Being Faithful In Our Trials [James 1:1-4]

Faithfulness in a Faithless Age

I trust that it is well with your soul, and if it's not, well, I trust after this conference it will be well with your soul. And especially after this lesson, our first one on trials, I hope that the Lord will use it to strengthen each of us in this faithless age.

It is a faithless age, isn't it? I'm 60 years of age now, so I haven't lived that long, but I've lived long enough. And certainly, with what is going on in the political world, in the global world, and even in the Church of Jesus Christ, we are living in a faithless age.

And Debbie and I met a lady on a plane this year in our travels, and she happened to be from Oklahoma, and we've been having lunch with her, per her request, and we've been getting with her quite a bit.

Recently, she asked, why do you think, she's not a believer, but we've been sharing the gospel with her, and she says, why do you believe that Christianity is waning? And I said, I can tell you why, because Jesus said it would, and before he comes back, there's going to be a great falling away.

And I said, I believe we're seeing that, and I do believe, ladies, we are seeing that in the Church of Jesus Christ. We are seeing a falling away. And so, that's why we've entitled this conference, Being a Faithful Woman in a Faithless Age, because we need faithful women.

We need faithful men, too, but we need faithful women that will stand true to the Word of God in this evil age that we're living in, when so many are apostatizing from the faith and leaving the faith that they once held dear.

So, my prayer is that the Lord will use these messages to strengthen you in your walk with Christ. Somebody told me this morning I look like a pumpkin, so sorry about that, but just pretend I'm out in, you know, beautiful Massachusetts.

So, the leaves are gorgeous. Oklahoma has all four seasons, but we are just now beginning, I mean, it's still 80 degrees, so when I thought about packing, I was like, a sweater? Are you kidding me? I'm still in my capris and tank tops at home, but anyway, we're still, I think today it's supposed to be 85 where I live, so, but it's beautiful here, so pretty, and I love the fall time.

So, anyway, I'll give you, I know this day's going to go so fast, they always do, but we're going to try to teach four sessions, and we are going to be looking at this morning being faithful in our trials, and then being faithful in our speech.

If we're going to be faithful women, we need to guard our tongue, and so we're going to be looking at that, and then right before lunch, being faithful to obey, and then after lunch, being faithful in our friendships.

And ladies, if you want to stay faithful in a faithless age, you want to pick right girlfriends, so we're going to talk a little bit about that in our last session. So before we get started, let's pray together, and we will open the Bible this morning to a classic passage on trials in James, so let's pray.

Oh, Father, we come to you this morning with humble hearts, Lord. We know that you are holy, that you are sitting in your heaven, that you are dwelling there, and we are so thankful, and yet, Lord, in your mercy, you are dwelling here with us now.

There's nowhere that we can run where we can escape your presence. You are here. You are scanning our hearts. You are scanning the thoughts of every woman right now. You know what's in her heart. You know what's in her thoughts, and Lord, you have fearfully and wonderfully made her, and I thank you for each of these ladies that have taken a precious Saturday away from their families, away from their work, to do the thing that is most needful, and that is to sit at your feet and to learn from your word.

And Father, I pray as the teacher that I would be mindful of what I teach, that I would stay true to the word of God, that I would not be in any way compromising, in any way deviating from the scriptures.

I pray, Father, that you would give teaching grace as well as listening grace. I thank you for this church and their kindness to me and Debbie thus far, and Lord, I just pray, I know this day will go fast, but I do pray, Father, that we would have some meaningful conversations with one another during the breaks and during our lunch hour together.

We love you, Father. Thank you for choosing us. Thank you for saving us, and oh, God, help us to be faithful women in this faithless generation that we live in. For Christ's sake, I pray in his glory only, amen.

James, the Half-Brother of Jesus and a Servant of Christ

Well, there's a couple of ladies here that were at a conference I did, and I said, oh, that's the conference I'm going to use my opening from. It was, what did we say, seven years ago in Connecticut? You were there, and it was the first time I ever heard this song, and I want to open them.

Don't worry, I'm not going to sing to you. You don't want to hear a 60-year-old woman singing, but the song went something like this. Though trials will come, don't fear, don't run. Lift up your eyes, hold fast, be strong, have faith.

