1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:01,680 You tonight, some of these you're just going to have to 2 00:00:01,680 --> 00:00:03,840 write down and kind of go back and look at them later. 3 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:06,520 We don't have enough time to look at every passage or we'll 4 00:00:06,520 --> 00:00:08,800 be here all night. But Matthew chapter 20 and verse 5 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:13,400 #27 says, and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your 6 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:16,760 servant. What a great example that James 7 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,200 is showing here. James is showing the true heart 8 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:22,960 of a pastor or a minister and exactly what that ought to be. 9 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:25,800 A servant is a bondman or a slave. 10 00:00:26,460 --> 00:00:29,260 Being a servant of God through Jesus Christ really is the 11 00:00:29,260 --> 00:00:32,820 Christian life in a nutshell. And James by just calling 12 00:00:32,820 --> 00:00:36,820 himself a servant boy, he he puts himself on the same level 13 00:00:36,820 --> 00:00:39,100 as everybody else. The ground is level at the foot 14 00:00:39,100 --> 00:00:41,620 of the cross, right? Doesn't matter who you are, 15 00:00:41,620 --> 00:00:43,820 doesn't matter what title you have or whatever else. 16 00:00:43,980 --> 00:00:45,660 We're all servants of Jesus Christ. 17 00:00:45,660 --> 00:00:47,860 That's how we approach him. That's how we are able to do 18 00:00:47,860 --> 00:00:50,900 things for Jesus Christ. But Paul often described himself 19 00:00:50,900 --> 00:00:52,940 as a servant of Jesus Christ in the same way. 20 00:00:53,180 --> 00:00:54,780 So did Peter. So did Jude. 21 00:00:55,190 --> 00:00:56,550 You can read through their epistols. 22 00:00:56,550 --> 00:00:58,790 You can read through the those books that Paul wrote. 23 00:00:59,070 --> 00:01:02,750 They they they just simply saw themselves as servants of Jesus 24 00:01:02,750 --> 00:01:05,630 Christ and and honestly that's the basic meaning of the term 25 00:01:05,630 --> 00:01:08,510 disciple. It's just somebody who submits 26 00:01:08,510 --> 00:01:11,750 to a master. The term disciple is used many 27 00:01:11,750 --> 00:01:14,110 times in the New Testament to describe a believer. 28 00:01:14,310 --> 00:01:17,510 We are just to submit to our master. 29 00:01:17,830 --> 00:01:20,470 We are servants of Jesus Christ, and Christ said that a true 30 00:01:20,470 --> 00:01:23,870 disciple continues in His word. We find that in John chapter 8 31 00:01:23,870 --> 00:01:26,670 and verse #31. But no one has the right to 32 00:01:26,670 --> 00:01:30,030 claim to be a Christian if he does not claim also to be a 33 00:01:30,030 --> 00:01:32,590 servant of Jesus Christ. That's who we are. 34 00:01:32,590 --> 00:01:36,360 We're servants, and that's what our responsibility is, is to do 35 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:41,000 nothing but be a disciple and a servant of our master. 36 00:01:41,320 --> 00:01:44,720 But I think also here we noticed that James just exhibits a 37 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:47,320 wonderful humility. Think of all the things that 38 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:51,560 James had to his name that he could have claimed, right? 39 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:54,960 But no mention of. I'm the brother of Jesus Christ. 40 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:57,360 No mention of. I'm an apostle. 41 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:00,760 No mention of by the way, I'm the pastor of the largest and 42 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:03,400 most influential church in all of Jerusalem, and really 43 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:06,180 probably in all of that area. No mention of any of those 44 00:02:06,180 --> 00:02:08,259 things. He's simply a servant. 45 00:02:08,780 --> 00:02:11,420 And as we close out looking at this introductory verse here, 46 00:02:11,420 --> 00:02:14,020 it's no small thing to notice who James said that he was a 47 00:02:14,020 --> 00:02:16,380 servant of. Look what he says there in verse 48 00:02:16,380 --> 00:02:22,460 #1, James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. 49 00:02:22,740 --> 00:02:26,820 Now that's he was a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 50 00:02:26,820 --> 00:02:30,540 And that's a very significant phrase, and it's significant for 51 00:02:30,540 --> 00:02:32,860 two reasons. Number one, this speaks of the 52 00:02:32,860 --> 00:02:38,190 deity of Jesus Christ. If Jesus were not God, it would 53 00:02:38,190 --> 00:02:41,590 be idolatrous for James to say that he was a servant of God and 54 00:02:41,590 --> 00:02:43,790 also of Jesus Christ. Right. 55 00:02:43,790 --> 00:02:45,830 There's a lot of verses that we can look at in the rest of the 56 00:02:45,830 --> 00:02:48,550 Bible that prove the deity of Jesus Christ, that prove that 57 00:02:48,590 --> 00:02:50,990 Jesus is God. But that's exactly what this is 58 00:02:50,990 --> 00:02:53,990 doing here. And remember with James being 59 00:02:53,990 --> 00:02:56,990 the first book of the New Testament that was written and 60 00:02:56,990 --> 00:03:00,470 very early on in the in the in the early church, this book is 61 00:03:00,470 --> 00:03:03,470 getting out there and James is making it very clear exactly 62 00:03:03,470 --> 00:03:05,670 where he stands on who Jesus this is. 63 00:03:06,070 --> 00:03:08,990 Remember most of the Jews rejected Jesus Christ as the 64 00:03:08,990 --> 00:03:11,150 Messiah. And why did they kill him? 65 00:03:12,630 --> 00:03:15,510 They killed him because he was being a blasphemer, saying that 66 00:03:15,510 --> 00:03:19,310 he was God, right. And James establishes very early 67 00:03:19,310 --> 00:03:22,270 on, I'm a servant of God and I'm a servant of Jesus Christ 68 00:03:22,270 --> 00:03:23,510 because they're one and the same. 69 00:03:24,230 --> 00:03:28,310 Anytime God and Jesus Christ are included together like this in 70 00:03:28,310 --> 00:03:30,390 the Bible. The Bible is telling us that 71 00:03:30,390 --> 00:03:34,390 they are the same, that they are equal of course is nothing left 72 00:03:34,390 --> 00:03:37,590 to the imagination in Philippians when when Paul tells 73 00:03:37,590 --> 00:03:41,230 us that that who being in the form of God thought it not 74 00:03:41,230 --> 00:03:45,420 robbery to be equal with God. Jesus Christ was God and it's 75 00:03:45,420 --> 00:03:48,780 not blasphemous to say that no man could be spoken of in direct 76 00:03:48,780 --> 00:03:51,180 connection with God the way that Jesus Christ was. 77 00:03:51,380 --> 00:03:53,180 Add to that the fact that all the way throughout the New 78 00:03:53,180 --> 00:03:56,860 Testament, Jesus claimed to be God, and there's a lot of people 79 00:03:56,860 --> 00:03:59,060 out there that would try to say that Jesus was a good man, he 80 00:03:59,060 --> 00:04:01,940 was a good teacher, he was a rabbi, he was, he was all this, 81 00:04:01,940 --> 00:04:05,460 but he just he wasn't God. Well, either Jesus is the 82 00:04:05,460 --> 00:04:09,220 biggest fraud that ever lived or he was God because he claimed to 83 00:04:09,220 --> 00:04:10,900 be God. And if you're going to claim to 84 00:04:10,900 --> 00:04:14,810 be God, you're not a good person if you're not God, right? 85 00:04:15,130 --> 00:04:17,329 And that's exactly who Jesus Christ was. 86 00:04:17,730 --> 00:04:20,890 He was God in the flesh, but he was all God. 87 00:04:20,890 --> 00:04:25,450 At the same time, Jesus accepted a worship of as God, which we 88 00:04:25,450 --> 00:04:28,050 see many times in the Gospels and in the epistles. 89 00:04:28,090 --> 00:04:31,610 Jesus is called God many times. So this speaks of the deity of 90 00:04:31,650 --> 00:04:35,810 Jesus Christ, for James to say, a servant of God and of the Lord 91 00:04:35,810 --> 00:04:37,490 Jesus Christ. But the second reason that 92 00:04:37,490 --> 00:04:40,410 phrase is important is because it speaks of the Trinity. 93 00:04:40,870 --> 00:04:43,150 Now, James doesn't specifically use that term. 94 00:04:44,030 --> 00:04:46,950 He doesn't use the term Son for Jesus Christ. 