because it is unto him we are witnessing. Remember a lot of people don't see this in Acts 1 verse 8. The promise of the Spirit of God. Jesus says you shall receive power.
Dunamis.
After that the Holy Ghost has come upon you. And you shall be witnesses. Unto men?
No.
Unto me. Now let's don't miss that. Because our witness is ultimately unto Jesus.
Our ultimate accountability is unto God. Now I do believe in accountability. And brother Keith I really appreciate he puts my feet to the fire on this. But we are accountable to one another. And brother Ben and myself and brothers.
And I'm sure you sisters do the same. But we want to be accountable to one another. And that's extremely important. And I think in that visible context we need that accountability. But our invisible king.
What did Peter say? Loving him. We love him whom we have not seen. So we keep in mind before the face of God by faith that God sees everything. And of course he knows all of our thoughts. And you start thinking about it.
And I say whoa. I need my thought process clean. I need my heart clean. I need to be clean, clean, clean. And a lot of times we get dirty, dirty, dirty. So what do we do? We've got to go to the Word and let the Word sanctify us.
And let the Word cleanse us. So we need to be faithful to the end.
And these verses teaches us how and encourages us how to be faithful to the end and how to endure to the end. Now let me say this as a footnote. Verse 12, and we're going to look at verse 12, why verse 12 is right in the place it's in.
It's by God's providence. God does not desire to see his people slip up, trip up, fall into ditches, and defect. He desires to see each and every one of his people, each and every one of you here today, as brothers and sisters in Christ, including myself, to make it across the finish line.
Now before we really dive into this beautiful promise of truth, I would like to bring your attention to this. I personally was looking into this, and I did not get this from a commentary. This is Pastor David, okay?
And I was telling my daughter this, and she said, Dad, that's good. You share that. And I said, well, okay, I don't know what it's worth, but I'll give you my personal thoughts. And this is Pastor David's commentary.
Now there's no book on Pastor David's commentary out there. This is just my heart, and it wouldn't be worth two cents as far as I'm concerned if it was out there. I really mean that, because I really cherish these great Puritans, and compared to a Puritan, I'm an infant, okay?
You know what I mean when you read the Puritans. You feel like an infant, a child before these mature giants. But as I was studying this, let me give you some thoughts that came to my mind, and I want to share it with you, that will profit us and our souls in this study.
It is the placement of this verse. I was noticing the placement of this verse that, and I really believe it's by the Holy Spirit of God through the writing of James that has put this wonderful promise right in its place, verse 12.
Verse 12, numerically, and I like to say verse 12, you know, originally they didn't have chapters and verses. They broke these things up so that it would help us in our studies. But there was one flow of Scripture.
It was just a constant flow of verses. So, but let's take it numerically, okay? Verse 12, it's there providentially by God's Holy Spirit. I like to put it sandwiched right in the middle of this chapter in a beautiful way.
And why I say that, it's a promise. There's a promise that God puts right there in the middle of this chapter. And we could profit from through our trials, loving God under trials. And also at the end of this, it's broken up.
Now notice this, verses 2 through 8, James is talking about what? Profiting from our trials. Then he moves in verses 9 to 12, he speaks of the perspective of the rich and poor. Then verse 12 through verse 18, if your Bible divides it up as mine does, loving God under trials.
Then starting in verse 19, notice this. Verse 19 to verse 20, qualities needed in trials. Notice the divide. Then all the way from verse 22 to the end of the chapter, verse 27, he basically gives application to it, doesn't he?
He says we are to be doers, not only hearers of the Word. Now as it divides up, and as I was looking at this, there's no accidental thing that's going on here. To drive home his point, he gives us in the entire chapter, he puts this promise right here in the middle.
And I'm thinking, wow, this is good. As I was thinking about this and studying it, why is verse 12, this promise here? Well, there's different reasons, and I'm going to give you a personal reason here, for what it's worth.
But it's packed full of hard truth. Now, don't you think of it. Everything that James says, if you read James, I get so convicted. These are hard truths. They are tough. But in the midst of hard truths, God comes graciously with a promise to encourage us.
Blessed truth. Don't you love how the Lord always does that? Now I want you to think for a second, and I don't have this in my notes or anything. Right before Peter was to deny himself, Jesus warned him.