Keep on believing, lift up your eyes. For God is at work in us, molding and shaping us. Out of his love for us, making us more like Jesus. Consider it joy, pure joy when troubles come. Many trials will make you strong.

Consider it joy, pure joy, and stand your ground. Then at last you'll wear a crown. And ladies, I wonder if the author of this song had in mind James 1, 1 -4, because that's exactly what he says. So if you would, let your eyes fall on James 1, 1 -4 as we look at this topic of being faithful in our trials.

James says this, James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ to the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing this, that the testing of your faith produces patience.

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing. And that's all we're going to cover in this first session. Now you have an outline for every one of the sessions.

And in this session, we're going to look a little bit at the introduction because I don't like to just jump into a couple of verses without looking at the context. Context is so important. And ladies, if we're going to be faithful women in a faithless generation, we need to always remember context.

And a lot of people today are ripping verses out of their context to prove things that God never meant to say to us. So we're going to look a little bit at the introduction, then we're going to look at our reaction to trials, what that should be, as well as our reward to trials.

Now part of the introduction is looking at who this guy James is. And notice he begins his, this letter with his name, James, and that's very different from how you and I would write a letter. Janet Cooley and I have been emailing back and forth and, and I don't start my emails to Janet saying, Susan, you know, Susan, a servant of Jesus Christ.

I say, dear Janet, and then I tell her what I need to tell her. And then I say, usually I say for the master, Susan Heck, or lovingly Susan Heck depends on how well I know the person after this weekend.

And I'm going to say lovingly, Janet, Debbie, and I've been talking about how she's such an easy person to be around. We just feel at home with her. That's how we described it. And so she'll, you'll get the lovingly part instead of for the master.

But that's not how we begin our letters, is it? And James does, but in the biblical world, that's what they would do. You see that in the Pauline epistles, Paul and apostle of Jesus Christ. And so they would start their letters with their name.

So who is James? You know, three of our sessions today are going to be out of his epistle. So we would probably learn something about him. His name, the Hebrew name is actually Jacob. And there are four James in the scripture.

We won't look at each one of this, but this one specifically that is writing the epistle of James is the half brother of the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet ladies, and I think this is very important, especially for those of you that are reared in a Christian home, like I was, but never had genuine saving faith.

Like I did not until the age of 30, but James, here's a man that was brought up with the very son of God. And yet he was not a believer at first because it says in John seven, five, even his brothers, which would be James did not believe in him.

They thought he was crazy. I mean, they thought he was insane. And ladies, let me point out just because you're reared in a Christian home. Like I was, I was raised in a godly home. My father was a minister of the gospel.

I heard the gospel often. I got saved and baptized three times, but none of it ever took. And, uh, but some of us have grossly erred. And that is that we think that just because we're raised in a godly home, I was even married to a pastor who, by the way, almost called the wedding off the night before we got married because he could begin to wonder about my salvation.

But just because we have godly parents, godly husbands, godly children, godly grandparents does not make us a Christian. And James is a prime example of this, of this. None of us in this room are going to enter into heaven on the coattail of somebody else.

You know, you're not going to go in there holding on to your mother's skirt or your husband's coattail. We're all going to each individually stand before the Lord and give an account. Now we do not have a written account of James conversion, like Paul, you know, on the Damascus road in Acts chapter nine, it was very dramatic, you know, great light from heaven came down and, and Jesus said, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

And he said, who are you Lord? And of course we know it was a dramatic conversion. And so we don't have an account of this, but we do know that James was definitely born again because he eventually chaired the council at Jerusalem in Acts chapter 15.

And then also Paul says something interesting about him, calls him actually one of the pillars of the church in Galatians 1 .19, he mentions that James, Cephas and John were pillars of the church. And so he was a strong foundation for the church.

Now we do not know a lot about him like we do Paul. We do know that he was known as James the just. We also know that he was known to have camel's knees. And the reason being is because he would spend so much time in prayer.

He would be on his knees praying at the temple doors. And they said that he prayed so much that his knees became like camel's knees and they were really rough. And so no wonder he can write at the end of James, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much because James was a man of prayer.