95 00:04:46,950 --> 00:04:50,270 He uses the term Father for God. And he actually does that no 96 00:04:50,270 --> 00:04:52,950 less than three times in the book of James calling God the 97 00:04:52,950 --> 00:04:55,110 Father. But we know by comparing 98 00:04:55,110 --> 00:04:59,070 scripture with Scripture as is, as is a wise method of 99 00:04:59,070 --> 00:05:03,020 interpretation of the Bible. Compare scripture to Scripture 100 00:05:03,340 --> 00:05:06,300 that the mystery, quote, UN quote of Jesus being described 101 00:05:06,300 --> 00:05:08,220 as equal to God is explained by the Trinity. 102 00:05:08,220 --> 00:05:12,820 God is 1 God in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and 103 00:05:12,820 --> 00:05:16,700 God the Holy Spirit. So First off we see that James 104 00:05:16,700 --> 00:05:20,140 is one of the general epistles and his introduction there lets 105 00:05:20,140 --> 00:05:23,700 us know exactly where he stands on who he is and who he believes 106 00:05:23,700 --> 00:05:26,740 Jesus Christ is. He's just a simple servant of 107 00:05:26,820 --> 00:05:29,090 Jesus Christ. But then he jumps right in and 108 00:05:29,090 --> 00:05:31,970 we find #2, the blessing of trials. 109 00:05:32,250 --> 00:05:34,850 James, chapter one and verse #2, my brethren. 110 00:05:35,290 --> 00:05:36,570 And by the way, we mentioned that. 111 00:05:36,570 --> 00:05:39,610 But over and over and over and over, you see James talking to 112 00:05:39,610 --> 00:05:41,490 them as brethren. We're we're equal. 113 00:05:41,730 --> 00:05:44,610 We're equal. Before God, my brethren counted 114 00:05:44,610 --> 00:05:48,410 all joy when you fall into divers temptations. 115 00:05:48,410 --> 00:05:50,850 Now what's he talking about? First of all, we see the nature 116 00:05:51,090 --> 00:05:54,640 and the extent of trials. James is going to differentiate. 117 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:57,480 In fact, in this first chapter, we're not going to get to it 118 00:05:57,480 --> 00:05:59,560 tonight. But he's going to differentiate 119 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:03,360 between trials and testing from God and temptation from the 120 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:05,840 devil. That word, temptation is used 121 00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:08,600 two different ways in the New Testament and of course, the way 122 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:11,360 that we always think of it. I was, you know, I'm tempted. 123 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:13,120 I can't handle the temptation, right. 124 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:14,480 That's the way. That's one of the ways that we 125 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:16,840 that we think of it. It refers to being tempted with 126 00:06:16,840 --> 00:06:18,480 evil. And we're going to see that in 127 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:21,760 verse 13 through 15. In fact, let's just read it now 128 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:23,040 so you can see what I'm talking about. 129 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:26,040 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God. 130 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:30,080 For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempted he, any 131 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:32,120 man. But every man is tempted when he 132 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:34,480 is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. 133 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:37,840 So we see that is, and that's a perfect example. 134 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:41,920 A perfect example of that would be Christ's temptation when when 135 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:44,440 he when the devil came and tempted him those three times. 136 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:46,840 That's that's the evil side of that temptation. 137 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:51,360 But it also refers to trials and sufferings in general. 138 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:53,920 We see a great example of that in this passage, which we're 139 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:56,400 going to read in just a second. But we also see it in in First 140 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:58,880 Peter. Peter talked a lot about trials 141 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:01,600 and tribulations and going through those different things. 142 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:04,280 In First Peter, chapter one of verse six, he said you are in 143 00:07:04,280 --> 00:07:07,040 heaviness through manifold temptations. 144 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:10,040 Verse Peter, chapter 4, verse 12, he called it the fiery 145 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:12,840 trial. And that's exactly what James is 146 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:14,600 referring to here. In this passage. 147 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:18,120 He's referring to troubles and sufferings that are not brought 148 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:22,200 upon ourselves by sin. Sometimes we do that, but but 149 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:25,480 sometimes a temptation, a trial. Suffering is just brought on 150 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:29,880 because we're human and because God has things that he's trying 151 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:31,760 to accomplish through that, which is exactly what we're 152 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:34,920 going to see tonight. Temptation in this sense simply 153 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,480 means testing. Now here's another thing that I 154 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:42,000 think is very interesting or or or or worth pointing out here in 155 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,920 in that second verse is James is saying that there will be 156 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:50,280 trials, there will be trials, You're going to face them. 157 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:53,480 Nobody who is a Christian is going to be able to skate 158 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:56,640 through without ever having to face a trial or temptation in 159 00:07:56,640 --> 00:07:58,760 their life. Nobody's going to make it 160 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:00,720 through without suffering. Nobody's going to make it 161 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:02,920 through living on easy street, right? 162 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:04,880 It's it's wonderful being a Christian. 163 00:08:05,270 --> 00:08:07,750 Christian life is an absolute joy to live. 164 00:08:07,950 --> 00:08:09,510 There's no other way that I would want to live. 165 00:08:09,510 --> 00:08:13,110 But it does not mean that you're going to go through life with no 166 00:08:13,630 --> 00:08:16,230 hurt, with no trials, with no temptations. 167 00:08:16,510 --> 00:08:19,630 Notice, he says. My brother encountered all joy 168 00:08:19,750 --> 00:08:22,430 when you fall into divers. Temptations. 169 00:08:22,430 --> 00:08:24,790 Not if. If there was a possibility that 170 00:08:24,790 --> 00:08:27,110 we could get through life without it, then he would have 171 00:08:27,110 --> 00:08:29,190 said count on all joy. If you fall into diverse 172 00:08:29,190 --> 00:08:32,110 temptations, he says when because he's saying it's going 173 00:08:32,110 --> 00:08:34,830 to happen, you're going to fall into those temptations. 174 00:08:34,950 --> 00:08:39,110 It's it is God's will to allow his people to be subject to 175 00:08:39,110 --> 00:08:42,710 troubles in this present life. We're going to go through those 176 00:08:42,710 --> 00:08:46,030 trials to every child of God. What he's saying here is don't 177 00:08:46,030 --> 00:08:49,750 be surprised by trouble. You're going to go through it. 178 00:08:49,950 --> 00:08:52,310 Don't be confused. Don't be angry at God. 179 00:08:52,310 --> 00:08:55,710 Don't be swayed, don't faint. Under the trial, don't be turned 180 00:08:55,710 --> 00:08:57,830 aside. You're going to go through those 181 00:08:57,830 --> 00:09:00,070 things, so you might as well turn and face them. 182 00:09:00,750 --> 00:09:04,670 Notice that James also says that we fall into trials. 