He was boasting in his pride. He said, oh no, Lord, I'll never deny you. Then Jesus says, before the cock crows three times, thrice, you will deny me. But right there, that's at the end of John 13. Jesus has given all these promises, and then right when he warns and tells Peter that he's going to do this, right in John 14, he says, let not your heart be troubled.
Who's he saying this to? To the disciples.
But it's right at the point where he just told Peter, you're going to deny me, thrice. Isn't that interesting? You know, we know John 14 .1, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you so. Well, right before Jesus says that promise, he warns Peter, and he tells him,.
You're going to deny me.
There's a reason. That's the master, isn't it? He tells the hard truth, but he didn't want Peter to despair. Just like another time, he says, you know, Satan has desired you to sip you like wheat. But, don't you love that?
I prayed for you.
Why?
That your faith would not fail. Isn't that the Lord? See, he gives hard truth, but he comes back and encourages us with a promise. You can guarantee God will keep his promise. Now, that's what we've got to see in verse 12 here.
And I like for us to think of that in verse 12, that this is a great blessed promise that gives to us and encourages us so that we may persevere, endure to the end, to give the Christian, you and me, brothers and sisters in Christ, a lot of hope under trials, a great hope under trials, and a promise to hold on to.
A promise not only to hold on to in this life, but a promise to look forward to in eternal life to come. Now, we're going to look at this also, and that's why I'm saying we're going to have to break this up in two parts because different commentators have looked at this eternal life, and the promise, is the promise for now, or is it the promise to come?
We'll look at it.
Now, think of it also, God desires for his children to make it across the finish line. He desires us to be victorious, right? Not defeated Christians, but victors. And why? We're only victors and victorious only because Christ was victorious.
It's not something we've done. The only thing we are to do is to lay hold by faith and love him and obey him. He takes us across the finish line. He carries us. But at the same time, Paul says you must continue in the faith.
Doesn't he say that? Jesus said that, you must continue in my word, and we'll look at that later too. But to love him, Jesus says you will continue in my word. You will obey my word. So we're going to look at that.
So we're more than conquerors, as the Apostle Paul said in Romans 8, because Christ has loved us, and also in 1 John, as we were singing about, we love him because he first loved us. Any love that we have from God comes from above.
We're going to look at that too. James actually talks about that. Every good and perfect gift comes where? From above, from God. So we look at that. So we love him only because he first loved us. Now that love is not a sentimental love, right?
It is an agape love.
Agape.
And actually, when we say love, the old King James, I really like that translation better because it says charity. You know, people, you say love today, their mind goes in all kinds of directions. But when God talks about God's kind of love,.
It's charity.
I like that because it is the agape love of God that is never-ending. Because God is love, and that is his nature, is to love. Now a lot of people think it means he will like me and love me no matter what I do.
Look, Scripture also says that God's angry with the wicked every day. God hates sin with a passion that we do not understand. Because we fall in that category as sinners, but we're sinners here saved by grace, right?
And we understand that. But God is angry with the sinner, with the wicked, every day. I like what John MacArthur says. A lot of pastors put this on their church bulletin boards. He said, try that one.
Put that one on your church board and see what happens. Okay, now he's right. So God's love is everlasting. So God has shed his love in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has given his love in regeneration.
It's not something we've just thought of. It's not something we've reached out and somehow, okay, we made it happen. No, God has brought it to us by irresistible grace. He's given it as a gift of faith.
That's come by God. That's why it's all God's work. It's his work, right? So we receive it by trusting and faith in him. And that's a gift. That's a blessed gift, isn't it? Trusting God and faith and believing.
Who can even try to trust God in their own strength? We can't. It takes God. It takes God to do it through his Holy Spirit. Now, again, like I said, in these verses, notice verse 17.
I mentioned it.
Every good gift comes where? From above. From above. And it comes down from the Father of lights. And we'll see where James has taken us in that later on. So all good gifts is from God above. It comes down to us for his glory.
And it's not for our glory. Because God is the one of worthy glory and honor and power and strength. But notice in verse 12. It's placed right there. After one profits from trials. And then before one loves God under trials.
It's sandwiched right there. I've never noticed that before as I was studying this. And I said, wow, that is great. A great verse. And it's filled with a great promise. Who persevere and endures to the end faithfully.