And I wish we had time to talk about prayer this weekend, but we don't. Church history tells us that James died a martyr's death like many of the apostles. What happened in his situation? He was out on the temple steps, he was preaching and the persecutors of course did not care for his preaching.

And actually they would begin to physically hurt him. And one of the men that was standing by had a big club, it was what they used to use to pound out clothes. And he took this big club and knocked James over the head and it says that he fell down the stairs and he died.

And interesting church history tells us that his words as he was falling down to the ground were these, I beseech thee Lord God Father forgive them for they know not what they're doing. And so very similar to what his brother said from the cross, forgive them Father forgive them.

And even Stephen as he was being stoned said Lord I beseech thee do not lay this charge to their account. And so this is the man who through the power of the Holy Spirit wrote this epistle to us. It is so practical.

In fact it was the first book that I wrote, a lady's bible study because it is probably my favorite New Testament book. It's very practical, very black and white, you know you're either in or you're out and has some very practical things.

So after he introduces himself what does he say? Hey I'm the brother of Jesus, you know, I'm Jesus's brother. I'm the pastor at Jerusalem. Hey did you take note of every, you know, all my accomplishments?

No. Notice what he says ladies. He says I am a servant of Jesus Christ. Now what is that? Well the Greek word is doulos and it actually means slave. This is somebody who is in, who really someone else owns his life.

He's in ownership to his master and his master is someone he can never say no to. That's what a slave is. And James says I'm a slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ladies isn't it interesting in this introduction that James confesses that his earthly older half-brother Jesus is his Lord.

Is his Lord. It's kind of like Mary after when she found out she was going to have a baby she said you know my spirit rejoices in what God my Savior and she was getting ready to have the Son of God. God my Savior.

Trials, Scattered Believers, and God’s Purpose in Suffering

Well after he tells us who he is he then tells us who he's writing to and this is very important as we consider trials. And you know as I was preparing and studying for this time that we're going to have this weekend.

Ladies this is very important as we think about being faithful in a faithless generation because I will tell you it doesn't matter which of the four presidential candidates gets into office. America is going down.

Apart from God's mercy America is going down. And we as Christians and it's already started to happen are going to be persecuted. And James is writing to the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad who were a group of Christians that were being horribly persecuted.

Many of them were forced to flee their homes they lost their homes they lost their jobs many of them were being used as torches for Nero's garden at night. I mean this was horrible persecution that was going on.

And so we need to keep this in mind. I mean I know a lot of you today maybe some of your trials are very minute to what some of our brothers and sisters are going through in third world countries where they're actually losing their lives for the sake of the gospel.

Many of them being beheaded for the sake of the gospel. In fact my husband teases me from time to time he says Susan you're going to be one of the first ones that ISIS is going to behead but oh well I'll just get to heaven before you do so I'll see you there.

But anyway he's writing to the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad. It's actually called the Dyspora and it's very sad. These Jewish Christians were not taken in by their kinsmen. They were rejected.

They were persecuted. Some of them were fed to the lions. I mean it was horrible time. In fact people will tell us if you want to get a feel for what was really happening when James wrote this epistle do some reading on the Holocaust.

That's an idea of how horrible this persecution. And so it was probably one of these tribes that this this letter actually was written to. Now we need to stop and ask a question. Why would a loving God do such a thing to his people?

Why is God allowing his wrath to be poured out right now in the United States of America? Why does God permit Christians to die to suffer to be persecuted? Well it says in Acts and you don't have to turn there now but it says after a great persecution arose guess what happened the people scattered and right after that it says and they went preaching the gospel.

Ladies sometimes God has to scatter his people. Sometimes he brings persecution into our lives for a bigger purpose and we don't always see that. Sometimes God has to divide his people in order to multiply his kingdom.

You know sometimes we get very comfortable in our churches and we have these holy cliques you know and and it's us for and no more. But sometimes God scatters us so that we can for a bigger purpose. It's not about us.

Life is not about us. It's for the glory of God and his kingdom. And sometimes God's intervention in our lives seems unpleasant seems unwelcome. But ladies these may be sewing appointments in the midst of a faithless world.

