June 17, 2012  "The Testing of the Life of Faith"

INTRO:
*Don't you love great stories of endurance, survival, and perseverance?
-What's better reading than a good biography?
-And what makes a biography good? 

*By why aren't there any biographies titled? 
"A life of Ease: the true story of a man who never had a significant challenge."

*Overcoming adversity, growing through suffering and sacrifice is what makes a person's story compelling.

*But not just that, there is more.

*Are there any biographies titled?
"Unchanged: The true story of a woman who went through trials with nothing to show for it."

*Trials, adversity and a certain response or result are what is compelling.
 
*Gracia Burnham has amazing and powerful story.
-She is in demand to tell it...but who would want to endure the trials she went through to get that story?

*It's great to have a testimony of perseverance...its never any fun to get that testimony.

*In the same way it is good to become mature, to have a grown up faith...but there is only one to that maturity of faith.
-That one-way is the testing of your faith.

*Week 2 of our study of the book of James...Reading, memorizing, praying, applying.... never too late to join us.

James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  

*James speaks of trials of many kinds: 
-These trials could include: internal struggles, external problems, physical issues, and relational trials.

*And he tells us we should consider trials...pure joy...is he nuts?

 *Okay, trials develop perseverance but can I skip the trials and just do without the perseverance?

*No, not unless you want to do without maturity.  

*Even then, you don't get to choose whether you have trials, you just what those trials accomplish or fail to accomplish in your life.

*Perseverance is a quality that is highly valued by God. 

*It describes our ability to face, bounce back from, and grow through trials.

*Perseverance is so important because it is the necessary ingredient for a mature faith.

*So trails are necessary for perseverance, which is necessary for maturity.

*It is a common human trait to look for ways around this fact...We want maturity of faith without the testing of our faith...but it doesn't work that way.

*I know people who have been through a lot but they are not spiritual giants...Do trials themselves automatically lead to maturity of faith?

*No, trials are not an automatic ticket to maturity...perseverance must finish its work...it is how we go through trials that determines their impact on our faith.

*James does not encourage us to look FOR trials so we will grow he encourage us in how to look AT trials so we will grow.

*And he encourages us in how to respond TO trials:  "Consider it pure joy"

*How in the world?  Indeed, how?

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;  8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. 

*James is not jumping from trials and spiritual maturity to an entirely new topic...

 *He is not saying..."Now, on another unrelated subject,  if you need a little wisdom, ask God and don't doubt him."

*No the wisdom he is talking about here is specific...it is tied back to trials.

*I believe that the wisdom we most need in the middle of trials is the wisdom to consider trials...pure joy.

*James is saying...consider trials pure joy...they are necessary for maturity.

*And ask God for wisdom...it is necessary to consider trials pure joy!

*When we are in the middle of a trial we often lack wisdom & perspective...we need God to give us the understanding to avoid the land mines that are everywhere during times of trial.

*We need wisdom regarding the purposes of trouble and the benefits of trials.

*We need to see the bigger picture; we need an eternal perspective.

*We need wisdom to know how to meet trials victoriously.

*"God give me wisdom in this trial...show me how to stay faithful to you, show me your purposes in it, if not the specifics of why I am going through this trial then wash my mind and empower me to have an eternal perspective in it."

*God gives this wisdom to those who ask...and keep asking.

*The barrier to getting wisdom from God in the midst of trails is not in him, but most often in us.
*We often don't have ears to hear...though he always has a voice to speak.

*We must ask and then "believe and not doubt"

*When we ask and then doubt that God will give what he has promised to give then we are in essence closing our ears to his voice.

*So our doubt affects our hearing more than his speaking...we are not positioned to hear what he says when we doubt what he has promised.

*Our doubt often becomes a filter that his words have trickle through and become distorted and confused...diluted.

*This "believe and not doubt" is not triumphalism...it is not pretending to be free from all doubts or worries.

*In this case it is simply taking God at his word and believing he will give me the wisdom I need.

*But the man who asks and then doesn't believe is a double-minded man.

*He or she is like a wave of the sea...blown and tossed by the wind.

*There is a crest; then there is a "trough"...a high and then a low.

*There is belief then there is disbelief...a "Yes" and a "no"

*How can we hear him speak wisdom when we live this way?

*But is this any different from the man in Mark 9:24 who cried "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

*Yes it is; the man Jesus encountered there was not going back and forth between belief and unbelief...he asserted his belief but then felt the inadequacy of his faith.

