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This is East from West, discovering God's amazing grace through the teaching of his word. Monday through Friday, we offer a half hour Bible teaching each day. Find out more about our ministry by visiting eastfromwest .org.
Now here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe.
Thank you, Becky, and welcome once again as we continue our study of the book of James. Open your Bible with me to James chapter one. Yesterday, we read the whole chapter, all 27 verses. We won't go that far again today, but at least here at the start, covering the section that we will be looking at, James chapter one, verses one through eight.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes in the dispersion, greetings. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all of his ways. James, introducing himself at the start of the letter, but very vague as to which James we're talking about.
So we looked at various scriptures yesterday so that we might understand this is James, the half-brother of Jesus. Mentioned in Matthew 13, 55, Mark 6, 3, Galatians 1, 19, where the apostle Paul specifically refers to him as James, the Lord's brother.
There simply was no question that Jesus had siblings. Roman Catholic doctrine would teach you that Mary was a virgin even after Jesus was born. She never knew Joseph, her husband, and never had any other children.
But when you understand the text, you see that that was simply not the case. Jesus's siblings are mentioned by name there in Matthew 13, 55. We also know that Jesus's siblings didn't think very highly of him, at least before his crucifixion and his resurrection.
In Mark 3, where it talks about Jesus appointing his disciples, teaching the crowds, doing miracles, his siblings actually went to try to stop him, believing that he was a madman. So before Jesus went to the cross, James didn't think much of Jesus, thought he had a messianic complex, but didn't really believe that he was the Messiah.
It wasn't until after Jesus rose from the grave and during that 40-day period between his resurrection and his ascension into heaven, he appeared to more than 500 other brothers and James among them, as is talked about in 1 Corinthians 15.
So James became a believer at that point and in fact became the head of the Jerusalem church. We read about that in Acts 15, comes up again in Acts later on in 21. Now, James doesn't introduce himself as the half-brother of Jesus because he's a humble man and his authority is not by being related to Christ.
He has authority because he saw the risen Lord, because he was present at Pentecost, because he was appointed the head of the Jerusalem church. And as he is writing to the outlying areas just outside Jerusalem, those who would have received Christ at Pentecost, they went back to their homes, the church was started, they would have known fully which James this was that was writing to them.
So we have all of the introduction that we need in James 1 .1. James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To the 12 tribes in the dispersion, greetings. Now, as we talked about yesterday, this likely was not literal.
He wasn't talking just to Jews, but we're starting to see a transition happening in the beginning of the church, going from understanding the people of God as an ethnic people group to a spiritual group of people.
And we looked at Peter yesterday, 1 Peter 2, where he makes that same reference as well. So the 12 tribes are not the 12 sons of Jacob, but rather represented by the 12 apostles who had been appointed to go out and preach the gospel.
And so again, we're seeing this go from a people of the flesh, or an ethnic people group descended from Abraham, to those who have been united, redeemed in Christ as his people. And it is a combination of Jews and Gentiles.
And so this is kind of the way the wording is being used here now, is away from ethnic Israel and more toward spiritual Israel. Peter goes on in verse two, counted all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.
And again, when Paul is referring to brothers, he's talking to those who are one in Christ, not those who are merely his brothers by ethnicity. Count it all joy, when you meet trials of various kinds.
As we talked about yesterday, we get kind of a feeling of Proverbs as we go through the book of James here, but some very direct imperatives as well. This is a command that is being spoken, is being given as though James was talking to a Christian brother face-to-face, and he was saying to that brother, counted all joy, count it all joy, when you meet trials of various kinds.
That's all kinds of trials. Whether we're talking about great big, huge, monumental events in a person's life, or the little everyday things that we all go through in every single thing that we face in all of life, we count it all joy when we face these trials of these various kinds.
I love just the use of that, various kinds. I've heard Matt Chandler preaching on James, and he used the metaphor of it being like the junk drawer of various trials. The junk drawer of trials. There are various kinds, all right?
Whatever you have that's extra, you don't have a place for it, you throw it in your junk drawer, all right? So whatever it is that you can't categorize in your life, it's a trial that falls under this category.
It's just any kind of trial, anything. All kinds of trials, big or small, count it all joy. Rejoice in the Lord. As Paul said to the Philippians, Philippians chapter four, verse four, rejoice in the Lord always.
I will say it again, rejoice. Paul's so emphatic on us rejoicing in all circumstances that he says it twice. And James, the way that he starts the letter, the first thing he says in the letter is to count all things as joy because the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
We rejoice because we know that whatever it is that we are going through is ultimately being used to produce something. This is what Paul meant in Romans chapter eight when he says that we are more than conquerors.
We don't just conquer the things that we go through. We're not just conquerors in this world. We don't just conquer temptation, but rather these things that we experience, in these things, we are more than conquerors because they're being used, all of our experiences are being used to produce something, to shape us more in the image of Christ, as it says in Romans 8, 29.