183 00:09:05,110 --> 00:09:07,550 I think that gives us the idea that we fall in the trials 184 00:09:07,590 --> 00:09:10,550 unexpectedly. Well, you could be smooth sail 185 00:09:10,550 --> 00:09:12,790 and you can go right along and boom, the next thing you know 186 00:09:12,790 --> 00:09:14,550 you're in the middle of something that you never saw 187 00:09:14,550 --> 00:09:16,930 coming, right. It's like walking along in a 188 00:09:16,930 --> 00:09:19,370 path and all the sudden you the bottom drops out and you 189 00:09:19,370 --> 00:09:23,090 disappear into a pit. Right when we were, I was 190 00:09:23,090 --> 00:09:26,730 working on the, the addition on our house actually is putting 191 00:09:26,730 --> 00:09:29,810 the porch on the front of it. We had a bunch of holes dug over 192 00:09:29,810 --> 00:09:32,690 there and my wife was walking along one day and stepped on one 193 00:09:32,690 --> 00:09:34,970 of the boards that was supposed to be solid and it wasn't. 194 00:09:35,410 --> 00:09:38,370 And she fell down into that hole and cut her leg on the way down. 195 00:09:39,050 --> 00:09:42,650 It's and that's a lot of times the way that we fall into divers 196 00:09:42,650 --> 00:09:45,290 temptations, right. We're not expecting it. 197 00:09:45,680 --> 00:09:48,440 We don't know that it's coming or we would avoid it, right? 198 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:51,680 But we fall into those temptations, which means it's 199 00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:54,560 it's like I'm walking along and suddenly I fall into this hole. 200 00:09:54,560 --> 00:09:57,280 But God is in control. God knows that it's going to 201 00:09:57,280 --> 00:10:00,400 happen. God allows it to happen and 202 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:02,000 we're going to fall into those trials. 203 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,400 And I and I think we see lastly when it comes to the extent of 204 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:06,800 our trials that there are divers temptations. 205 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:09,720 Now divers doesn't mean that you're going to be tempted by 206 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:13,600 somebody that's diving, right? Divers literally means diverse 207 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:17,960 or diversity, different kinds of temptations, and there's a lot 208 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:19,920 of different types of temptations that we're going to 209 00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:22,560 face in our life. When it comes to suffering and 210 00:10:22,560 --> 00:10:26,040 trials, there's certainly persecution, but there's also 211 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:30,520 sickness, there's poverty, there's grief over the loss of 212 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:33,760 some loved one. There's there's slander, there's 213 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:36,080 false accusations. There's all kinds of different 214 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:38,560 types of trials that we're going to face. 215 00:10:39,680 --> 00:10:43,040 And we see in multiple places in Matthew and John and Acts and 216 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:45,520 1st Thessalonians and Second Timothy and Hebrews and first 217 00:10:45,520 --> 00:10:49,880 Peter that faithfulness in those trials is a major theme of the 218 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:53,000 entire New Testament. Now, obviously James makes that 219 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:56,760 one of the major themes in his book, but we see that theme 220 00:10:56,760 --> 00:10:58,320 throughout the entire New Testament. 221 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:00,960 Faithfulness in the middle of those trials. 222 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:03,760 Boy, there the there. There wouldn't be so much of an 223 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:07,080 emphasis on it in the New Testament if it only happened 224 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:09,990 every so often. If only a few Christians here 225 00:11:09,990 --> 00:11:13,190 and there fell into those temptations, the sufferings, 226 00:11:13,190 --> 00:11:15,750 those trials. No, we all face it, and we all 227 00:11:15,750 --> 00:11:17,630 face it multiple times in our life. 228 00:11:17,670 --> 00:11:20,990 And our faithfulness in the middle of those temptations and 229 00:11:20,990 --> 00:11:23,270 those trials is what this focus on. 230 00:11:23,270 --> 00:11:25,790 So this temptation that He's Speaking of in this passage is 231 00:11:25,790 --> 00:11:30,790 testing that is ordained by God and designed to be a blessing to 232 00:11:30,790 --> 00:11:33,150 us. Now nobody ever looks at it as a 233 00:11:33,150 --> 00:11:35,110 blessing. Oh, what a wonderful thing. 234 00:11:35,110 --> 00:11:37,390 I can't wait till the next time I go through something 235 00:11:37,390 --> 00:11:39,440 difficult. Nobody says that. 236 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:40,960 But God designed it. Why did? 237 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:44,240 Why would he, say, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall 238 00:11:44,240 --> 00:11:46,400 into diverse temptations. By the way, we're going to talk 239 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:48,520 about this next week. It doesn't mean that you got to 240 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:52,040 be happy and Getty through the temptation counted all joy. 241 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:54,840 Doesn't mean that you have to say yay, I love temptations. 242 00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:57,080 This is wonderful. That's not what he's talking 243 00:11:57,080 --> 00:11:59,200 about in that passage. But we'll get to that next week. 244 00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:03,520 We looked at then the nature and the extent of trials. 245 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:05,720 But I also want you to see this in the next verse. 246 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:08,160 And that is the purpose of those trials. 247 00:12:08,510 --> 00:12:12,510 James chapter one and verse #3 says, knowing this, that the 248 00:12:12,510 --> 00:12:16,230 trying of your faith worketh patience. 249 00:12:16,670 --> 00:12:18,230 Now turn over. Keep your finger there in James 250 00:12:18,230 --> 00:12:20,150 chapter One, but turn over, if you will, the first Peter 251 00:12:20,150 --> 00:12:22,230 Chapter one. First Peter, chapter one. 252 00:12:22,230 --> 00:12:25,550 I'm going to give you a few purposes in our trials, if you 253 00:12:25,550 --> 00:12:27,150 will, that we find in this passage here. 254 00:12:27,150 --> 00:12:30,430 But the first one is that suffering is a trying of the 255 00:12:30,430 --> 00:12:33,030 faith. Suffering is a trying of the 256 00:12:33,030 --> 00:12:35,470 faith. First, Peter chapter one in 257 00:12:35,470 --> 00:12:40,440 verse #7 says this, that the trial of your faith, being much 258 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:44,280 more precious than of gold that perishes though it be tried with 259 00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:49,280 fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the at 260 00:12:49,280 --> 00:12:53,840 the appearing of Jesus Christ. Faith is purified by suffering, 261 00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:56,400 the same way that gold is purified by the fire. 262 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:00,240 Gold that's never been through the fire is not worth a whole 263 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:02,280 lot. It's impure. 264 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:05,080 It's got it's it's it's it's not. 265 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:07,990 It's not very clear. It's not worth a whole lot. 266 00:13:08,470 --> 00:13:11,350 But gold that has been refined because it's been through that 267 00:13:11,350 --> 00:13:14,110 fire process is gold that's valuable. 