Count It All Joy - [James 1]

The Pastor’s Update on His Mother’s Cancer and the Call to Pray for Her

Well, thank you Ruben. I think if there's any small children that like to be dismissed for junior church, they could be dismissed now. I'm fairly exhausted. I think in the last nine or ten days. I've been to Michigan, Iowa Nebraska Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee and back and so I don't know what time zone I'm in but it's a good one.

Just to give you a quick update on my situation with my mother first of all, thank you for praying. Thank you for calling and very kind of you and very loving and matter of fact. Even two weeks ago when I preached the message Ephesians chapter 4 verse 31 and 32 be kind to one another.

Tender-hearted forgiving one another in God just as Christ has forgiven us and that's what we experienced as an Abendroth family much kindness much tenderness. And so thank you for that. Spiritually, my mom is doing great.

I got to spend time with her as a son and as a pastor and I said mom Finish well. Suffer well, everyone's watching you. Your son is a pastor. Your other son is a pastor me and I Said the Lord loves you more than I do.

Of course. I want you around. She has cancer in her lung and her spleen. Maybe her lymph nodes and she said, you know what Mike? That's right. And so people would call the phone Carla were very concerned and were worried about you and she would say Well, don't worry about me all my sins have been forgiven by Jesus Christ and I'm worried about you and I like to get together and talk with you about your salvation and how to know you can go to heaven and I'm in The background going right on mom my father died of lung cancer 15 years ago and my mom saw the chemo and she's like I don't want to have chemo and Chemo is a lot better now than it was 15 years ago.

I said mom, it's your decision. But whatever your decision might be I just ask that you do it to glorify the Lord. And that if you can be around longer to preach the gospel to more of your friends. She works at a very the largest retail jewelry store in the country.

I said just may that influence your decision. She said okay. I will it's just been a real sweet time last week I preached on my Bible Church and my brother was standing sitting here next to me and my mom here and I thought I have to Preach and what I'm what am I going to do?

We're singing some songs about heaven and I'm looking at my mom and I'm thinking I'm gonna break down and I need to preach. Just was a sweet time and then to top it off I had to fly from Omaha to Detroit to Atlanta.

Back to I don't know where was I going Memphis and I just it was too long of a flight. It was an hour and ten minutes direct. So I had the final Goodbyes with my mom. I said I'll see you in heaven or I'll see you in a few weeks and I love you and he cried and then I went into the airline terminal and The guy said well, what are you doing going to Memphis?

Circuitously through Detroit down to Atlanta up and around. I said, oh, I don't know I just got these fares with one day notice and my mom's very sick and he said we'll fix you up. And so he got me an hour and ten minute flight Directly to Memphis, which wasn't that big a deal.

The big deal was I quick got on the cell phone and told my brother and mom turn around. We're having one more lunch together and I thought what a sweet little gift. I was just sobbing thinking the Lord was so good that I could just have one more lunch with my mom.

It was really sweet. Physically, thanks for praying and then we'll get to the message first. It was in her lung then spleens then they thought lymph nodes and they said you may have just a month to live or maybe Just a little longer.

And so that was drop everything get to Omaha since then no Cancer in her bones or her brain and next week they'll be doing surgery to see if it's in her lung lining or if it's in her lymph nodes because there's a debate now and so I have very Good hopes that it wasn't as bad as we originally thought it's still the kind of cancer that will kill you.

But I'm hopefully hopefully we're talking months now instead of not just a month. So keep praying for Carla and if you want to pray for a healing fine. But if you only have one prayer for her pray that you would finish well for God's glory.

And I know God loves her more than I do. And so I'm confident The Lord will take good care of you. I don't know about you, but I love gifts you like gifts. Christmas gifts Thanksgiving gifts if you give those Easter gifts birthday gifts, I just love gifts.

I Love giving them but probably honestly, I like receiving them better. How would you like to have these gifts? Endurance. Dependence on the Lord Christ likeness. Compassion. Humility. Those be great gifts.

Now here's my question to you this morning. Are you sure you really want those gifts? Are you positive that you'd like to receive those gifts? Do you know in other words what you're really asking for?