And so James, in a very similar manner here, saying we need to rejoice in all of our circumstances, in everything that we do, in all things, because you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
I have to be honest with you. This is the hardest command for me to follow as a Christian. This is the most difficult. Of all of the things that I struggle with in my flesh to rejoice in all circumstances, rather than to complain or get grumpy, this is the hardest thing.
I struggle with this more than anything else. And it's usually at the end of my day, when I'm looking back over my day to see how I've done with my behavior, that I am the most discouraged because I will see all of the little times that I was impatient with another person, with my wife, when I sniffed at my kids, when I was impatient with the dog, that one's a big one.
Lord, help me with that one. I don't know that I could ever overcome that without your help getting impatient with the dog. Okay, but in any of these other things, when I am grumpy in traffic, or when I complain because the line at the grocery store is too long, these are trials of various kinds.
It is even in these things that we must rejoice in the Lord in all circumstances, because it is in this that even in these small mundane things, you wouldn't think about this being a testing of our faith, but it is.
Isn't testing of our faith when we proclaim the gospel and then somebody opposes us, isn't that more a testing of our faith? That is a testing of your faith, but so are the small things. Because if you can't give glory to the Lord in the little things, it will be that much more difficult for you to give glory to God when major huge things happen in your life.
So even in the small, even in the mundane tasks, even in the everyday circumstances, the minute by minute, hour by hour stuff that we go through, working at your job, driving to and fro, doing your chores, work around the house, running your errands, in all of these things, we give glory to God.
In all of this, we understand that in every single minute circumstance, if we believe that God is the creator of all things, who is in control of all things, who has called you to himself by the Holy Spirit through his son, Jesus Christ has redeemed you.
If you believe as is stated at the beginning of the book of Ephesians, that you have been predestined in love from the foundation of the world, then you must believe that any and every minute circumstance, every microcosm of occurrences is all under the control of God.
Charles Spurgeon once said that even the dust moat, okay? Like the little tiny dust particle that you see floating in the air whenever you're looking at a beam of light in a room and you see kind of the dust floating through the light, you know what I'm talking about?
That speck of dust does not move one atom to the left or to the right, except that God ordains it. And so if you believe that, then you believe that every circumstance that you go through throughout your day has been specifically ordained by God for a purpose.
And that purpose is for you to rejoice in God in those circumstances, in everything, everything. Count it all joy, all. There is no wiggle room there. It's counted all joy when you meet trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your faith, you believe that this moment is for a purpose, that every single moment is for a purpose.
This is a testing of your faith and it is producing a steadfastness. It is making you cling all the more to your Lord than you were clinging to him five minutes ago, than you were clinging to him yesterday, than you were clinging to him last year.
With every circumstance that passes, you cling all the more to Christ. You rejoice in him all the more. You are practicing joy and it perfects your joy. You get better at it. You worship the Lord all the more, perfects your worship.
Good practice, practice makes perfect, as we have heard it said. So as the Lord has put you into circumstances for you to give him glory for, you are practicing that joy. You are being perfected in that.
You are growing in a steadfastness in your faith. Standing firm in all circumstances means that when those major events then come along, you are able to give glory to God in the big things because you had been practicing giving glory to God even in the small things.
When a loved one or a relative dies, is suddenly taken from you unexpectedly, you would be able to rejoice in God knowing that even that circumstance is being used for his glory because you are well-practiced in giving glory to God in all circumstances.
When if you were to ever lose your job or you receive a serious diagnosis from the doctor or some other unexpected life event were to occur, giving glory to God in everything because you are steadfast in your faith through the trials of various kinds in which you were giving glory to God all along.
Let steadfastness have its full effect. James says in verse four, that you may be perfect and complete. Again, practice makes perfect. Lacking in nothing. Now this does not mean, this does not mean that you will become perfect while you are alive on this earth.
Not what James is saying. Because as Paul talks about in Philippians chapter three, it's not that I am already perfect, but I seek to make it my own because Christ who is perfect has made me his own. So we pursue perfection.
Though while we are in these bodies on this planet, we won't achieve it, but we pursue it because God is perfect, right? And aren't you pursuing God? Aren't you chasing after Christ day by day? If you are in a relationship with Christ, you are.
An illustration that I gave to my church just this past Sunday, when you get married, you don't stop pursuing your spouse on your wedding day. As a matter of fact, that's the day you begin pursuing your spouse because they weren't your spouse before your wedding day.
So from the wedding day on, you are in a constant pursuit of your spouse. I say I love you to my wife every day, several times a day. I kiss my wife every day. Now I believe that over the course of our marriage, every day that we've been together, there's been some days we haven't been together.
I've been away on a trip, speaking engagement, something like that. Sometimes gone for several days. I don't think I've ever been gone for more than a week. I don't think that's ever happened before. In fact, I would say a week would be pushing it.
Anyway, I'm sitting here thinking about that. Trying to think if we've ever been gone for the span of an entire week. But anyway, every day that we are together, I kiss my wife. Now she has told me that there have been days that have gone by where we didn't kiss.