*He wasn't standing in the middle of fence, trying to decide "whether" to believe Jesus...he had already decided to believe and he was recognizing his belief was inadequate without Jesus helping him.
*You can be confident that God will grant wisdom in trials in his way and in his time...when you determine to trust him.

SO...
*"Why is this trial happening to me?"  For the maturity of my faith.

*"How do I have the wisdom to embrace this, endure this, understand this, and grow from this?"  Ask, and believe and God will give it."

*It is important here to discern the difference, between physical feelings and biblical faith.

*We are prone to confuse feelings or lack of feelings with faith or the lack of faith.

*Example:  At the risk of making all you romantics angry, give you some facts about what's often called the romantic stage of love. (first 6 to 18 months of a relationship)

*The chemical processes during the "romance stage" can be and in fact have been measured.

*The romance stage of relationships creates a chemical high from a combination of three natural substances.
*(P.E.A., dopamine, and nor-epinephrine).

*These are elevated in the bodies of "newly in love" couples.

*This chemical cocktail feels like a natural high when we are in the presence of a romantic interest or even thinking about our new infatuation.
 
*This chemical reaction (designed by God...You really don't believe evolution could pull this off do you?) Alters your thinking and changes the way life looks to you...smells are sweeter, music is better, youÕre "dancing in the rain!"

*This is a powerful "drug" that can make some very intelligent people do some very unintelligent things...I am not saying there is no choice...but it does help explain some of the stupidity we see worked out in the public square.

*Men and women who have not learned to discipline themselves and have chased essentially a "chemical high" have been known to throw away families for infatuation.

*Tossing aside children and long-term marriage to chase "what feels so right!"
-Yea it feels like P.E.A.

*Stupid movie: "Bridges of Madison County"
-Didn't see it...if you liked it I'm sorry (sorry you liked it)
*The book sold millions of copies

*Woman meets her true love...they knew each other 4 days...4 days!

*"Terry I know folks who meet and married in just 7 days and stayed married for 50 years."
*"Yea, the key phrase is "stayed married for 50 years" not knew each other 7 days."
  
*After "Bridges of Madison County" came out...there was a spike in women leaving their husbands for "the loves of their lives...that they just met."

*Our culture has bought this hook line and sinker...movies teach it, emotions confirm it, people believe it and families are destroyed by it.

*It is insane!
 
*So people will jump from relationship to relationship as regular as clock work...looking for a chemical "fix."

*But other live with a deep and abiding decision
-They build a track record of mutual sacrifice, of long-term commitment.

*For better or for worse beats a mere chemical attraction in every way possible.

*And if you don't see romance in a couple still in love long the P.E.A. is a factor...you don't understand romance...and by the way, the P.E.A. is still there at certain times for those couples that stay committed over the long haul
*Now, to the very important point:  We are just as likely to confuse chemicals with love as we are to confuse feelings of faith or doubt (chemical reactions?) with real faith or a lack of real faith. 

*"I don't feel his presence"
*"It seems he has deserted me"

"I feel close to God"
"I feel like God is speaking to me"
"I feel like God is in this"

"I don't feel a peace about this"

*When I was traveling to FW and staying up all night once a week...funny how my sleepy prayers became much more passionate and heartfelt after I took a no-doze and washed it down with a DP in the middle of the night.
"God, I'm feeling you now...I'm hearing you." 
*Faith boosted by caffeine?

*Feelings are important...but they do not measure real faith or lack of real faith.

*What we choose to do, decide to act on (which of course is the point of James) is an indicator of faith more so than what we are currently feeling.

*When trials are all around and all inside you...you will be unlikely to experience "feelings of faith."

*The chemicals will be all wrong...working against you...THAT IS NOT THE MEASURE OF FAITH.

*You can and you must "do what faith does."

*Live like God exists...because he does.

*Ask for wisdom...then believe and do not doubt...because God will give it.

James 1:9The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.  10 But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.  11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business. 

*Again, James is not jumping themes...he is still on track with his theme of trials.

*Trails are the great equalizer...rich and poor alike suffer and struggle.

*Its always big news when the rich and powerful suffer and struggle, why?
	1. We like them to be whittled down to our size!
	2. We are secretly surprised that they struggle just like us...

*How could he be unhappy or unhealthy...he is rich!

*But the old Kansas song "Dust in the wind" is true...all their money won't another minute buy.

-The purposes of God in the believer's life gives meaning, purpose...a high position of lasting purpose even to the lowest estate of living for the follower of Christ.

*This is what caught my attention many years ago:  A very poor man with an exalted sense of life purpose challenged my life purpose.

*The one (believer) who is rich...can rejoice that his riches mean nothing.
 