So we're going to look at that. So as we continue to follow Jesus, love Jesus, obey Jesus, continue in his word, to continue in prayer, to continue to persevere, and ultimately victorious by his good grace, we'll give him the glory and honor.
So there. I personally love where the Holy Spirit has placed this wonderful verse. And it's for us to profit from. There's really a two-fold blessing we can look at in this. And at the end, like I said, of the profiting from the trials, and at the beginning of loving God under the trials.
Now some people feel like this is a crowning verse of everything he has said up until verse 11. It's like he crowns it right here. He tops it off. But you can look at it. It is a beginning verse to encourage you to love God under trials.
You see what I'm saying? It's where it's placed. We can look at it either or. So it is really loving God under these trials. It's God's goodness of our God, and it's God's goodness that leads us to repentance.
It makes me think also, have you ever thought of this? Look at Genesis 3, verse 15. It is the great promise. What is God doing? God gives the good news to man, to Adam, to mankind, and to the woman, before he pronounces the curse.
God gives the good news. Paul does this also in Romans 1, in verses 16 and 17. For I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for in it the righteousness of God is revealed, from faith to faith, the just shall live by faith.
You know the verse. So the good news is pronounced before he gives the bad news. I like to look at verse 12 in chapter 1 of James. That's what he's doing. He's giving us an encouraging verse to lay hold of before we go into noticing what the rest of it says.
Verse 13, let no one say when he's tempted, I'm tempted by God. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone. Verse 14, but each one, God's not responsible, each one is, is tempted when he's drawn away by his own desires.
Notice this, enticed, then something happens. When desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. And sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. Now I don't know about you, that's bad news. That's pretty bad.
It's devastating. And what's the wages of sin?
Death.
But notice what he does in verse 12. Blessed is the man who endures temptation. He endures trials, he perseveres. For when he has been approved, he passes the test. That's what approved means. You pass the test?
You're not given in to the temptations? What are you going to get? A crown of life waits for you. Because the Lord has promised that to those who love him. You see what he's saying? Look at the context.
I never saw that before. I said, wow, I would like to see this verse sandwiched in, yes, as a crowning verse of everything he said before, but it's also a beginning verse of a promise of everything he's about to say.
So you see what I'm saying? I saw that and I said, I wanted to shout. I said, this is great. What a glorious thing. Well, I personally don't have an outline, but I am going to share the late Charles Virgin's outline on this.
I can't believe he usually didn't preach from notes, but there was notes that he had on this text. I'm going to share them with you. So please forgive me. Pastor David does not have an outline. I couldn't come up with one.
Brother Keith knows what I'm talking about.
You struggle with that.
I said, I'm going to just preach from blessed. Okay?
That word blessed.
That's what we're going to look at today. But I'm going to, yes, that's a great word, isn't it, Brother Keith? So we're going to look at, to the remainder of this time,.
The word blessed,.
But I'll share with you also Brother Charles Virgin's great outline. His outline is far exceeds anything I can come up with any time. What's this word blessed mean? It begins. Notice what the verse begins.
Blessed.
See that?
It's great.
Macarius. Macarius.
Did I say that right?
Macarius. Macarius. Macarius. It's the same word that is used in the Beatitudes. It's the same word in Matthew chapter 5 as our Lord's Sermon on the Mount. He begins those Beatitudes.
Blessed. Blessed. Blessed.
As a role of a prophet. He's not giving curses, is he? He's giving blessing.
Blessed. Blessed.
What a blessing.
And that is the same word here that James uses. Macarius. Macarius. Thus making this verse itself a beatitude. John MacArthur in his commentary says this. The word blessed means, and I like his definition, much more than mere happiness of a carefree life that has little conflict or trouble.
It rather carries the idea of profound inner joy and satisfaction. A joy that only the Lord Himself is able to bestow on those who, for His sake and in His power, faithfully and patiently endure and conquer trials.
I love that definition. And if you notice, James is a parallel book to Peter. 1 Peter. Peter says the same thing. 1 Peter 1, verses 6 and 7. He parallels this verse with saying this. And this, he's talking about trials,.
And this,.
Greatly rejoice. Greatly rejoice. That's exactly what blessed means. You greatly rejoice. Even though now, for a little while,.
I love that, don't you?