I don't believe her, but she probably does keep a better track record of that than I do. But anyway, this is to say that I make a point to kiss my wife every day. And we say I love you every day. And we make each other laugh every day.
There was something just the other day, just last week, as a matter of fact, that she said that had me rolling in stitches. I love that she can still surprise me. And I am still learning things about my wife.
I am pursuing, I am actively after my wife. And I want people to know that I love my wife. My declaration of love for her was not left to my wedding day and that's it. I love my wife and I can prove it.
I'm wearing a ring. I've got a marriage certificate. We have an anniversary date. No, I actively pursue my wife every day. Find ways to show her that I love her. And if you love Jesus, your pursuit of God is that same way.
Your declaration of love for God did not reach its fullness on the day that you confessed your sins and bowed before him in worship. The proof that you are a Christian is not because you're wearing a Christian t-shirt.
It's not because you have a date written in your Bible as to the day that you prayed to ask Jesus into your heart. That might've been the day it began, but it was certainly not the apex of your worship of God.
You continue to pursue God. You rejoice in him all the more. You are growing in your understanding of his word. You are maturing in your love for his people. These are the things that mark the Christian life.
We grow in love for God and in love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. And so just as you have a growing love for your spouse, so you should also have a growing love for God. You are pursuing perfection.
God is perfect and you're pursuing him. So you're pursuing that perfection, even though while you're in this body on this earth, it won't be perfect and it won't be complete. Paul said at the beginning of his letter to the Philippians, he said, I am certain of this, that he who began a good work in you will be faithful to bring it to completion on the day of Christ.
When will the growth, your sanctification, your growth in holiness and righteousness, when will it reach perfection? When will it reach its totality? On the day of Christ's return. But we seek after that perfection and we chase that completion with all that we are because God who is perfect has made us his own.
And so we desire to make his holiness our own. Now, the Nazarene denomination has this doctrine called entire sanctification, where they believe that you can be perfect here on this earth. Now, I've got a friend who is a Nazarene and I do ministry with him.
As a matter of fact, the day that this particular episode airs, we will be ministering to high school students together. We've had talks about this before and he believes in entire sanctification, but I asked him, have you ever met anybody who's entirely sanctified?
And he said, well, no. So they have that written in their doctrine, but he himself doesn't really believe that you can encounter somebody who is truly and purely sanctified. Be careful of doctrines like that.
When we're talking about becoming perfect and complete, it is not something that will happen while we are here in this life on this earth, but it is something that we seek after and pursue because Christ is perfect and in him is holiness and love completed.
Lacking in nothing. If we have Christ, we lack nothing. And this was really a statement that the Apostle Paul gave before the Corinthians, I'm sorry, the Colossians as well. When he says that Christ is preeminent means that he is top and above him there is nothing to gain.
So if we are in Christ and pursuing Christ, then we lack nothing. We have all good things in Jesus Christ, our Lord. So I say to you again, and I said to you at the start that we were gonna get all the way through verse eight.
Clearly that didn't happen. But I say to you again, as we look at what we have studied in verses two, three, and four of James chapter one, count it all joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
You are maturing in your faith and let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing. Has your spirit been challenged by this today? Is there something before the Lord that you need to repent of knowing that you have not been giving glory to God for all things?
Not only have you been doing a bad job of that today, you've been doing a pretty bad job of it this week, maybe all year long, come to the Lord and ask him, repent. And it says in 1 John 1, 9, that if we ask forgiveness, God is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Paul said to the Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 9, 8, God is able to make all grace abound to you so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. That is the work of God on our lives that we rejoice in all circumstances when we meet trials of various kinds, giving God the glory for all things, knowing that he is using every moment for his glory.
God, I pray that you would purge us of all unrighteousness, less of me, more of you. Fill those empty areas of me with more of your holiness. For I desire to be a child of God and to worship you, to give you glory in all things.
In Titus, we read that Jesus Christ died to redeem us from all lawlessness and purify for himself a people who are zealous for good works. God, I asked to be purified and that I would have that zeal for doing work that is a glory to you.
We thank you for all good things that have been given to us, salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord. You have continued to show patience to us. You showed patience toward us when we were living in sin, when we were living in unrighteousness, far from God.
But now that we know you, you continue to show us patience, allowing us to grow in the sanctification, being shaped more in the image of Christ. May this love and patience that you demonstrate toward us be the love and patience that we demonstrate to others.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, we pray. Amen.
Blessing to my heart to sing thy grace Streams of mercy never ceasing Call for songs of loudest praise Teach me some melodious sonnet Sung by flaming tongues above Praise the mount I'm fixed upon it Mount of thy redeeming pleasure Safely to an estranger Wandering from me from danger Precious blood into me Let thy grace, Lord, find my one...
This has been East from West with Pastor Gabe Hughes. Subscribe to the podcast or find other ministry resources at our website, eastfromwest .org. On behalf of Pastor Gabe and our church family, my name is Becky, hoping you'll join us again tomorrow as we continue our study of God's Word.