268 00:13:14,110 --> 00:13:15,350 It's gold that's worth something. 269 00:13:15,350 --> 00:13:18,150 It's gold that's pure. And the same is true of our 270 00:13:18,150 --> 00:13:20,550 faith. The trying of faith is a main 271 00:13:20,550 --> 00:13:22,350 reason why the believer has troubles. 272 00:13:22,510 --> 00:13:25,470 It's a main reason why we have to wait for the fulfillment of 273 00:13:25,470 --> 00:13:28,270 God's promises. It's a main reason why we as 274 00:13:28,270 --> 00:13:31,030 believers are subject to all sorts of difficulties and 275 00:13:31,030 --> 00:13:34,830 struggles and and lacks, if you will, and frustrating 276 00:13:34,830 --> 00:13:36,590 circumstances in this present life. 277 00:13:36,590 --> 00:13:39,430 It's main reason why God does not answer our prayers 278 00:13:39,430 --> 00:13:42,390 immediately, right? God has the ability to do that, 279 00:13:42,390 --> 00:13:45,030 doesn't he? If we could pray today and he 280 00:13:45,030 --> 00:13:47,350 can answer it in the next 10 seconds if he wanted to, no 281 00:13:47,350 --> 00:13:50,670 matter how big the request is. But why does God let our prayer 282 00:13:50,670 --> 00:13:53,870 request linger sometimes? Why does it seem that God is 283 00:13:53,870 --> 00:13:55,870 slow to answer our request sometimes? 284 00:13:56,030 --> 00:13:58,070 It's because it's the trying of our faith. 285 00:13:58,630 --> 00:14:03,070 And the trying of our faith is what produces that that 286 00:14:03,070 --> 00:14:06,210 purification, if you will. And there's a number of reasons 287 00:14:06,210 --> 00:14:07,810 that the Bible gives us for suffering. 288 00:14:08,130 --> 00:14:10,130 I, I, I'm only going to look at one of these verses. 289 00:14:10,130 --> 00:14:13,010 There's a there's a good number of them here if you want to and 290 00:14:13,010 --> 00:14:15,650 if you can write these verses down and use it as a as 291 00:14:15,650 --> 00:14:17,970 something to study through in your devotions this week. 292 00:14:18,370 --> 00:14:21,890 But there's a number of reasons why the Bible says that we are 293 00:14:21,890 --> 00:14:24,530 going to suffer #1. We suffer because we live in a 294 00:14:24,530 --> 00:14:27,250 cursed world. We find that in Roman chapter 8, 295 00:14:27,250 --> 00:14:31,730 in verse 22 and 23, everything we do in this world is tainted 296 00:14:31,890 --> 00:14:34,580 by sin. Had there been no sin, there 297 00:14:34,580 --> 00:14:37,540 would be no taint, right? Had there been no sin, 298 00:14:37,540 --> 00:14:39,020 everything would still be perfect. 299 00:14:39,740 --> 00:14:41,660 Adam and Eve sinned and passed on to us. 300 00:14:41,820 --> 00:14:43,820 We sin. We're no different than they 301 00:14:43,820 --> 00:14:45,660 are. We have the choice in whether we 302 00:14:45,660 --> 00:14:47,700 sin or not. We could be perfect. 303 00:14:47,780 --> 00:14:51,900 We're just not right. And it's it's impossible for us 304 00:14:51,900 --> 00:14:54,220 to be perfect because we have that sin nature and because 305 00:14:54,220 --> 00:14:55,700 we're humans and we're going to sin. 306 00:14:55,900 --> 00:14:59,020 But we ought to be trying not to be sinning all the time. 307 00:14:59,020 --> 00:15:01,780 We ought to be trying to be holy, as God is holy. 308 00:15:01,860 --> 00:15:04,960 So we have the choice. We just often make the wrong 309 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:06,760 choice. And because we live in a cursed 310 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:09,640 world, everything we do is tainted by that curse that came 311 00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:12,680 about because of the man's fall. So that's one of the reasons for 312 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:14,360 suffering. Another reason we suffer is so 313 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:16,440 that we can help others. We find that in Second 314 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:19,160 Corinthians chapter one and verse three through verse seven. 315 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:24,080 It's it's through that suffering that we learn the lessons that 316 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:27,680 God teaches us that we can use to then help somebody else who 317 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:30,400 is going through the same thing or something similar to what 318 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:33,400 we're going through, right. God allows us to go through 319 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:35,640 those things so that we can be a help to others who are going to 320 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:38,600 go through those things as well. It could be somebody in your own 321 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:40,080 family. It could be somebody in your 322 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:41,880 church. It could be it could be somebody 323 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:43,920 anywhere that you can help through those things. 324 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:46,040 But that's one of the reasons why God allows us to go through 325 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:48,480 the suffering #3. We suffer so that we're not 326 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:50,960 trust ourselves. We find that in Second 327 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:52,960 Corinthians chapter one, verse 8:00 and 9:00. 328 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:56,120 It's it's through suffering that God takes away that 329 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:58,240 self-confidence. Right. 330 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:02,280 If I could just plow my way through it and make it out the 331 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:05,200 other side without any assistance, without God, without 332 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:07,680 any of those things, well, then I could trust in my flesh. 333 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:10,800 I could trust in myself. But God allows us to go through 334 00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:14,640 those difficult times to prove to us that we need Him, Helps us 335 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:19,840 keep our eyes on Him. That's a necessary part of why 336 00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:23,020 we have to suffer sometimes. And honestly, the harder the 337 00:16:23,020 --> 00:16:26,620 harder headed we are, the the the longer and more difficult 338 00:16:26,620 --> 00:16:28,900 the suffering is a lot of times because of that. 339 00:16:29,380 --> 00:16:32,460 Look, you you allow yourself to be pliable and soft and 340 00:16:32,460 --> 00:16:35,300 moldable. Sometimes we don't have to go 341 00:16:35,340 --> 00:16:38,460 through as difficult of things. That doesn't mean that that our 342 00:16:38,460 --> 00:16:41,780 life is going to be easy either, but the but the we we make it 343 00:16:41,780 --> 00:16:44,580 easy on ourselves. When we realize the the earlier 344 00:16:44,580 --> 00:16:47,500 we realized that God is in control and that we need him 345 00:16:47,940 --> 00:16:49,780 that we can't. We don't have everything under 346 00:16:49,780 --> 00:16:52,320 control. And here's another reason why #4 347 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:55,160 We suffer to keep us humble. Kind of goes right along the 348 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:56,560 same thing. But in Second Corinthians 349 00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:58,040 chapter 12. That's the whole story of the 350 00:16:58,040 --> 00:16:59,240 Apostle Paul, right? He was. 351 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:02,720 He had the thorn in the flesh, and he begged God to take that 352 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:04,520 thorn in the flesh away from him. 353 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:07,640 Three times he asked God to take that away from him. 354 00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:11,079 God said no, it's necessary for you, right? 