A little while, because it's only for a season. If necessary, you have been distressed by various trials so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to the result and praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
There you have it. Now, I've got a question. Who but God could bring blessing out of trials? Who but God could bring blessing out of trials? Only God can. When you are in the next trial, remember that it is a blessing if we persevere.
That's where we've got to go. We persevere day by day, keeping our eyes on Jesus Christ and Him alone, on His cross. That's how we endure to the end. That's what Hebrews 12, verse 1 and 2 says. It's a great promise.
I know Ms. Lillian knows what we're talking about. She's been through some trials. You keep your eyes on Jesus. He endured it. He endured everything on the cross. How do we endure? We keep our eyes on Jesus.
And I don't know about you. Any trial that we have, no matter how bad it is, and this is how the saints of old and the martyrs of old were burned to the stake, and people who went through painful affliction, how they took it all the way to the end.
They had their eyes singly on the cross of Jesus Christ. That makes me want to shout because it's glorious. And then in comparison of what we're going through, it's nothing compared to what He went through.
I'm telling you. That's what humbles me. And I know it brings humility to you as well. So when we're in the next trial, remember that it's a blessing always to persevere. God has a blessing in store. And don't try to persevere in your own strength.
You know this.
Because it's not going to happen.
It's God that's going to carry you through these hardships and these trials. But if we lean on those everlasting arms, He's going to carry you through because He has the power to do it by His Holy Spirit, by His grace.
Well, actually, He will carry us all the way to the end, won't He? All the way to the very end. But we must continue. There is a part, and we're not talking about salvation now, cooperating with God. God does it all.
But I'm talking about sanctification.
Sanctification, there is a continuing, there is a work in which we do. In order to be sanctified, we have to go into the Word, we have to pray, we have to discipline our body in order for God to do the sanctifying.
That's why Scripture says, Sanctify yourselves this day as the Lord has commanded you.
See?
God says, you sanctify, you set apart yourself.
And by the way,.
There's a two-fold sanctification. Sanctification basically means to be set apart. That's it. In definition.
You've got these people out there.
And these so-called theologians telling you about six to ten views of sanctification.
Just look.
Just set it aside. It means set apart. Set apart for God. For God to cleanse you. For God to work in you. For God to work through you. It's like vessels. God sets aside vessels, holy vessels, to be used for His service.
And that means it must be clean, it must be pure. And that's what sanctification means. He sets it apart. He set you and me apart for Him to be used for His glory. Isn't that a great thing? Some commentators on this verse think this verse is really a solitary disconnect.
I don't agree with that. I think there is a placing for this verse. There's a commentator and he says this. And I agree with what he says here. He said this verse crowns the whole discussion. His name is Heibert.
This verse crowns the whole discussion with the promise of reward in the future life. I agree with that. Because everything he said before, that could be a crowning verse. He goes on to say this. The teaching in James 1 -2, which says, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing, verse 3, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
So to count these trials as joy is here completed with the assurance, this is what the commentator says, concerning the ultimate effect of trials bravely endured.
Yes, that is good.
It assures a blessedness both here and hereafter. And I will amen that all the way. It is here where the blessing can be. But there's a greater blessing in store for us on the other side. It's here and now.
Therefore it's better, and he says this, to conclude the paragraph with James 1 -12, crown it in other words, and make it a separate paragraph of it. So I could go along with that. But also it can be a great verse to start one off at the same time of loving God under trials.
You see what I'm saying? So it is good for profiting from trials and then loving God under the trials. Well, let's look at this word blessed a little bit more. As I was looking at this, there's no verb in the word is.
Blessed is in the Greek. So it really would literally read blessed the man. Take away the is. The verb is left out in the Greek. So blessed the man. Blessed the man. Similar to the Beatitudes of Jesus.
When Jesus was talking about blessed, the translation we have blessed is the poor in spirit.
Is.
Goes on. The peacemaker. The pure in heart.
He is.
But originally the is is taken out. The verb is taken out. You could say blessed the man. Blessed is the poor in spirit.
Doesn't it get right to it? It's like the Lord says, you could take away that is. Now the is can have its place as a verb. But it carries much more of a deeper meaning, doesn't it?
When you say blessed the poor in spirit.
Blessed the pure in heart.
It's great. It's rich.
Well, go a little further. The word mecharis also means possessing. Here's another definition. I like MacArthur's definition though. Possessing the favor of God. Experiencing spiritual prosperity. And notice what I said there.
