INTRODUCTION

 

1. Perhaps you have seen the bumper sticker: "When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!"

 

2. It is easier to smile at that statement than to practice it, but the basic philosophy is sound

   a. In fact, it is Biblical

   b. Throughout the Bible we find people who turned defeat into victory and trials into triumph

   c. Instead of being VICTIMS, they became VICTORS

 

3. The Epistle of James tells us that we can have this same experience today!

   a. Whether we are dealing with trials on the outside

   b. Or temptations on the inside

 

4. Sadly, many Christians don’t learn what God wants them to learn from trials.  They respond like the bird in the following story I found: Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over.

The problems began when Chippie’s owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She’d barely said “hello” when “ssssopp!” Chippie got sucked in.

The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie—still alive, but stunned.

Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . . she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.

Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.

A few days after the trauma, the reporter who’d initially written about the event contacted Chippie’s owner to see how the bird was recovering. “Well,” she replied, “Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore—he just sits and stares.”

 

5. Is that how God wants us to react when trials come into our life?  Is that all we have to look forward to learning through the trials we go through?  The answer is a resounding NO! -- Through faith in God and Jesus Christ we CAN experience victory!

 

6. The KEY to profit from trials is to obey three imperatives:

   a. COUNT - 1:2

   b. KNOW - 1:3

   c. LET - 1:4

 

I. "COUNT IT ALL JOY WHEN YOU FALL INTO DIVERS TEMPTATIONS" (1:2) “divers temptation”=various trials.

 

A. NOTICE THAT JAMES ASSUMES THAT WE WILL EXPERIENCE TRIALS...

1. He doesn't say "if" but "when"

 

2. This is because Christians must expect trials

a. So said Jesus - Jn 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

b. Paul also - Ac 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

 

3. Notice the word that James uses to describe how the believers came to experience these trials “when ye fall”  The word means “an unplanned surprising inadvertent occurrence that sort of takes you over; that surrounds you; that engulfs you.”   The particular Greek word used here is found two other times in the NT.  It is used in Luke 10:30 in the story of the man going down to Jericho who “fell among thieves”.  He wasn’t looking to be roughed up and robbed, but it happened.  The word is also used in Acts 27:41on the occasion of the ship wreck that Paul was involved in - “And falling into a place where two seas met...”  This was not something they planned, but it happened.  If you are somewhat familiar with the ocean and bodies of water you know that where two bodies of water meet there can be great forces at work. 

 

Illustration: There is a body of water in Alaska called Turnagain Arm, which is a body of water that angles off from Cook Inlet.  Cook Inlet was named after Captain James Cook, and he sailed up what is now known as Turnagain Arm looking for a shortcut around the land he had been following (Kenai Peninsula) back into what is now called Prince William Sound.  Since Turnagain Arm simple ends against some mountains, it was given this name.  The reason for mentioning all this Alaska geography is for this purpose - On many occasions when driving around Turnagain Arm I saw some great rip tides at work.  You could see this river of water moving rapidly through the rest of the sea water of the Arm.  Why?  Because of its close proximity to Cook Inlet.  This is still a rough place to find oneself, and not many venture in there with boats.

 

Trials are like that - you “fall” into them. They are not expected but they happen.  I might say, they are not expected by us, but God knew all about them.

 

4. The nature of these trials are “divers” or various sorts of trials

a. Some trials come simply because we are human

1) Sickness, accidents

2) Disappointments, death

b. Other trials come because we are Christians - 1 Pet 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:; 2 Tim 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

 

5. Because God wants to see growth in the lives of His children, we can expect trials!  As one person put it, if your taking a test there is also a test giver.  We have a test giver who loves us with all His heart!

 

B. WHAT IS TO BE THE CHRISTIAN'S RESPONSE? - "COUNT IT ALL JOY!"

 

1. This word “count” means “to give careful and deliberate judgment and consideration to something”  Basically, James is telling his readers that they needed to evaluate carefully the trials they were going through.  Rather than just plowing through them, or just putting them behind us, the exhortation is to stop and think upon what is happening and respond with a joyful attitude.