Well James begins his letter to these persecuted and scattered believers with one simple word. Look at it. Greeting. You know what this means. Rejoice. Be glad. Be satisfied. Greeting. Now ladies remember who he's writing to 12 tribes which are scattered abroad.

They could have said are you kidding me. Are you kidding me. I mean I believed in this Jesus. You know I've made this Jesus my Lord and now look what's happened to me. I mean where's the abundant life.

You know where's the the Christ that died for me to be wealthy healthy and wise which is what is taught in many of our circles especially in Tulsa Oklahoma. Wait a minute. I believed in this Jesus and now my home has been taken away.

Some of my loved ones have died for the gospel and you're telling me to rejoice to be glad to be satisfied. Ladies I'm sure many of them are just like you and me you know no temptation but such as is common demand right.

We all suffer with the same thing and I imagine many of them are just like you just like me want to grumble and complain about our lot in life but James says no rejoice be glad be satisfied. So his greeting ladies his his beginning of this letter is to prepare the readers for the admonition that's going to follow on trials.

Counting Trials as Joy

Well after the greeting James centers now in on the subject of trials and we have a twofold outline here. So first of all we're going to see what our reaction to trial should be in verse two and then secondly our reward to trials in verses three and four notice what he says after the greeting my brother encountered all joy when you fall into various trials.

Now just to make it very clear. James is writing to brethren Adolfos. These are Christian brothers and sisters. He's not writing to unbelievers. In fact James is a letter that is written to test our faith to see if we're in the faith.

He's writing to what he believes is an assumed group of Christians but yet like many even in our churches today I've heard many pastors say that most of our churches are filled with unbelievers and that's probably true.

And so he's writing to make sure that they're really in the faith but he does call them brothers because they call themselves brothers and he says my brother and my Adolfos counted all joy when you fall into various trials.

Now the word count in the Greek actually means to consider to regard your trials as joy. Now what does joy mean. Well joy means something in the highest sense. Now ladies notice James is not saying to enjoy your trial.

I mean how many of you right now are enjoying the trial you're in. You know he's not saying enjoy it. But what he's saying is when you have a trial in your life you should respond with a deliberate intelligent appraisal not an emotional reaction.

Ladies you must look at your trials from God's perspective and recognize that God brought the trial into your life and it's going to produce something valuable. Many trials make you strong right. They make you strong.

Now again James is not saying enjoy your trials but joy in them. The trial itself may not be joyful. I've been through lots of trials. The trial itself may not be joyful but the encounter is the encounter with the trial is joyful because I know that God is working in my life to conform Susan Joy Heck to the image of Jesus Christ and so therefore I can be joyful.

Ladies do you remember what is said about our Lord in Hebrews 12 to looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despised the shame and is now sat down at the right hand of God.

Did you understand what the writer to the Hebrews was saying. Did Jesus encounter the cross with a smile. Was he laughing hysterically as he went to the cross. No he was not. The scripture tells us he was in great agony there in the Garden of Gethsemane in fact he prayed three times Oh my father if it's possible please let this cup pass from me get this trial out of my life.

I don't it's not going to be fun. But he said nevertheless not what I want but you want. Ladies Christ considered the trial as joy why that was set before him why because he knew it was producing something valuable.

What was that something valuable that it was producing the trial to the cross salvation right we awake this morning salvation. Yeah I think they need more coffee Janet where Janet go. It was producing something valuable.

Ladies otherwise if he hadn't what we wouldn't be here today. You might as well be go out and collecting leaves you know to put in your scrapbooks or something. There'd be no reason for us to get together to get today because there would be no salvation for mankind no salvation for you and for me but the joy that was set before me endured the cross despised the shame and is now sat down on the right hand of God.

Now ladies when is the last time you went through a trial saying great. This is a reason for nothing but joy happiness and thanksgiving. You know most unbelievers or most believers I should say do not view these difficulties from God but as dirty rotten deals.

Ladies we fail to see that James says every good and perfect gift comes down from the father of lights with whom there is no variableness neither shadow of turning and you know that every good and perfect gift that comes down from the father of light you know the context if you'll look at the context it's trials the gift is trials.