Spiritual prosperity, not physical. You hear a lot of people bring about their... Oh, God wants you to have all these physical prosperous things. Well, God can bless us with those things. We looked at that last week.
But you know something? It's really in context when it talks about blessings. It's spiritual, in the spiritual context. You're rich in faith. You're rich in the things of God. If you have Christ, you have everything.
So it describes a state of being marked by the fullness of God. That's what it means here, to the context. And so what Jesus is saying in the Beatitudes is be spiritually prosperous. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
So the poor in spirit is blessed prosperly, in that sense. And some commentators like... There was another commentator by the name of Wiest. Wiest picked up this definition saying this, and I quote him.
Spiritually prosperous are the destitute and helpless in the realm of the spirit.
That's good.
So James, what's he saying? Blessed the man who endures temptation or perseveres under trials. Under trials. Not blessed is the one who never tried, right? The one that's never tried is the one that will be tried by fire.
Be sure there's an element of this blessing which is experienced in this present life. I can guarantee it. Well, Paul says to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4, verse 8. For bodily exercise profits a little. Great verse, isn't it?
But, there it is. But godliness is profitable for some things? No, for all things. Get that. Yeah, bodily exercise has a little profit. But godliness is profitable for all things. Emphasize the word all.
So, having promise of this life that now is, he goes on to say. And that which is to come. Notice what Paul says. That now is. And is to come. That's exactly what James is talking about. It's now, present, but it's also to come.
So like what Paul says here, having promise of the life that now is, which is to come, the bulk of it, of the blessing, in verse 12 of James 1, looks at the blessing now, and toward the future life in Jesus Christ.
I believe that's what the Lord has in store for us. Because the kingdom of God is now within you, see. It is present, but it's yet to come. The Puritans taught this. It is here now, but it's yet to be.
See, it is here, presently, by faith, but the full promise will be received in eternity, see. So, that's the way I believe in context it is to be looked at. So we are to trust our loving Savior, our sovereign God, to use these trials while we're going through, as we faithfully grow, as we're tested now, and a source of a reward in the future.
Warren Wiersbe put it this way. James started in chapter 1, verse 2, and ended with joy. The outlook, he says, determines the outcome. The beatitude is a great encouragement because it promises a crown to those who patiently endure trials.
And then he says this. Paul often used athletic illustrations in his letters, and James does here as well. He is not saying that a sinner is saved by enduring trials. He is saying that the believer is rewarded by enduring the trials.
You see, there's a difference, end quote. Now, C .H. Spurgeon, in his sermon notes, and I'm going to give you his sermon notes right here, in James chapter 1, verse 12, called The Tried Man, The Blessed Man.
This is a sermon he preached. And by the way, I'm just going to give you the highlights here because if I were to give you the whole sermon, I'm sure it's out there somewhere. We would be here for about two hours, brothers and sisters.
So he called it this in his sermon. The Tried Man, The Blessed Man has to say about blessed, and he gives us the outline. And if you're writing this down, here's an outline for you. And this is Spurgeon now.
This is not Pastor David. The blessed in this life. The blessed in this life is under one. And then he says, A, the blessed is not, in our text, connected with ease, freedom from trial, or absence of temptation.
Untested treasures may be worthless, not so those which have endured the fire. No man may reckon himself blessed if he has to fear that a trial would wither all of his excellence. Isn't that good? B, blessedness belongs to those who endure test.
That endure test. Spurgeon goes on to say, These have faith or it would not be tried. Faith is blessed. These have life which bears trials. The spiritual life is blessed. These possess uprightness, purity, truth, patience.
All these are blessed things. Then C, blessedness belongs to those who endure trials out of love to God. Out of love to God. Don't you love Spurgeon's outline? The text speaks of them that love him. He that has love to God finds joy in that love, and he also finds blessedness in suffering for that love.
Next, D, blessedness belongs to those who are proved by trial. Proved by trial. After the test, Spurgeon says, comes assurance of being right. Certainly it is a most precious commodity. And then next, fifth, or E, blessedness comes out of a patient experience.
A patient experience. Blessedness of thankfulness for being sustained. I love this. Blessedness of a holy dependence under conscience. Weakness. Blessedness of peace and submission under God's hand. Blessedness of familiarity, except I can't twist my tongue good enough on that, so excuse me.