 

2. This was the attitude of:

a. The apostles - Acts 5:41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

b. The Christians - 1 Pet 1:6-8 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

 

3. Notice that James tells his brothers in Christ that they are to count the whole trial as joy, not just the easy portion of the trial.

 

4. So the first step to turning trials into triumph is to: IMMEDIATELY THANK GOD AND ADOPT A JOYFUL ATTITUDE!

 

II. "KNOWING THIS THAT THE TRYING OF YOUR FAITH WORKETH PATIENCE" (1:3)

 

A. THE RIGHT KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE VALUE OF TRIALS MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A JOYFUL ATTITUDE...

 

Illustration: Having the right knowledge about a matter can make all the difference in the world.  This was proven in December when our troops captured Sadam Hussein.  They were given credible intelligence, they acted quickly, and they caught their man.

 

1. We are to understand that:

a. Trials test our faith

b. Faith tested can bring out the best in us!

1) Just as fire purifies gold - 1 Pet 1:7 (read already in previous point)

2) Just as training makes the athlete stronger

 

2. With this understanding, we can have joy in trials because we know that:

a. Testing works FOR us, not AGAINST us - cf. 2 Cor 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

b. Trials rightly used help us to mature in Christ.

 

B. SPECIFICALLY, FAITH TESTED PRODUCES "PATIENCE"...

 

Illustration: A young, Christian man went to an older believer to ask for prayer. "Will you please pray that I may be more patient?" he asked. The aged saint agreed. They knelt together and the man began to pray, "Lord, send this young man misery in the morning; send this young man suffering in the noontime; send this young man disaster in the evening and despair before bedtime."

 

1. Notice Rom 5:3-4 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

 

2. In the BIBLE...

a. "Patience" is NOT a passive acceptance of circumstances

b. The GREEK word is HUPOMONE

1) From the preposition HUPO (under), and MENO (to remain, to abide)

2) It denotes the ability to exhibit stedfastness and constancy in the face of the most formidable difficulty!

c. It is a courageous perseverance in the face of suffering!

d. It is the continuing on even when it is rough, despite the circumstances

 

3. Such a quality of stedfastness can come only through  experiencing trials

 

4. The value of developing PATIENCE will be seen shortly...

 

III. " BUT LET PATIENCE HAVE HER PERFECT WORK" (1:4)

 

A. TO TRULY TURN TRIALS INTO TRIUMPH, WE MUST LET "PATIENCE" DO ITS WORK...

 

1. Too often, we want to get our trials or difficulties over with quickly

 

2. But there are times when the best course is to bear up under the trial patiently

a. Instead of grumbling and complaining...

b. ...patiently endure the trial, doing good despite the trial

 

B. FOR WHEN PATIENCE HAS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK, IT PRODUCES "MATURITY"!

 

1. The word PERFECT does not mean sinlessness, but "completeness, wholeness, maturity"

 

2. In the New Testament, it is used of those who:

a. Have attained to spiritual manhood in Christ

b. Have reached full maturity and understanding in spiritual matters

c. Are no longer "babes" and immature persons in Christ

 

3. Such maturity comes only when patience has had time to work!

a. Consider, for example, an endurance runner in his training

1) To be a mature runner requires letting patience do its work

2) That is, patiently running mile after mile in training

b. If we wish to run the race well spiritually speaking, we need to develop patience

1) Which comes only through a form of spiritual "resistance training"

2) That is, trials in which our faith is put to the test!

 

Conclusion: He Brought Me Here

First, He brought me here, it is by His will I am in this strait place: in that fact I will rest. Next, He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace to behave as His child. Then, He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow. Last, In His good time He can bring me out again—how and when He knows.

Let me say I am here, (1) By God’s appointment, (2) In His keeping, (3) Under His training, (4) For His time.

Andrew Murray, quoted in Though the Mountains Shake, by Amy Carmichael, p. 12

 

Let me ask you a question - How are you responding to the trials of life?  God means for His children to profit from those trials, not crumble under them.  God means to see His children grow up into spiritual maturity, and He often uses trials and tribulations to accomplish that.   “Count it all joy!”