God will give you those gifts if you're a Christian you would be glad to give you those gifts. But they come in kind of a packaging kind of a wrapping that we're not really ready for. These gifts are yours.

But they don't come all wrapped in pretty glittery Christmas kind of gifts. They come wrapped up through the gift of Suffering and trials. Why don't you turn your Bibles to James chapter 1 this morning?

Trials as God’s Strange Gift That Produces Good

And I want to talk about this strange gift that God gives his people called trials this gift of God that is suffering. Now the good news is it's just not a gift and God somehow just sitting there watching you suffer.

But God as we know Romans 8 28, he causes these From our perspective bad things these sufferings to work together for our good and he gets glory out of them as well. I Tried this week to study Ephesians chapter 5 verses 1 and 2.

I tried. But I just couldn't preach it. I just couldn't get through it. I thought well Lord I don't know what to preach but I have to preach and you don't call in sick when you preach you crawl in sick and The word has to be delivered and I thought what do I preach and I thought well I'm going to preach what I've been trying to live by God's grace the last couple weeks.

What do you do when you get that phone call? What do you do when the doctor calls you to that little private consultation room and says we have to talk seriously about your life. What do you do when you walk into a corporate America office and the new vice president says there's no longer a position for you.

What do you do. I could ask it this way is there any point to suffering. What's the purpose? And this message is going to be very very encouraging because I hope that as you see these scriptures You will not say to yourself anymore when you're in a trial God why did this happen?

Are you respond in another negative way? I'm mad at God God. How could you? Know this this Passage today and these passages should really be an undergirding for us. And you can't get out of it. Can you can you get out of a life of suffering?

It is a fact of life. This world is cursed and we are tainted and we are all going to suffer. Jesus said to his disciples expect tribulation in this world. Paul said in 2nd Corinthians 4 he was troubled on Every side.

And you can be like a Christian scientist and just say sin and suffering is just in your imagination. And a Christian scientist or like grape nuts. It's not grape and it's not nuts and they're not Christians are not scientists.

So They just ignore these things. Illusions don't work. Sufferings real trials are real. Maybe you could say well, I'll just try to flee from my suffering in trials. That's what I used to do diversions movies alcohol kind of escapism.

You could say I've got trials and suffering and you could do the faith. Healing approach if you've just got enough faith, you'll have it and if you don't have it, it's really sin in your life, and it's the kind of name it and claim it and Blab it and grab it.

Which is so disgusting not only to me, but to the Lord. But what does the Bible say about suffering and trials and this morning? Let's look at nine of these Nine things that God produces not only for you, but in you through trials and suffering.

Nine Ways that God produces not only for you. But in you things through trials and suffering and if you say well this message isn't for me I can just check out because my life is going super fine. Well, I'm just giving you a little Heads up before it hits.

Before the trials come knocking at your door. Let's look at these this morning and it's not going to be a verse-by-verse. Expedition today, we usually just walk through a text, but we'll look at several texts.

We want to see them in context with the theme that trials produce. That's really the theme of the message trials manufacture. You see a manufacturing line and some end product comes out. It's not as if God has just given us trials and suffering to watch us just Cave in he's giving us trials and suffering to exact proportions that we can handle them.

So at the end that God produces something not only for you, but in you. Let's look at the first one in James chapter 1 trials and suffering will produce endurance in you. By the way, if you're not a Christian, I want trials and suffering to produce.

You falling down on your knees professing Jesus Christ as Lord. Trials should drive you to the cross. But if you're already a Christian, let's look at these trials and suffering will produce endurance in you.

Look at James 1 1 to start typical greeting. He says James a bondservant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad greetings. Then he says almost like a bugle call.

I mean you think he'd waste a little time. How you doing good to get to know you hope everything's okay. I sent that letter and didn't hear from you, but I mean be out of the gun. It is a trumpet blowing count it all joy my brethren when you what?

You encounter various trials. This is like living on a desert island and you finally see that Little bottle come floating up on the sand and you see that little thing rolled up in it. You go. Oh, there's a note here's a little note and All of a sudden you open up and read it it's like count it all joy.