With God enjoyed in the affliction. Blessedness of growth in grace through the trial. And then he says, he who being tested is supported in the ordeal and comes out of the trial approved is the blessed man.
Notice how he just constantly says,.
Blessed, blessed, blessed.
Blessedness. There is such a blessing in serving and loving God under trials. That's the first. The second category he has, the blessed in the life to come. Notice what he said, the blessed in this life, then he says, the blessed in the life to come.
He says this, those who have endured trial inherit the peculiar blessedness. One, of being crowned. How crowned if never in the wars. How crowned if never in the wars. There must be a war. Crowned because victorious over enemies.
Crowned because appreciated by their God. Crowned because honored of their fellows. Crowned because they have kept the conditions of the award. See, notice he's talking about sanctification there. Second, he says, of attaining the glory and the crown of life by enduring trial, thus only can life be developed till its flower and crown appear.
By trial brought to the purest health of mind, but trial trained to utmost vigor of grace. By trial developed in every part of their nature. By trial made capable of the highest glory of eternity. Third, of possessing a living crown of endless joy, a crown of life, or living crown, he says, unfading.
If such fierce trials do not kill them, nothing will. If they have some spiritual bliss, have a spiritual bliss, it can never die. If they have heavenly life, it will always be at its crowning point. Fourth, of receiving this lift crown, he calls it a lift crown, from God, his own promise reveals and displays it, his peculiar regard to those who love him doubly ensues it.
His own hand shall give it. Let us encounter trial cheerfully. Let us wait for the time of approval patiently. And let us expect the crown of life most joyfully and gather courage from the assurance of it.
End of Spurgeon's notes. Now that's the highlights of his sermon. James 1 .12. Let me give some application. So let's look at it real quickly. What is he saying? What does it mean? I don't know about you.
I want to hear a preacher give me the meaning of that text in every way you can so I can take this thing home with me. So I can live this thing out. The meaning of the text is this. James echoes the thought that's begun in verse 2.
Verse 2 says, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. James echoes that verse where he calls on believers, or called on believers, I should say, to categorize hard times or persecutions, afflictions, hardships, however you want to call it, trials as joy, joyful unto the Lord.
That's why he says rejoice.
Rejoice.
And again, I say rejoice. Why? Why? Well, we've got to put a why there, right? Well, there's a good why. Because our faith only grows stronger when it is tested by trials. There's no other way for faith to be strengthened unless we go through trials.
That's how God strengthens us. This is what the text means. Trusting God through our trials, it drives us, I like to say, to God closer, doesn't it? I really believe this. God allows trials in our lives.
He ordains them because He desires us to be close to Him. He desires to conform us unto the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. He desires us to be more like His Son.
You see that?
More and more deeply, closer and closer to Him in greater endurance. So that choice to keep trusting God, God helps us in His grace, but there is a choice in this because there is a sanctifying element.
And the midst of these trials brings a blessing. Our circumstances may be hard externally, but it really shows what you're made of internally. You see, it shows you what's inside you, how you react to it.
Haven't you ever heard that? It's not when you go through it, but it's the way I react to it. How do I handle this? But we have God's approval, right? If God be for us, who could be against us? And His approval is all that really matters, beloved.
It's not man's approval. I don't want man's approval. I don't want man's praise. I want God's approval. I want God to say, and I want the Lord Jesus to say, and I don't know about you, when we arrive at the end of the journey, no matter what you've gone through, He can say to you, well done, good and faithful servant.
Enter into the joy of the Lord. So it's God's approval that matters, and that's all that really matters. God is on the side of His people, those who trust Him through the trials and the most difficult times of life.
Those who maintain or continue in Him are kept by the power of God. During hardships, the crown is given to those. Bible scholars are divided on exactly what James means in this, but it's talking about eternal life.
What's it referring to? When is the eternal life? I touched on it just a minute ago, but is the eternal life promised to all Christians by definition who love God?
Yes.
Is it here and now? It is the here and now, but it is the afterward as well. It's given in the context of Scripture that the eternal life is not hinged on our works of faithfulness necessarily, right?
Because our eternal life is based upon what? What He did for us. What Christ purchased for us at the cross. Why have we known this? Titus 3, 5. Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy, God's compassion, see?