Now I know trial may not be a gift that you're asking for for Christmas this year. Have you ever asked the Lord for trials bring the to bring it on bring it on James says every good and perfect gift context is trials comes down from the father of lights.

Ladies suffering trials can be gifts. We fail to live in view of eternity that each trial in our life can be used to prepare us to be like Christ prepare us to be like him. And by the way just a little side note because I am 60 so now I'm really an older woman.

I have found in my life if I choose not to respond to the trial that God brings into my life if I choose not to respond in the correct way you know what happens. I usually get a repeat of that trial only it's worse the second time seriously and that is dead so I'm really being serious there.

So what is James saying when he says we fall into trials where the word fall in the Greek means to fall into something so that you're entirely surrounded by it. In fact it's the thought of a difficult situation that comes unexpectedly and you're just all of a sudden surrounded by it.

And it's the same Greek word that is used to describe the man that's in the story of the Good Samaritan. Remember the man just walking along his way and all of a sudden he's accosted by thieves and they strip him and leave him.

They beat him up and take all of his stuff and leave him half dead. I mean this guy was just minding his own business. He was walking probably from one town to another. But ladies isn't half isn't that how trials come.

I mean you don't really usually get a preparation that morning when you get up and a little voice from heaven says hey you're today you're going to encounter this trial. Just the other day I was on I was on my way to Indiana for a counseling conference and my son text me and he said Mom he said did Cindy tell you what happened to me.

My son was also going to this counseling conference and I said no what happened to you. And he sends me a picture of his face and he fell at the airport and his head was gaped open and he had to have 15 stitches in his head.

And so I said no I mean and he was just minding his own business getting off the plane in Indianapolis running to greet four of my grandchildren and give them a big hug and he fell. And I mean Charles was just minding his own business trying to be a good uncle.

And isn't that how trials come unexpected you're just minding your own business going through life having a great time. And then next it's like wham. Well that's what James says. Count it all joy when you fall unexpectedly suddenly into various trials.

In fact when that happens to me not that I've gashed my head open but when I fall into various trials and they come suddenly I often my mind often goes to Peter beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is set to test you as though some strange thing happened to you but rejoice why you're partakers of Christ's sufferings.

And so lady we need to remember that now interesting word here for trial because the word trial actually has a double meaning. It is those outward trials yes that we suddenly fall into but it also can be the same Greek word used for inward temptations because sometimes what happens when you and I don't respond to a trial the way we're supposed to then that becomes a temptation to sin but we don't have time to get into the context but James very clear let no one say when he's tempted verse 13 I'm tempted of God why.

Because God cannot tempt anybody with evil and so many times we respond wrongly to a trial. We shake our fist at God we get angry and so you know hey that trial that God meant for good can now be turned into evil because you've chose to sin during your trial and get angry.

In fact I was so proud of my son because by the time we got to the hotel at midnight he got home from the hospital at midnight and he and I were sharing a room during this counseling conference and I thought well surely he's not going to go to the conference.

I mean he's banged up it wasn't just his head it's everywhere and the next day I said Charles you're not going to go to the pre-conference are you goes yeah mom I'm going I said okay and he was just a trooper and I thought wow that's that's really amazing because I think I might use that an opportunity just to stay in bed but he didn't.

Trials are sent to test us are we going to pass are we going to be faithful are we going to deny the Lord. You know I think about Job who lost ten of his kids lost everything he had you know got all these boils on his skin and started scraping himself with a piece of pottery and had a wife that forgot to read The Excellent Wife and told him to curse God and die.

You know what it says in all this Job did not sin he did not sin with his mouth he tore his clothes fell on the ground and worshiped and said shall we not receive good as well as evil from the Lord. He didn't sin in all this now ladies that's a trial that you and I can't even imagine going through can't even imagine we were talking on the way when Janet picked us up this morning at the hotel about a mutual friend we have that just lost a daughter to cancer and little little child and we were talking about her strength during this trial and Debbie and I were telling her about a lady that I counsel down in Florida whose daughter tried to kill her just recently for the ninth time by burning her house down and the child is only just turned nine and but we were talking about how this woman's faith is so strong even during this trial and how this other woman who just lost a child to cancer how her faith is strong.