Just a different note. And here he says with your mind with an intellectual Kind of a calculating thought count it. Not emotionally but evaluate this trial in such a way that you can count things joy.

This is not a natural response when you get that phone call. It is not who? Will be this is a deliberate Supernatural thinking that I can count this joy because there's a purpose. Hebrews 12 11 says no discipline seems pleasant at the time and your trials aren't pleasant and they don't seem pleasant.

It says I want you not to just count it joy, but all joy and all joy in the original language. That's pushed up to the front of the sentence. That means all joy. Just count it with all you've got just joyful.

And again, this is internal joy, this is not paying a happy face on. It's not that at all. It's not stoic resignation. Whatever will be will be it's not making the best out of a bad situation. It's not kind of ignoring like an ostrich who puts its head in the sand.

No, this is an internal spirit driven thing. And it says when you are in a trial you count it joy you calculate God. You're still on the throne. God, you're still good. But in this particular case, it's for a different reason.

First of all, it gets worse when you in counter our face various trials. This is like the proverbial wagon train that wakes up in the morning and looks all around and everywhere you go. There's the enemy circling wherever you turn notice.

The text says what when you encounter these you will. You're going to have troubles and more troubles and you mentally evaluate. Yes, I can count this joy. Fallen in the midst of this. It's like the the man of the Good Samaritan parable.

He fell into the hands of robbers you get that phone call from the doctor and your whole life. Seems to stop and he says there's all kinds of trials. You notice that it's a Joseph's coat of many colored trials.

Every kind of trial you can think of and just when you thought you've been through them all then the other one comes up. Variegated trials different kinds of trials, but here's the good news. The Bible doesn't stop there.

There is a purpose. God is using the trial in your life for purpose. And what's this particular purpose verse 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces? Endurance. This is the reason this is the test.

This is why God is giving you these trials. So you might know what's happening one man said to realize the worth of the anchor we need to feel the storm and Here God uses afflictions as a spiritual helper.

The testing of your faith. Doug Moose said quote the idea then is not that trials determine whether a person has faith or not. Rather they strengthen the faith that is already present. That's exactly the context here without diving much deeper.

God is testing us to say yes. We have won our faith strengthened. Yes, it's true and look at the text. It says and it produces or it develops it works in a special way. Perseverance and that's what God wants in you.

Spiritual stamina. That's what endurance is. Spiritual stamina the staying power that says with purpose and resolve. I know what the situation is. Stick to it of no spiritually you could call this and then he says in verse 4 and let endurance have its perfect result that you May be complete perfect lacking in nothing.

You get trials and what does God produce in your life? Endurance. Perseverance. First Corinthians 1013 says no temptation has overtaken you but such as common to man God is faithful. Listen who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you're able but with the temptation will provide the way of escape.

So you may get out of the trial. What's God producing in you? That's not what the text says is at all. That God may provide the way of escape also that you may be able to endure it. The way out is the way through.

Did you get that the way out of the trial is the way through God is working on you? Remember that song he's still working on me to make me what I ought to be. Sometimes I'm around the house and I sing he's still working on.

It's like whoo. He's still working on me. He's still working on my wife and he's working on you and he's going to give you more endurance so when that trial comes God is giving you a gift, but it doesn't seem like it's the right gift because it's wrapped up differently.

And if you know my wife by the way, you know In Romans 5 3 not only this but we also exalt in our tribulations knowing that tribulation brings about Perseverance. That's why when you get in trial the first thing that I tend to do if I'm not Operating and when by the gifts of the Spirit not by the gifts of the Spirit operating by the control of the Spirit.

I want to try to figure out how to get out of my trials. What's my little flow chart? Get out a Lot of these trials you can't get out. There's nothing you could do except God. You're giving me this trial and God if we'd looked at the next verse verse 5 Give me the wisdom in this trial so I don't lose what you're trying to teach me in this case endurance.

Trials That Deepen Prayer and Dependence on Christ

Well, what else do trials give us and let's do sufferings give us secondly, not only do they give us endurance. They also give us a fervent prayer life. God. I want to seek you early in the morning God.