He saved us. That's what you're saved by. We're saved by God's mercy and from God's wrath. So it is God that saves us from God. That's what Sproul said. Through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus our Savior.
Verse 7 in that verse, I need to go on a little further. That having been justified by His grace, we should become heirs according to what? The hope of eternal life is to come, see. The hope of eternal life.
So more likely explanation is that the crown of life, in the same sense that other crowns of gold, in this case, the reward for perseverance is afterwards. That will be given to us when we do and are, I should say, when we do arrive in glory and are perfected in glory.
Well, that is the reward James is speaking of. And it also may be more abundant life here and now because that would match what Jesus says right in John 10. He says this, what the thief does not come except to steal, kill, and destroy.
Jesus says, I have come that they may have... That means that they there is His sheep. His sheep may have life and have it more abundantly. See, it is the here and now, but it is later on as well. There are other scholars, by the way, that would suggest that this mysterious crown is an additional reward given in eternity for the faithful Christians who perseveres, endures to the very end, trusting God even through the trials instead of turning away and defecting from the truth.
Well, the faithful God that calls us is the one that keeps us, right? Just read John 10. God keeps His sheep all the way to the end. If there is defection, it shows that there never were His sheep in the first place.
I don't know about you,.
But when I hear that, I want to keep persevering. I want to say, Lord, put it within me to make it to the end and everything by all the means of grace, I want to lay hold of eternal life and not let go.
Well, even there are times when we do become weak and we do let go, God will restore us, right? And we're kept by the power of God to the end. So there will be no defection to God's sheep. See, His elect make it.
His elect, His sheep, love God to the end. That's Scripture. You're in the palm of Jesus' hand. Then Jesus says, you're not only in the palm of My hand, you're in the palm of the Father's hand. That's John 10.
Thus, to obey God to the end. Even in the most difficult hardships, in the most difficult times, according to this interpretation, He will reward them with a specific crown. Very similar language is used by the Apostle John in the book of Revelation.
When Jesus says, faithful, He has a crown of life to those who are, what? Faithful unto death. That is Revelation 2 .10. Faithful unto death. I want you to keep thinking of that. Faithful unto death. Faithful unto death.
Faithful unto death is the crown of life given to them. Paul and Peter also write about these crowns, and we don't have time to go there, but given to them faithful Christians in 1 Corinthians 9, chapter 9, verse 24 through 27, 1 Peter 5 .4, and 2 Timothy 4 .8.
All of those talks about a crown of life, a crown of glory. The crown!
And you know,.
I don't know about you, if the Lord gives me a crown, I want to cast that crown at His feet because it's all about Him. It's not about us. And we will give Him glory. And that's what God's people will do.
So in any case, this verse makes the connection between our love for God and our ability to remain faithful to the very end. And we'll close with this. Those who truly love God, trust God. And those who truly trust Him continue to obey when life gets hard.
When it gets hard, and the harder it gets, I don't know about you, I throw my hands up and I fall on my face,.
And I say,.
God, You've got to have this. You've got me in the palm of Your hand. Lord, it's Yours. You are the sovereign God. You have all power. You have all wisdom. You know what You're doing. I don't know. But Lord, You've got me.
And I throw myself at His feet. There are many promises here, Romans 8, 28. What does it say? We know that, and we know that, all things work together for the good.
To those who love God.
And to the called according to His purpose. The called is His elect.
It's His sheep.
They're going to make it. That's good news, isn't it? We're going to make it, brother. Our old Charles Greenaway always said that. And he was an Armenian. And he understood a little bit he was Armenian,.
But I think down deep.
He was a Calvinist.
Because he made it. He always got...
Now, you talk about a preacher that would preach three hours,.
He'd do it.
Alabama boy. He's with the Lord now. He was a wonderful missionary.
Brother Keith,.
He's the one that said somebody pray for him in the elevator.
He said,.
We're praying right now. Elevator opened up. He was on his knees praying for that person. I always remember when he got behind the pulpit,.
We're going to make it.
Children of God,.
We are going to make it. And I like that. Well, let me close with this verse. Turn with me to John, chapter 14. You might know where I'm going with this. But this is a wonderful verse. I shared this with brother Keith a while back ago.
And this is a wonderful verse to conclude this message with. It's one of the greatest proof that you have as a child of God is your love for God. Love for God. Is it chapter 15? Oh, yeah, it's 14.