Ladies trials are sent to test our faith not to cause us to sin. They're sent to make us strong. Many trials make you strong. Well James says that these trials we fall into notice are various. What does that mean.

Well the word various actually is a word that is used to describe Joseph's coat of many colors. In other words our trials are all different colors right. I mean if we were to take a poll I think there's about six or seven women around each table if we were just to go around and ask each woman what is your trial.

Some of you they would say I'm going through a very dark black trial. I just found out I have breast cancer or my husband I just found is committing adultery or looking at porn or I just lost a mom or dad or I just lost a child or my child just burned my house you know tried to kill me for the ninth time very black trials.

Just like these persecuted Christians forced to leave their home many have been fed to lions. I mean horrible persecution. But some of you might say well my trials kind of it's not as bad as yours but it's kind of red.

I mean my husband just told me we're going to be moving from Massachusetts to Oklahoma. Can you imagine going to Oklahoma. I mean that's a red trial. Or maybe you have an abusive husband wayward child a difficult marriage maybe you're suffering persecution for righteousness sake that might be a red trial.

And some of you especially you young mothers you might say well my trials not as bad as yours. I mean mine was just my child spilled his mouth this morning right before I'm trying to get out of the house to come here you know and I got impatient and so that's what James saying our trials are various.

He's not talking necessarily saying that we have a lot even though I know that some of you in this room feel like you've had your fill of trials like every day. But it's they're varied they're different colors.

We all have different kinds of trials. But ladies I am here to tell you this morning God's grace is sufficient no matter what color your trial is whether it's black red yellow orange whatever color it is God's grace is sufficient.

Now our trials do many times come unannounced suddenly unexpected. How do we respond. Do we shake our fist at God. Do we bow our knee and humble submission at what we can learn through the process. And remember ladies these had a far greater challenge than you and I do doesn't mean that we're not going to have this challenge.

And I do believe if we continue if the Lord does not return there is a good chance that many of us in this room right now at some point might be martyred for our faith. And I think we need to keep that in mind.

So what is the Christians reacting reaction to trials. We are to joy not enjoy them. But we are to have joy in them knowing that it's producing something valuable. Now does that mean I don't cry during a trial.

Of course I mean many trials I've encountered have produced many tears. That's not what James is saying. We don't deny the emotional creature that God has given given to us. But we know that he's producing something valuable.

The Testing of Faith Produces Patience and Maturity

Well we turn from our reaction to trial to our reward. You might say Susan why should I want to. Why should I regard my trials with joy. I mean what's the purpose of all this suffering anyway. Well notice what he says.

Knowing this at the testing of your faith produces patient. The word no here in the Greek is Gnoskos which suggests a knowledge that is grounded in personal experience. Ladies as a daughter of the king you should not be ignorant of the fact that God sends trials for a purpose.

That's what he's saying. You should know this. There is a purpose for why he does this. And you and I need to discern what is that purpose. Why am I going through this trial. In fact James says we should know by experience that what it produces something.

Look what it produces. Patience. Patience. Ladies the testing of our faith has a significant impact on our spiritual maturity. Now very interesting. This is the first time that faith is mentioned in the book of James.

And it's interesting that he mentions faith before he mentions works the work being patience. Right. Ladies we are saved by grace through faith alone. But that faith produces something. Right. It should produce works.

Faith works. But we must have it before it can produce something. That's why I have to ask myself as a and as a pastor's wife when I see believers that are going through trials and they begin to vacate worship.

They begin to vacate their service to God their ministry. Many of them apostatized for the faith. I go wait a minute. Whoa whoa whoa. Their faith should be working. Why isn't their faith working. Why are they vacating the church.

Why are they leaving the ministry. Why are they not joyful. Why isn't it doing something. And that's what James says here. Your faith does something it produces something. And many times that something is patience.

Now you might say well what is that. Well patience is probably what most of us in this room don't have. Right. We always in fact sometimes we tease each other and say just pray that I can be patient. And in fact I give that prayer request a lot to people say how can I pray for you.

I said well sometimes patience like what am I asking for. Because when I ask you to pray for patience that means what more trials are going to come to see if I'm going to be patient. But the word patient actually means a person who bravely remains upright and firm under adverse circumstances without collapsing.