I don't want to go through rote prayers like the heathens. I want to just pray. I want to have that spiritual surge of prayer. Well, you know what? We'll do it. Trials turn to Hosea chapter 5 verse 15.

The context is Ephraim and Judah, but it's still the same. There is nothing like a trial to get you on your knees. Where else are you gonna go. Hosea chapter 5 verse 15 you'll find that in the minor prophets if you can't find it.

That's alright. I'll just read you the verse. But there's something about a trial that just makes you seek God with passion with fervor. There's no way out. The only way out some kind of miraculous thing and if not, you have to go to the Lord Hosea chapter 5 verse 15.

I will go away. Again, the God is talking about Israel, but you can see how it would be true in our lives. I will go away and return my to my place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face.

And I think this is a universally true truth in their affliction they will seek me what earnestly are early. There's something about a trial that will make you pray when you're in anguish and affliction.

You're in a straight. Psalm 119 verse 153 says look upon my affliction and rescue me for I do not forget thy law and you can just see David The psalmist going God. I'm not ignoring you. I'm not ignoring your law.

God help me. And lots of times you're in such a straight and you're in such an affliction in a tight place. You can't even pray these Acts acronym prayers. Adoration confession. Thanksgiving supplication it is straight to supplication is my world is upside down.

God help me. And that's still a prayer. I Can 7 -7 but as for me, I will watch expectantly from the Lord. I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. I will eagerly anticipate God's response to this.

I have nowhere else to go. So you say I want a deeper prayer line. It's very encouraged by the turnout last Sunday night for corporate prayer. There are trials in the church and people come to pray because we have to go to our father.

We have to go up to our God. So you say this trial it really hurts these sufferings. I don't like them, but God thank you for the endurance and thank you that I could pray like I ought to. Thirdly trials and suffering producing you a greater dependence on Jesus Christ.

Trials and sufferings produce in you a greater dependence on Jesus Christ, why don't you turn to first Peter chapter 5? Very familiar passage but when you're under the Gun and you're in a trial you will depend on the Lord more.

This is very much related to the last one prayer, but I've just separated it out first Peter chapter 5 verse 6. Probably one of the best known passages for all of us when we're suffering and hurting first Peter 5 6 humble yourselves, therefore Under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you at the proper time casting all your anxiety upon him because he cares for you.

What a sweet what a gift of God that is and The passage really says this in command form allow yourself to be humbled. Allow yourself to not try to just get out of it and wiggle out and have everything go your way.

But allow yourselves to be humbled submit to God and be humbled throughout this procedure. It's like when Jonathan Edwards one of the greatest minds in America died at 55 years old from a Adverse reaction to smallpox and his wife got the news and she just penned this.

What shall I say a holy and good God has covered us with the dark cloud? Oh that we may kiss the rod and lay our hands on our mouths. The Lord has done it. But my God lives and he has my heart. We are all given to God.

Casting all your cares upon the Lord because literally it matters to him about you. And that little phrase there under the mighty hand of God that means it's the strong arm of God as it were to deliver people.

Out of every situation in the Old Testament, you know, God could have delivered any situation over you could have had delivered them out of it rather. So you sit there and you say God. Providentially in a sovereign way you put this together and you could have stopped it from happening.

But I'm going to allow myself to be submitted to your process and I know your strong arm will deliver me when I need to Be delivered. Casting all your cares, by the way, those cares are good cares. Those cares are bad cares.

What do you mean by that their concerns? Oh, I'm just concerned about that and they're anxious worrying frettings. He cares all your care. Did you notice? Can't just save that one little thing. The whole kit and kibbutz of the whole of your care you cast upon the Lord and a care by the way.

It means division. Your mind's divided. You're not sure if God really knows. You're not sure if you can get out of situation. I don't know if I could make it. So all your divided thoughts you just say God.

I Have to depend on you. Where else are we going to go? Psalm 55 verse 22 says cast your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you and he will never allow the righteous to be shaken. He cares. Ongoing continually is the tense.

Well, let's keep going. Number four. Not only have we seen endurance and prayer life and dependence on the Lord. But the fourthly trials and suffering producing your life an opportunity for God to show himself when no one else can.