355 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:13,880 Charles Spurgeon said that one of his greatest spiritual 356 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:17,200 battles was with pride. He said it's a part of the old 357 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:20,650 flesh and and Paul prayed to ask God to remove that. 358 00:17:20,650 --> 00:17:23,450 But God said that it was necessary to keep him humble. 359 00:17:23,770 --> 00:17:26,010 And that's why we need trials, boy. 360 00:17:26,010 --> 00:17:27,490 We get to thinking that we're something. 361 00:17:27,490 --> 00:17:30,850 A lot of times God has to humble us sometimes by sending us 362 00:17:30,850 --> 00:17:34,130 through those trials. The fifth reason why God allows 363 00:17:34,130 --> 00:17:36,050 us to suffer is because of persecution. 364 00:17:36,570 --> 00:17:40,170 We find that in Second Timothy chapter three, we live in the 365 00:17:40,170 --> 00:17:43,080 enemy's territory. And since the devil and his 366 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:45,920 people hate God and they hate Jesus Christ, we can we can be 367 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:48,320 sure that they hate those who represent God and those who 368 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:51,240 represent Jesus Christ, right? Why do you think it is that 369 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:53,160 they're trying to take the 10 commandments down out of every 370 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:55,440 courthouse? Why do they want the Manger seem 371 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:56,920 to be removed from the public squares? 372 00:17:56,920 --> 00:17:59,480 Why do they want no mention of Jesus name in a prayer or 373 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:01,920 anything else? Because they hate him and they 374 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:03,520 hate anybody that represents him. 375 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:06,280 So you can bet that you're going to be persecuted for that. 376 00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:09,120 And that's that just comes from being being a Christian. 377 00:18:09,670 --> 00:18:11,990 And sometimes that's suffering that we have to endure. 378 00:18:12,590 --> 00:18:15,830 Number six, we suffered to correct sin and to mature us in 379 00:18:15,990 --> 00:18:18,430 Jesus Christ. We find that in Hebrews chapter 380 00:18:18,430 --> 00:18:20,510 12. But that passage teaches us a 381 00:18:20,510 --> 00:18:22,630 few things. Number one, that God is a good 382 00:18:22,630 --> 00:18:24,110 father and he corrects his children. 383 00:18:24,870 --> 00:18:28,070 And that's exactly what a good father does, right. 384 00:18:28,150 --> 00:18:30,310 A good father is going to correct his children. 385 00:18:31,390 --> 00:18:33,350 How? How horrible of a father would I 386 00:18:33,350 --> 00:18:36,190 have to be to allow my kids to go run out in the street and not 387 00:18:36,190 --> 00:18:38,350 say anything to them because, well, I don't want to hurt their 388 00:18:38,350 --> 00:18:41,270 feelings or I don't want them to not like me. 389 00:18:41,710 --> 00:18:43,630 So I'm, I'm not going to correct them. 390 00:18:43,630 --> 00:18:47,070 And I I just hope that a car doesn't hit him someday, right. 391 00:18:47,070 --> 00:18:49,750 What kind of father would I be if I didn't say, get out of the 392 00:18:49,750 --> 00:18:52,630 road, you're going to get hurt. And if he doesn't get out of the 393 00:18:52,630 --> 00:18:54,470 road, he gets spanked. He's got to know that there's 394 00:18:54,470 --> 00:18:57,230 consequences for that disobedience, right. 395 00:18:57,230 --> 00:18:58,510 And. And what kind of father would 396 00:18:58,510 --> 00:19:01,390 God be if he didn't discipline us when we needed that 397 00:19:01,390 --> 00:19:04,830 discipline and when we needed that maturity, Right. 398 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:07,720 I would hope that a that a 10 year old kid would know better 399 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:09,640 than to go run out and play in the street, right? 400 00:19:10,040 --> 00:19:13,360 Because with that, with that maturity comes a greater 401 00:19:13,360 --> 00:19:15,160 understanding of what's harmful for you. 402 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:17,680 But a 2 year old kid doesn't know any different. 403 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:20,400 It looks fun to him. He's just going to go running 404 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:23,720 out into the street. So with maturity comes the 405 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:26,720 understanding of what we need to do as Christians and that's 406 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,600 where God's trying to get us. He's trying to trying to mature 407 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:32,320 us as Christians. Discipline is not a pleasant 408 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:36,520 thing, and we are often tempted to despise that discipline and 409 00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:39,280 to hate the one who brings that discipline in our lives. 410 00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:41,960 I can't stand it. Why would God do that to me? 411 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:44,440 I know that I haven't been exactly what I need to be, but 412 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:46,440 why would he do that to me? Why would he allow that to 413 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:49,720 happen? We're tempted to faint, to stop 414 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:54,040 serving and stop praying to turn away, but God's chastening is 415 00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:57,690 evidence of salvation. And let me add here that some 416 00:19:57,930 --> 00:20:01,490 argue against the doctrine of eternal security by claiming 417 00:20:01,890 --> 00:20:05,530 that if this doctrine were true, then a believer could live 418 00:20:05,530 --> 00:20:09,330 however he wants to live. If eternal security is true, 419 00:20:09,330 --> 00:20:10,730 then we can live however we want. 420 00:20:10,810 --> 00:20:13,130 But those who make that argument don't understand that salvation 421 00:20:13,130 --> 00:20:17,810 is a new birth, and those who continue to live as they please 422 00:20:17,930 --> 00:20:21,750 have never been born again. If you can live the exact same 423 00:20:21,750 --> 00:20:25,270 way after you are saved as you did before you were saved, then 424 00:20:25,270 --> 00:20:27,470 I would highly doubt that you were ever saved in the 1st 425 00:20:27,470 --> 00:20:30,310 place. You are a new creature in 426 00:20:30,310 --> 00:20:33,430 Christ, and if you are not a new creature in Christ, then you're 427 00:20:33,430 --> 00:20:37,670 still an old creature in sin. Jesus Christ changes your life. 428 00:20:37,670 --> 00:20:40,750 The new birth gives a person a love for God and he no longer 429 00:20:40,750 --> 00:20:43,550 wants to live that life. That's contrary to God's will. 430 00:20:44,210 --> 00:20:47,010 If a person can live as he pleases and not be chasing by 431 00:20:47,010 --> 00:20:49,970 God, I would argue that he is not God's child and that's why 432 00:20:49,970 --> 00:20:54,890 God doesn't chasing him. We suffer because we have to 433 00:20:54,890 --> 00:20:58,050 have that sin corrected and we have to be matured in Jesus 434 00:20:58,050 --> 00:20:59,810 Christ. Now turn over to First Peter 435 00:20:59,810 --> 00:21:01,090 chapter 2. I told you I was going to have 436 00:21:01,090 --> 00:21:02,690 you look at one passage and this is it. 437 00:21:02,690 --> 00:21:05,650 First Peter chapter 2. And this is the last reason why. 438 00:21:06,130 --> 00:21:08,010 And there's more. But but these are the ones that 439 00:21:08,010 --> 00:21:12,970 I chose to focus on tonight. Reasons why the Scriptures give 440 00:21:12,970 --> 00:21:15,590 us for suffering. First, Peter chapter 2 and verse 441 00:21:15,590 --> 00:21:21,710 #19 says this. For this is thankworthy If a man 442 00:21:21,710 --> 00:21:24,470 for conscience toward God, endure grief, suffering 443 00:21:24,470 --> 00:21:28,670 wrongfully, For what glory is it if when you be buffeted for your 444 00:21:28,670 --> 00:21:31,430 fault, you shall take it patiently, but if when you do 445 00:21:31,430 --> 00:21:33,390 well and suffer for it, you take it patiently. 