Yes, yes.
Yes, verse 15. And Jesus begins by saying this. Notice what he says. If you love me, keep my commandments. He gets right to it. If you love me,.
Obey me.
In other words,.
You keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father. Notice, he encourages his disciples. He will pray to the Father. And he will give you another comforter, a helper, that he may abide with you forever.
And what I love about that verse, let me say right here. He's basically saying you're not alone. I'm going to give you some help to make it across the finish line, to persevere to the end. And then he says in verse 17, the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, take note of that, because it neither sees him nor knows him, but you know him.
Why? Because you've been regenerate. For he dwells with you and will be in you. He's with you and in you. And notice in verse 18, I will not leave you orphans. You're not alone. I will come to you. That's a promise.
Now, I can preach right there another sermon. But we're not going to do that right now. But notice what he says in verse 19. A little while longer and the world will see me no more, but you will see me.
Because I live, you will live also. In other words, if you're united with him, in his death, you will be united with him in the resurrection. That's what he's talking about. At that day, you will know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you.
What a unity!
There's a great unity. As I and the Father are one, you and I, and then you will be with me and the Father. It's a family. It's a united. But he leads to something here. Now, what he's saying, listen to this, verse 21.
He who has my commandments and keeps them, underscore keeps, he keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father. And I will love him and manifest myself to him. Now, another word for manifest is reveal.
I will reveal myself to him. Now, right there, his disciples listening to him, there's a man by the name of Judas, not Iscariot, in verse 22. He got Judas' attention by when Jesus says, I will manifest myself to you.
I will reveal myself to you. And then Jesus says,.
Lord...
I'm sorry. He asked a question. Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world? That's a great question. That's an awesome question. Yes, he just told him. He just spoke it to him.
And it's like he missed it. But then Jesus answered and said to him, and I love Jesus' answer right here because it gets right down to whether we love the Lord or not. And here it is. If anyone loves me, Jesus is basically repeating himself, but he's getting down a little closer.
He will keep my word. Notice that. He keeps my word. There's a lot in that word keep. I don't have time to go there, but think of this. And then Jesus says tenderly and lovingly and powerfully to him, and my Father will love him.
In other words, I and the Father are one. My Father will love him. Isn't it great to be loved by God? Listen to this. And we, notice we, will come to him and make our home with him. That's great. Verse 24.
And here it is, beloved. I'm going to leave you with this. He who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me.
Wow.
Doesn't Jesus know how to drive at home? MacArthur says here, once again, Jesus emphasized the need for habitual practice of obedience to his commands as evidence of the believer's love for him and the Father.
This is consistent with the teaching of James 2, 14 through 26. And true saving faith is manifest by works produced by God in the transforming, regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. Those works are expressions of the love which the Spirit pours into the believer's heart.
There you have it. Our love is expressed by our obedience. When we obey the Lord, when we keep His words. That's what he's talking about. It's all about our obedience. And James talks about this later on.
How can one... He talks about working out your salvation. Paul says that. I'm sorry. Working out your salvation for fear and tremor. But John also says this. What does he say? Don't tell me about your love for God.
Just you say it. You show me it.
You show it to me.
How can you love God whom you have not seen when you can't love your neighbor whom you have seen?
Your brother.
That's expressed. Jesus talked more about that with the Good Samaritan. Loving your neighbor. It's all fulfilled right there. That's fulfilling of the law. Well, let's pray. Father, we thank You for this time together.
Lord, we bless Your name. Lord, help us to obey You more and more. If ever we love You, Lord, let us love You now. Let us go through day by day in application, Lord, in taking this and remembering these words, these all-important words of the Lord Jesus,.
Your Son.
And Father, You said You'd love us. Love us if we keep Your words. The Father will love us if we keep His words and endure to the very end. Oh, we know we're loved by You everlasting. But Lord, it's a great love that endures all the way to the very end.
And Lord, as You said, You will make Your home with us. Help us pay attention, Lord, to what that word says. You love me or love me not. If we love You, we keep Your words. We obey and You keep Your commandments.
Keeps them, keeps them to the very end. To the very end. It sounds so simple, but Lord, this is everything in following the Lord Jesus. So may our obedience prove that we do have genuine faith in our obedience and our love toward You.
And we will give You the glory and the praise. In Jesus' name, Amen.