God's going to have to intervene because no one else can. The doctors can't the financial planner can't your family can't. Only God. And isn't it good if you ever prayed God do something in my life that only You would get credit.

Because I don't want it to be any kind of human thing. God. So answer this prayer where everyone know would know it. It's you. Turn to Genesis chapter 22 for this when there's no hope. When everything's bleak.

When there's no other way to turn God provides. Now as you're turning there. Reminds me of the story of. It's found in Corrie ten booms book called tramp for the Lord. She tells him an old story. Excuse me.

She tells him a story of an old woman. She met in Russia while there was communist oppression and persecution. Couldn't be a Christian really. Unless it was underground. Corrie ten boom says the old woman was lying on a small sofa propped up by pillows.

Her body was bent and twisted almost beyond recognition by the dreadful disease of muscular sclerosis. Her aged husband spent all his time caring for her since she was unable to move off the sofa. The only part of her body she could control was her right hand and with the index of that hand.

For that she had for many years she glorified God by typing on a vintage typewriter beside her. Her husband would prop her up into a sitting position with pillows around her. So she wouldn't topple over as she typed.

All day and far into the night. She would type she translated Christian books into Russian, but always just using one finger. She typed out the pages. Portions of the Bible portions of books by Billy Graham and Corrie ten Boom, not only does she translate their books her husband said as he hovered close by her during the conversation.

But she prays for these people every day while she types. Something it takes a long time. Sometimes it takes a long time for her finger to hit the key or to get the paper in the machine. But all the time she is praying for those whose book she is working on.

Corrie says quote. I looked at her wasted form on the sofa her head pulled down and her feet curled back under her body. Oh Lord, why don't you heal her? I cried in with you. Her husband sensing my anguish of soul gave the answer.

God has a purpose in her sickness. Every other Christian in the city is watched by the secret police. But because she has been sick so long no one ever looked in on her. They leave us alone and she's the only person in all the city who can type quietly undetected by the police.

One day Corrie received a letter from her husband in the early morning hours. Last week she left to be with the Lord. But he said she had worked up until midnight that night typing with that one finger to the glory.

Who else can do that? Who else receives the glory. And there are things in your life when the sufferings and trials come where you just think? But Only God. And the same thing happens here. Look at Genesis chapter 22 Verse 2.

Let's start there. Here's what God says. Take your son now your only son who you love Isaac and go to the land of Moriah and offer him. There is a burnt offering on one of the mountains on which I tell you.

And I would say that's a trial wouldn't you. I would say that's a suffering. Young blood kind of makes a little fun out of it in this least initially God to Abraham take your son. I Abraham which one Lord after all I have two sons your only son more specifically.

Whom you love. I love both my sons Isaac. Thank you Lord. Now, I know exactly what you mean and what shall I do after I go and get him? Is there something that you will further that will further your will and purpose in his life?

Go to the land of Moriah a little vacation for us fine. That's great. Offer him there as a burnt offering. This is the child of promise, isn't it in your seed Abraham? See those sand pebbles over there on the seaside like that see those stars up there.

Abraham like that your only son. John Calvin said as it were not enough to command in one word the sacrifice of his son. He pierces as with fresh strokes the mind of the Holy Man by calling him his only son.

He again irritates the wound recently inflicted by the banishment of the other son. I Looked down at verse 7. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said my father. He said here. I am my son. He said behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?

Finally someone beside God speaks and it's not Abraham. It's Isaac. One man said here comes the new instrument of torture. Abraham said God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering my son.

So the two of them walked on together. God's going to provide. Then they came to a place of which God had told him and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood and bound his Son. Isaac laid him on the altar on top of the wood.

It comes as three-day journey. Verse 10. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to flight slay his son. The angel of the Lord called to him from heaven saying Abraham. Abraham and he said here I am and he said do not stretch Out your hand against the lad and do nothing to him for now I know that you fear me since you have not withheld your son your only son from me.

One man said that was like a trumpet call. I think it was more like music to his ears. Can you imagine what Abraham thought. Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked and behold behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his Horns and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.