446 00:21:33,510 --> 00:21:37,030 This is acceptable with God. For even here, on to where you 447 00:21:37,030 --> 00:21:41,030 call because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an 448 00:21:41,030 --> 00:21:43,150 example that she should follow his steps. 449 00:21:43,350 --> 00:21:47,790 That whole context is talking about suffering, and we're 450 00:21:47,790 --> 00:21:50,710 called to be like Christ in the way that he suffered. 451 00:21:51,070 --> 00:21:55,230 So sometimes we are allowed to suffer so that we can follow in 452 00:21:55,230 --> 00:21:59,150 Christ's footsteps. He was hated, He was mocked, He 453 00:21:59,150 --> 00:22:03,470 was doubted, He was lied about, He was rejected, He was beaten, 454 00:22:03,670 --> 00:22:06,550 He was crucified. And his people should not expect 455 00:22:06,550 --> 00:22:08,630 anything different in this world. 456 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:13,440 So #2, I want you to see this. Trials work The blessing of 457 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:15,760 patience. Trials work The blessing of 458 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:17,720 patience. Turn over to Romans chapter 3. 459 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:21,200 We're talking about the purpose of trials, and we said that 460 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:22,720 suffering is a trying of the faith. 461 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:26,080 But #2 trials work. The blessing of patience. 462 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:30,320 Romans chapter 3 and verse #3. And I think this is a great 463 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:34,040 explanation of just exactly what James is trying to get across 464 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:37,680 here in this passage. He says in in Roman chapter 5 465 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:40,800 and verse #3 and not only so, but we glory and tribulations 466 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:43,360 also. Knowing that tribulation work is 467 00:22:43,360 --> 00:22:48,280 patience and patience, experience and experience, hope 468 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:51,920 and hope maketh not a shame because the love of God is shed 469 00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:56,720 abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. 470 00:22:57,120 --> 00:23:02,120 Back in James chapter one, verse #3, he says knowing this, that 471 00:23:02,120 --> 00:23:05,420 the trying of your faith work as patients. 472 00:23:05,420 --> 00:23:09,660 The word knowing is not an instinctive knowledge, but it's 473 00:23:09,660 --> 00:23:13,140 knowledge that's gradually obtained through the school of 474 00:23:13,140 --> 00:23:17,620 Hard Knocks, if you will, or through long experience trying. 475 00:23:17,620 --> 00:23:21,220 Knowing this first at the trying of your faith, trying refers to 476 00:23:21,260 --> 00:23:25,300 a sufficiently difficult experience that pushes us beyond 477 00:23:25,540 --> 00:23:28,100 our previously known limits. And I hate to remind the kids 478 00:23:28,100 --> 00:23:31,060 about school because it's right around the corner, but you've 479 00:23:31,060 --> 00:23:33,060 ever remember taking a test in school? 480 00:23:34,010 --> 00:23:36,330 Was that test there to teach you something new? 481 00:23:36,410 --> 00:23:39,810 Hopefully it wasn't. No, the test wasn't there to 482 00:23:39,810 --> 00:23:42,290 teach you something new. The test was there to reveal 483 00:23:42,290 --> 00:23:45,650 what you already knew or what new things you had learned, 484 00:23:45,730 --> 00:23:47,450 right? That's what a test is for. 485 00:23:47,770 --> 00:23:49,130 And that's exactly what he's talking about. 486 00:23:49,130 --> 00:23:51,930 It's the idea behind the trying of your faith. 487 00:23:52,170 --> 00:23:56,530 Faith is mentioned here as the first of 16 times in the book of 488 00:23:56,530 --> 00:23:58,770 James. Again, as we already discussed, 489 00:23:58,770 --> 00:24:02,050 one of the themes of the book is active faith, not just passive 490 00:24:02,050 --> 00:24:05,460 faith, right? And then we see worketh knowing 491 00:24:05,460 --> 00:24:08,820 this first, that the trying of your faith worketh patients. 492 00:24:08,820 --> 00:24:12,260 And this is actually the first of the links between faith and 493 00:24:12,260 --> 00:24:14,820 works that we find in the book of James. 494 00:24:14,820 --> 00:24:17,340 And here he is already talking about it there in just the first 495 00:24:17,340 --> 00:24:20,820 couple verses. But faith is rest and trust. 496 00:24:21,140 --> 00:24:23,300 But it has to be accompanied by labor. 497 00:24:23,420 --> 00:24:27,060 Faith is not labor. Faith is not work, but it's 498 00:24:27,100 --> 00:24:29,780 evidence or revealed to others by work. 499 00:24:30,660 --> 00:24:34,380 And as a tool, it only accomplishes something when we 500 00:24:34,380 --> 00:24:38,500 exercise that faith right. It only accomplishes something 501 00:24:38,500 --> 00:24:41,180 when we use it as the tool that is supposed to, that is supposed 502 00:24:41,180 --> 00:24:44,300 to be used as so in this particular application, Faith is 503 00:24:44,300 --> 00:24:48,220 tested and tried by our response to difficulty and our patient 504 00:24:48,340 --> 00:24:52,060 perseverance in that difficulty is the work that accompanies our 505 00:24:52,060 --> 00:24:53,740 faith. They work hand in hand. 506 00:24:53,740 --> 00:24:56,520 You can't have one without the other, which brings us to the 507 00:24:56,520 --> 00:24:58,240 patience that he's talking about here. 508 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:01,000 Patience is that endurance under suffering. 509 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:04,880 He says, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh 510 00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:07,920 patience. Patience is mentioned seven 511 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:11,640 times in the epistle of James. Obviously that's something that 512 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:16,280 he's putting the focus on if he mentioned something 7 times, but 513 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:20,640 this is absolutely necessary to Christians serving and praying 514 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:24,200 to a God who has a whole different concept of time than 515 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:26,160 we do. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 516 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:27,800 one. Wherefore seeing we also are 517 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:31,200 compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay 518 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:34,480 aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us, 519 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:39,600 and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. 520 00:25:40,100 --> 00:25:43,900 We have to be patient in fruit bearing, patient in prayer, 521 00:25:44,100 --> 00:25:47,700 patient in our expectation of His return, patient in seeing 522 00:25:47,700 --> 00:25:51,060 the scriptures proven true, patient in receiving promises, 523 00:25:51,220 --> 00:25:54,340 patience in running this earthly race right. 524 00:25:54,340 --> 00:25:57,900 There's patience is necessary for every aspect of the 525 00:25:57,900 --> 00:26:01,140 Christian life, and as I've said before, our culture, more than 526 00:26:01,140 --> 00:26:04,500 at any other time in in human history, is geared toward 527 00:26:04,580 --> 00:26:07,500 impatience. Give it to me and give it to me 528 00:26:07,500 --> 00:26:09,960 now. And if I can't get it right now, 529 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:11,840 then I'm gonna go somewhere else, right? 530 00:26:12,120 --> 00:26:20,440 How many times have you you pulled up to a I don't know any 531 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:22,520 number of things where it wouldn't have been hard for you 532 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:24,880 to get out and go in. Let's just say a drive through, 533 00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:27,560 right? And the screen is down. 534 00:26:28,300 --> 00:26:30,300 All you got to do is pull around to get out and walk into the 535 00:26:30,300 --> 00:26:31,900 store. And you're already there, right? 