*All men and women endure trials...this is not a blanket condemnation of the rich or praise of the poor.

*The point James is making is that all will suffer trials...rich or poor.

*The challenge is to look at your circumstances; indeed look at life itself with God's wisdom.

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."  Lewis

*James is washing the perspectives of the scattered and confused believers with the truth of God...giving them the light so they can see everything around them clearly.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 

*Blessed of God, happy...possessing a good and life-changing story is the one who has stood the test (This is a Greek word for a coin tested for purity of content).

*This is not the crown of salvation James is discussing here...it is something "earned" Salvation is not earned.

*I think this is probably referring to an experience of the life of Christ in the believer.

*That experience of Christ now is our reward for faithful endurance...this is the personal testimony, the experience of knowing Christ at a deeper level.

1:13When tempted, no one should say, ÒGod is tempting me.Ó For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:16 DonÕt be deceived, my dear brothers.  17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.

*So, now has James shifted gears, has he moved on to an entirely different topic?

*No...he is still on the same theme.

*During the time of testing...there is increased temptation.

*The temptation is not from God...God cannot be successfully tempted to do evil because he is completely holy and neither does he tempt us to sin.

*The temptation to choose to sin comes from inside of us!

*What about the devil or the world around us don't they tempt us?

*Yes they are tempters for sure...but the real temptation is always really internal.

*For instance can you think of something that someone else has a great struggle with but has no or virtually no affect on you?

*You see the strength of the pull from outside forces is because of the stuff on the inside of us.

*When we give into temptation...we cannot look anywhere outside our own hearts to fix the blame.

*But the good news is we do not have to give in!

God is not sending this temptation...even though he is using this trial...HE is not in it, and so we don't have to be either.

*The trial is to grow your faith...the temptation to sin is to diminish it.

*In fact...James said, don't be deceived about all this, not only is God not the author of temptations to sin...he is the opposite; he is the author of every good and perfect gift.

*He is not fickle and changing...he is fixed, stable.

*He is not like shadows growing and shrinking on the lawn, or dancing under a tree in the noonday wind.

*He is the one who placed the stars in the sky...he is like those fixed lights...a fixed point of reference.

*So these temptations to let trials take us away from God are not from God...and God can give us what we need to get through them.

*God does not give temptations to sin...what he gives to us are good gifts.

*He gave us the greatest of all good gifts...he gave us the gospel...he gave us eternal life (new birth)

*When you consider your trials and wonder if God is truly to be trusted...let your mind run to the gospel...the best of the good gifts he has given.

Summary:
1. Consider it pure joy that everything in your life (even, or especially trials) can make you more like the Lord Jesus.

2. How in the world do I do that...ask God for his wisdom...you will need it to consider trials pure joy.

3. I know there will be temptations to turn from God during these times...to believe that a life apart from God (sin) is better or will bring some kind of relief...it is not.

4. God is not in those temptations at all...in fact God, the unchanging reference point for your life will help you navigate this and every storm with your faith intact, in fact your faith will be increased.

5. Remember, its all about Jesus...its all about the giver of good gifts...and the best of all gifts is the gospel.

Conclusion:
*I recently heard of a young person (someone I know) who experienced a severe trial.
-Less severe than some, more severe than others...but what does that matter?  The severity of a trial is not some fixed standard...it was devastating to this young person.

*And the result was a loss of perspective, and potentially loss of faith...a turning away from God and his people at the very time he was most needed.

*NO matter how many times you hear this, it is stunningly difficult to embrace...your faith will not protect you from trials...in fact trials are necessary for your faith.

*When you suffer trials of many kinds...James says..."Not only must we not be surprised, dismayed, or turn from God." 
*We are to be becoming people who consider them "Pure joy"

*All I can say to that is...I need Jesus... because without him in me...that is not going to be me when I am in a trial.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY/DISCUSSION:

1. When have trials in my life led to a deeper faith in Christ?
2. When have trials done the opposite?
3. What was the difference in those two situations?
4. Is it reasonable to ask someone to consider trials "pure joy"?  Why/Why not?  What do you think that would look like for a person going through trials?
5. Based on the study of this passage what are the key elements of being able to consider trials "pure joy"?
6. Can you think of a time when it was difficult for you to discern the difference between what you "believed" or "knew" and what you "felt"?
7. How does a maturing Christian learn to discern the difference between faith feelings and faith facts?
8. "Trials are not-optional, growth in maturity is."  Do you agree or disagree with that statement?  If you do agree what do you think it means and what are the implications for your life?