There are times and trials that you will be in and sufferings where you'll have nowhere else to look. Because the end the answers won't be inside the answers won't be outside. The answers are going to come from God.

Trials That Shape Christlikeness and Compassion

Well, let's keep going. Number five. Endurance prayer life dependence on the Lord. Opportunities for God to glorify himself. Fifthly trials and suffering will produce in you Christ likeness. You want to be like Jesus?

Well, it will come through trials. Yes through the word. But it will come through trials. First of all, let me just read these verses. Well, why don't you turn to John 15 while you're turning there? It's Like Christ even to suffer and then we'll talk about how God works in you first Peter 2 21 for you have been called for this purpose since Christ also suffered leaving you an example for you to follow in the steps.

Be a good thing to do next time you preach the gospel to someone and they said I want to be a Christian and you Say I just want to let you know it is a life of denial a life of hating self a light of picking up your life of picking up the cross and following a Christ and it's a life of suffering.

You want to be like Jesus you'll suffer in this particular case. So John 15 verse 1 and 2. Larger context with the disciples and dealing with Judas. Here you see that God loves his people so much. He's not going to let you stay as you are and He uses suffering to pure prune things away.

John 15 verse 1. I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. Verse 2 every branch in me that does not bear fruit. He takes away. People who aren't Christians they don't bear fruit. They're gone just like Judas would be gone soon and every branch that bears fruit He prunes it that it may bear more fruit.

Can I give you a little a band Roth paraphrase? He prunes us so we look more like Christ. Isn't it true in Romans chapter 8 verse 29 where it's God's will to conform us to the likeness and image of Jesus Christ.

How does he do that? Well just I've sanctified you. I've justified you but I won't make you any more holy. I'll just leave you go. No as God is holy. We are holy and he he chisels us and chips us through other people.

He takes care of us through his word and this particular case. He prunes us and I believe he uses Suffering in trials to do that. Look at verse 8. The same chapter by this my father's glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Lot of pruning to bear much fruit. Through trials through suffering you hear the hacking and the cutting off and trimming of the dead branches. That's why beloved when The Bible says we can grieve as Christians, but we don't.

If you grieve like an unbeliever grieves. It ought not be Sixthly we better get through these fairly quickly. Trials and suffering producing you a compassionate heart for others. Trials and sufferings produce in you a compassionate heart for others.

Let's go to 2nd Corinthians chapter 1. It's on the airplane flying home to see my mom and these are the chapters I read. I read chapters 1 through 5 and the Bible says that when we suffer God is preparing for us.

To receive God's comfort so that we might then comfort other people. I'll never forget as long as I live. My dad's 55 years old. He dies of lung cancer. And there was a man that I met who came to this church from Boston on several occasions because his father Was 55 years old and he was dying of what?

Cancer. In and of myself, I can't offer much hope and I have a lot to learn with compassion. But as God comforted me when my dad was dying is now gone. I could then comfort him. And he in a very interesting way as a very understandable way.

He'd listen to me, wouldn't he? If your mom is dying of lung cancer, I want to talk to you because we have a connection. Now look at this passage here when you receive comfort from God. It's for you. Yes, because God loves you, but it's also for other people, too.

Second Corinthians 1 chapter 3 and Paul had been through the ringer with this church at Corinth and he's writing to them again. He says blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of mercies and the God of all comfort first.

He just praises God. It could be another point someplace. But when you're in a trial you want to just praise God. I just have kept thinking all week long all last week God. I'm going to praise you even if you take my mom God you deserve to be praised and like Job.

I'll praise you even if you slay me. What else am I going to do? I deserve hell 15 billion times over and I'm going to be mad that that my mom is going to die at 65 years old. First of all, she's not dead yet.

Hope she's not for a long time. What do you do he just starts off with praising here's this church that's giving him all kinds of problems and isn't that just a wonderful title of God the father of mercies and the God of all comforts.

He's the kind of God this word comfort says that he comes alongside of you. He's not up there lecturing you in systematic theology comfort see Comfort. Oh em and just telling you this is the God that comes right alongside of you.