536 00:26:31,900 --> 00:26:33,780 But how many times have you said, well, forget this, I'm 537 00:26:33,780 --> 00:26:36,460 going somewhere else and you drive 20 minutes up the road to 538 00:26:36,460 --> 00:26:38,500 go to another drive through. That's working, right? 539 00:26:38,820 --> 00:26:41,180 Because we want it now and we don't care how long we have to 540 00:26:41,180 --> 00:26:43,780 wait to get it now, but we just want it now, right? 541 00:26:43,780 --> 00:26:48,540 And that's, that's that's why we have to learn patience in our 542 00:26:48,540 --> 00:26:51,260 Christian life, because we as a people are trained to be 543 00:26:51,260 --> 00:26:53,420 impatient. We want it, right? 544 00:26:53,420 --> 00:26:54,900 We want it and we want it right now. 545 00:26:54,900 --> 00:26:57,580 And that's that's what our world is giving us at the moment, 546 00:26:57,580 --> 00:26:59,300 right. I mentioned that on Sunday about 547 00:26:59,300 --> 00:27:01,980 Amazon, right? If I can't get it in two days, 548 00:27:01,980 --> 00:27:03,620 I'm going to order it from somewhere else. 549 00:27:03,620 --> 00:27:05,020 I'm not going to get it from there, man. 550 00:27:05,020 --> 00:27:07,620 That's that's going to take three or four days to get here. 551 00:27:08,260 --> 00:27:10,740 Forget that. I'll I'll pay $10 more to get it 552 00:27:10,740 --> 00:27:13,220 somewhere else if I can get it tomorrow, right. 553 00:27:13,220 --> 00:27:15,500 That's how that's how we are. And that's how our culture is 554 00:27:15,500 --> 00:27:17,660 training us. That's not how the Christian 555 00:27:17,660 --> 00:27:20,970 life works. And so when we go through these 556 00:27:20,970 --> 00:27:24,290 difficulties and when we go through these trials, we have to 557 00:27:24,290 --> 00:27:26,850 learn that patience because that's how God operates. 558 00:27:27,530 --> 00:27:30,410 What we find here is that patience and faith go hand in 559 00:27:30,410 --> 00:27:33,690 hand with all that patience does for a spiritually. 560 00:27:33,690 --> 00:27:37,250 We should look at the trials and the testings as being a thing of 561 00:27:37,250 --> 00:27:41,210 joy because they bring patience, which in turn eventually brings 562 00:27:41,490 --> 00:27:44,530 everything else. If you have faith, then you have 563 00:27:44,530 --> 00:27:46,890 patience in trials, and if you have patience, it's because you 564 00:27:46,890 --> 00:27:49,210 have faith #3. I want you to see this. 565 00:27:49,210 --> 00:27:52,810 Suffering produces spiritual growth Back in James chapter one 566 00:27:52,810 --> 00:27:55,890 and verse #4, This is what we're going to end with tonight. 567 00:27:56,370 --> 00:28:00,010 Suffering produces spiritual growth, but let patience he 568 00:28:00,010 --> 00:28:01,850 says. So back to verse 3. 569 00:28:02,010 --> 00:28:05,890 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith work is patience. 570 00:28:06,290 --> 00:28:10,530 But let patience have her perfect work, that she may be 571 00:28:10,610 --> 00:28:13,610 perfect and entire wanting nothing. 572 00:28:13,610 --> 00:28:16,410 Without this, Patience will never become mature Christians, 573 00:28:16,710 --> 00:28:18,830 which I told you. The overriding theme of the 574 00:28:18,830 --> 00:28:24,590 entire book of James is maturing us as Christians, right? 575 00:28:24,590 --> 00:28:27,910 He talks about perfect, he mentions it in that verse. 576 00:28:27,910 --> 00:28:31,830 Patience has to be allowed to have her perfect work, her work 577 00:28:31,830 --> 00:28:36,150 of completing and maturing us and making us complete or 578 00:28:36,150 --> 00:28:37,950 mature. So even well meaning and 579 00:28:37,950 --> 00:28:41,870 spiritual people who are serving God will mess spiritual service 580 00:28:41,910 --> 00:28:45,060 up by being impatient. We can get out in front of God 581 00:28:45,060 --> 00:28:48,220 even when even when we're trying to do God's things, even when 582 00:28:48,220 --> 00:28:50,460 we're trying to serve God, Even when we're trying to live for 583 00:28:50,460 --> 00:28:54,980 God, we have that impatience we get in front of him and we can 584 00:28:54,980 --> 00:28:57,060 mess a lot of things up spiritually. 585 00:28:57,540 --> 00:29:01,180 We can actually resist God's work by refusing to accept the 586 00:29:01,180 --> 00:29:03,300 trials that He's designed for us. 587 00:29:04,380 --> 00:29:08,100 Listen, God is giving us those trials as a way to teach us 588 00:29:08,100 --> 00:29:10,140 patience and as a way to refine us. 589 00:29:10,340 --> 00:29:12,940 And when we block at those trials and say, I'm not going to 590 00:29:12,940 --> 00:29:15,220 go through that, then essentially what we're doing is 591 00:29:15,220 --> 00:29:18,940 blocking at God's desire to refine us into exactly who He 592 00:29:18,940 --> 00:29:21,780 wants us to be. It's also possible to let the 593 00:29:21,780 --> 00:29:25,060 trials have some benefit, but not all of the benefit that God 594 00:29:25,060 --> 00:29:28,740 wants us to get out of it. Let patients have her perfect 595 00:29:28,740 --> 00:29:32,190 work, her complete work, worrying about our 596 00:29:32,190 --> 00:29:35,310 circumstances. We're resisting the God who said 597 00:29:35,430 --> 00:29:39,030 that all things work together for good to them that love God, 598 00:29:39,030 --> 00:29:41,110 and to them who are the called according to His purpose. 599 00:29:41,310 --> 00:29:45,710 Do you believe that or not? That includes the good things, 600 00:29:45,710 --> 00:29:48,550 but it also includes the bad things and includes the 601 00:29:48,550 --> 00:29:51,270 wonderful times, but it also includes the difficult times. 602 00:29:51,430 --> 00:29:53,070 All things work together for good. 603 00:29:53,070 --> 00:29:55,990 To them who love God, to them who are called according to His 604 00:29:55,990 --> 00:29:57,230 purpose. See, Israel did that in the 605 00:29:57,230 --> 00:29:59,840 wilderness when they were thirsty, walked against God. 606 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:02,600 God want to do great things and show the miracles they pushed 607 00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:04,040 against it. They did the same thing when 608 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:07,040 they they lusted for Egypt's food, right? 609 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:09,200 They they did the same thing when they were afraid of the 610 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:11,840 giants. God's not near as interested in 611 00:30:11,840 --> 00:30:16,000 the quantity of your service for him as he is in the quality of 612 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:19,000 your service for him, because you can do a whole lot of things 613 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:21,600 for God. That's not really accomplishing 614 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:24,840 a whole lot for God because you're doing it in your own 615 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:27,810 flesh, because you're doing it without that patience. 616 00:30:27,810 --> 00:30:30,490 You're doing without in the way that you want to do instead of 617 00:30:30,490 --> 00:30:32,530 doing it the way that God wants you to do it. 618 00:30:32,530 --> 00:30:35,650 Testing responded to in faith brings patience. 619 00:30:35,690 --> 00:30:39,450 Patience brings that perfection or that maturity in all sorts of 620 00:30:39,450 --> 00:30:42,970 areas of our Christian life. Suffering brings that spiritual 621 00:30:42,970 --> 00:30:46,490 growth because it produces patience, and patience produces 622 00:30:46,490 --> 00:30:48,650 that spiritual maturity. And we see that. 623 00:30:48,650 --> 00:30:50,370 Let patients have her perfect work. 624 00:30:50,370 --> 00:30:53,530 Remember that we said perfect means complete or mature. 625 00:30:54,380 --> 00:30:56,580 I hope that the men that are in the institute class will sound 626 00:30:56,580 --> 00:30:59,860 will think this sounds familiar, but Bible words have to be 627 00:30:59,860 --> 00:31:04,900 defined by their context right? And James defines perfect as 628 00:31:04,900 --> 00:31:08,660 entire and wanting nothing. And Second Timothy chapter 3 and 629 00:31:08,660 --> 00:31:11,540 verse 17. Perfect is to be throughly 630 00:31:11,540 --> 00:31:14,660 furnished into all good works in Colossian chapter 4. 631 00:31:14,660 --> 00:31:18,740 Perfect is to be complete in all the will of God and Hebrew. 632 00:31:18,740 --> 00:31:22,830 Chapter 13 verse 21. Perfect is to do every good work 633 00:31:22,830 --> 00:31:25,470 according to God's will. First Peter 510. 634 00:31:25,470 --> 00:31:28,350 Perfect is to be established, strengthened, settled. 635 00:31:28,670 --> 00:31:30,790 The Bible defines these things right? 636 00:31:30,910 --> 00:31:33,190 What is perfect mean? While James says that let 637 00:31:33,190 --> 00:31:36,630 patients have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and 638 00:31:36,630 --> 00:31:40,790 entire wanting nothing. well-rounded, balanced. 639 00:31:40,910 --> 00:31:45,070 Mature Christians take a lot of testing, a lot of faith, a lot 640 00:31:45,070 --> 00:31:47,310 of work and a lot of time to produce. 641 00:31:47,910 --> 00:31:51,090 So you can't. You can't take shortcuts, can't 642 00:31:51,090 --> 00:31:53,490 take shortcuts on the spiritual path to maturity. 643 00:31:53,650 --> 00:31:55,970 By definition, if you take a shortcut, you're no longer on 644 00:31:55,970 --> 00:31:58,570 the path, right? And we want that. 645 00:31:58,570 --> 00:32:00,210 We want those shortcuts all the time. 646 00:32:00,410 --> 00:32:03,010 You have to follow that. The trail that's laid out in 647 00:32:03,010 --> 00:32:05,010 front of you and all its windings. 648 00:32:05,290 --> 00:32:08,330 Never get discouraged, never get to the point where you're 649 00:32:08,330 --> 00:32:11,810 despairing and all the woe is me when it seems that you're going 650 00:32:11,810 --> 00:32:13,650 in the opposite direction from where you'd like to be. 651 00:32:13,850 --> 00:32:17,130 Just keep patiently putting 1 foot in front of the other, 652 00:32:17,810 --> 00:32:20,490 working at it diligently in faith. 653 00:32:20,990 --> 00:32:22,950 Allowing God to lead your life how he will. 654 00:32:23,230 --> 00:32:27,070 That's how we are going to end up in a place where God can use 655 00:32:27,070 --> 00:32:29,270 us, in fact, be happy and everything seems to be going 656 00:32:29,270 --> 00:32:32,030 wrong. Because the patience that it 657 00:32:32,030 --> 00:32:35,790 teaches you is God maturing you into exactly what he wants you 658 00:32:35,790 --> 00:32:38,310 to be when things are going wrong. 659 00:32:38,550 --> 00:32:40,750 And you you look inside and you're like, I don't. 660 00:32:40,790 --> 00:32:43,670 I don't think I have any sin in my life that God's trying to 661 00:32:43,670 --> 00:32:45,110 root out. I don't think that there's any 662 00:32:45,310 --> 00:32:47,350 reason why that would be. Going through this. 663 00:32:47,670 --> 00:32:50,650 God is saying hey, I mean counted all joy. 664 00:32:50,650 --> 00:32:53,490 When you fall into divers temptations, it's God maturing 665 00:32:53,490 --> 00:32:54,850 you. It's God bringing you about in 666 00:32:54,850 --> 00:32:57,010 that patience that you need. That's the only way to access a 667 00:32:57,010 --> 00:33:00,650 well-rounded Christianity and a maturity in Jesus Christ. 668 00:33:00,890 --> 00:33:06,050 So the purpose of trials, and honestly it's to have blessings 669 00:33:06,050 --> 00:33:08,850 in the middle of those trials doesn't sound fun. 670 00:33:08,850 --> 00:33:10,410 It's not fun when you're going through it. 671 00:33:10,810 --> 00:33:13,010 But you look back and you see what God did through those 672 00:33:13,010 --> 00:33:15,370 trials and you realize that, man, I needed that. 673 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:18,880 I needed that trial so that I could produce patience. 674 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:21,080 And I needed that patience so that I could continue to be 675 00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:24,680 mature in Jesus Christ. When we get back together next 676 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:27,400 week, we're going to look at the rest of this passage here up 677 00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:30,040 through verse #12 and talk about the way that we can have victory 678 00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:32,280 in trials. There's some amazing things that 679 00:33:32,280 --> 00:33:35,480 James gives us here that says, hey, do this, do this, do this. 680 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:37,800 This is how you can have victory when you're going through the 681 00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:40,120 middle of those things. But we'll stop there for 682 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:43,000 tonight. We'll have a word of prayer and 683 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:44,360 then we'll be done. Father, we love you. 684 00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:46,120 Can we thank you so much for your goodness to us. 685 00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:50,320 Thank you for an opportunity. We have to read through these 686 00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:53,320 scripture passages to study your Word and God. 687 00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:55,400 I'll pray that it would help it. You'd help it to be convicting 688 00:33:55,400 --> 00:33:57,240 in our own hearts. I pray that you'd help us to be 689 00:33:57,240 --> 00:34:02,040 convicted of our need for maturity in Jesus Christ and for 690 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:05,160 the the sufferings and the trials and the temptations in 691 00:34:05,160 --> 00:34:09,239 that aspect that we go through, so that we can be patient and so 692 00:34:09,239 --> 00:34:11,000 that we can be mature in Jesus Christ. 693 00:34:11,929 --> 00:34:13,489 And again we thank you for all that you do for us. 694 00:34:13,489 --> 00:34:14,929 In Jesus name. Amen. 695 00:34:14,929 --> 00:34:16,730 If you would stand at your seats with your head spot and your 696 00:34:16,730 --> 00:34:19,210 eyes closed, I wanna give you an opportunity tonight. 697 00:34:19,210 --> 00:34:23,370 And we're not gonna have a long invitation, but as we go through 698 00:34:23,370 --> 00:34:27,530 this book, I'm gonna do more preaching than teaching. 699 00:34:28,770 --> 00:34:30,650 But perhaps you are in the middle of something. 700 00:34:31,090 --> 00:34:33,130 Perhaps you're going through something right now that you 701 00:34:33,170 --> 00:34:35,969 don't understand, or maybe you just came out of something, Or 702 00:34:35,969 --> 00:34:38,130 maybe you're facing something head on that you know you're 703 00:34:38,130 --> 00:34:39,770 coming into and it is going to be a trial. 704 00:34:39,770 --> 00:34:43,010 It's going to be a difficulty. Let God do that work. 705 00:34:43,330 --> 00:34:45,570 Let God do the work that he wants to do of maturing and 706 00:34:45,570 --> 00:34:49,449 completing you so you can be used to the full capacity 707 00:34:49,449 --> 00:34:51,730 everybody wants to accomplish. We'll have a short time of 708 00:34:51,730 --> 00:34:53,810 invitation as the piano plays. Invitations open. 709 00:34:53,810 --> 00:36:22,890 You come on Sunday, then grab one of 710 00:36:22,890 --> 00:36:24,930 these little booklets there. They're on the back table right 711 00:36:24,930 --> 00:36:27,210 there. And make sure you have one of 712 00:36:27,210 --> 00:36:28,010 those. Use it. 713 00:36:28,090 --> 00:36:30,130 It's a it's a great little study tool and help. 714 00:36:30,730 --> 00:36:32,930 All right, let's pray we'll be dismissed. 715 00:36:32,930 --> 00:36:35,250 Let me remind the men real quick that we'll just have a quick 716 00:36:35,250 --> 00:36:37,490 meeting down here in the front to just discuss a couple of 717 00:36:37,490 --> 00:36:39,210 things for the camp out on Friday and Saturday. 718 00:36:39,410 --> 00:36:41,130 Father, we love you again. We thank you for an opportunity 719 00:36:41,130 --> 00:36:43,250 to be here tonight. For that, you just continue to 720 00:36:43,250 --> 00:36:46,850 use the message in our hearts. Pray that you would help us to 721 00:36:46,850 --> 00:36:49,130 be the witness in the testimony for you this week that you need 722 00:36:49,130 --> 00:36:51,130 us to be and want us to be so that we can be the most 723 00:36:51,130 --> 00:36:53,530 effective in your service. Thank you for all that you do 724 00:36:53,530 --> 00:36:55,250 for us. In Jesus name, Amen.