The Glory of His Grace

3^rd, To Perfect Your Faith. “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:4, NKJV). “Perfect” here is not sinless perfection. It doesn’t mean that you won’t sin anymore. “Perfect” here is from teleios—“perfectly, completely, altogether” (BAGD); “pertaining to that which is fully accomplished or finished—‘complete’” (Louw-Nida). “Complete” is from holokleros—“a qualitative term, with integrity, whole, complete, undamaged, intact, blameless” (BAGD). This is where we get our word, “whole” or “wholesome.” God is in the growing and completing business. His goal is to make you mature in Christ. His goal is to make you complete in Christ. His goal is to make you more like Christ. And sometimes, He will allow trials and troubles to develop Christ-like character in your life.

Somebody sent me a text message one day. It read:

Our life is like a pencil. 1)     Everything you do will always leave a mark. 2) You can always correct the mistakes you make. 3) What is important is what is inside you. 4) In life, you will undergo painful sharpenings which will make you a better pencil. 5) To be the best pencil you can be, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you—God’s.

Trials perfect your faith. Troubles sharpen your character to make it more like Christ. They are part of growing spiritually mature in the Lord. It completes your Christian character. It accomplishes Christ-likeness in your life. It makes you whole and complete.

How then should we handle trials? The Bible says, “Count it all joy when you meet trials” (James 1:2, ESV). Did you get that? Count it all joy! Rejoice in your trials. How do you rejoice in trials? Know that it will make you persevere in Christ. It will make you steadfast in Christ. It will prove that your faith in Christ is genuine.

Maybe you say, “Pastor, I haven’t yet put my faith in Christ.” If so, I urge you to call on Christ today. He is just a prayer away. Ask Him to save you and forgive you your sin. Repent your sin and He will forgive you. He will come inside your heart and live there in you.

2^nd, To Produce Persevering Faith. “For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:3, ESV). Now the proving of your faith is not for God’s benefit. God knows about your faith already. The proving of your faith is for your benefit.[1] “Steadfastness” (ESV) or “patience” (NKJV) is from the Greek, hupomone—“endurance, fortitude, steadfastness, perseverance” (BAGD); “capacity to continue to bear up under difficult circumstances” (Louw-Nida). It means endurance under strong pressure.

Note the verb, “produces,” from katergazomai—“bring about, produce, create” (BAGD); “‘to accomplish, to perform successfully, to do thoroughly’” (Louw-Nida). This means that the testing of your faith in Christ produces patience and perseverance effectively and completely. The verb tense is present tense. The testing of your faith in Christ produces steadfastness in Christ continually.

Remember Job’s wife? I can imagine she must have been a great Sunday School teacher and a wonderful Bible study leader. She must have been a faithful wife to Job and a loving mother to her kids. But then one day, she lost all her young sons and daughters. One day, she lost all her money. One day, she saw Job covered with boils from head to foot. Trials and troubles and tragedy struck her like lightning! Then she said to Job, “Why do you keep on trusting God? Why not curse God and die?” (I have often wondered which trial is worse—losing your children or living with a wife who wants you to curse God and die.) She went through the worse trials. But she failed the test.

When you trust God and serve Him because things are good, you are serving Him for the wrong reason. “We are not to serve God because things are good, we are to serve God because God is good.”[2]

Listen! If your faith in Christ is lacking understanding, shallow, lacking depth in the Word, and merely emotional, then the testing of your faith will break you! But if your faith in Christ is genuine, the testing of your faith will build you in Christ! It will make you endure under pressure. It will make you steadfast and persevering in Christ.

Perseverance in Christ is but an outward confirmation of an inward affirmation of the Word in your heart. Your steadfastness in Christ is an outer picture of the inner reality of your eternal security in Christ. It is the product of genuine faith in Christ. The persevering faith is a genuine faith. Thus, the truly saved believer is the truly persevering believer.

---

[1] James Merritt, “When Your Faith Goes on Trial,” http://www.sermonsearch.com. Accessed July, 2009.

[2] James Merritt, “When Your Faith Goes on Trial,” http://www.sermonsearch.com. Accessed July, 2009.

The Explanation of Trials.

1^st, To Prove Your Faith. “For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:3, ESV). The noun, “testing,” is from dokimion—“genuine, without alloy” (BAGD); “‘to try to determine the genuineness of, testing.’” (Louw-Nida). Peter uses the same word, dokimion, in 1 Pet. 1:7—“that the genuineness [dokimion] of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (NKJV). Trials prove whether your faith in Christ is genuine.

Remember the parable of the soil? (Matt. 18) There are 4 kinds of soil, representing 4 kinds of hearts. But of the 4, 3 kinds of hearts do not have genuine faith. One is the road side soil. When the seed of God’s Word fell on the road side, the birds came and took it. The roadside soil represents those hearts who hear the Gospel. But they don’t understand the Gospel. Satan, represented by the birds, soon comes and snatches it away from their hearts. Their faith was never genuine in the first place. Are you this kind of soil? I hope that when you hear the Word of God, you understand it by faith.

Another kind of soil is the rocky soil. When the seed of the Word fell on rocky soil, it grew immediately, for it had no depth of earth. But when the sun came up, the plant died. It had no roots, no depth in the soil. Many hear the Gospel and receive it emotionally “with joy” (Matt. 18:20, NKJV). Some cry, some laugh, some fall down. But it is not rooted deep in the soil. Having no roots, it endures for a little while. When troubles and persecution come because of the Word, they soon stop following Jesus. Their faith also is not genuine. Are you this kind of soil? I hope that when you hear the Gospel, it will take root in your heart. When trials and troubles come, a rooted faith continues to follow Jesus.

There is also the thorny soil. When the seed of the Word fell on thorny soil, it grew a little. But the thorns came. They choked the plant. It died. People today hear the Gospel. But the thorns grow around their hearts. The thorns represent the cares of this world and the love of money. Because they love this world and money more than Christ, they stop following Jesus.  Again, their faith is not genuine. Are you this kind of soil? You love money more than God.  You love the things of this world more than Christ. And you stop following Jesus.

Trials prove whether your faith in Christ is genuine or not. When you find yourself enduring in Christ when things go from bad to worse, then rejoice!! Rejoice because you know that that your faith in Him is true and growing!

With Mylene still in the hospital, I came out of the hospital one morning only to find my car missing. It was towed away the night before. I parked in the parking zone. But I didn’t know that it was a no overnight parking area. There was no signboard anywhere. I planned to enroll my daughter. But before that, I had to get my car. So I went to the impound area and got my CR/OR. Then I had to go downtown to the CITOM office to pay the fine. I had to pay P2,400 to the city, including towing fees and taxi. I paid it all, while my wife was in the hospital and while my 8-year old daughter was waiting for me at home, wondering where I was.

God never promises you a problem-free life. But when God gives you problems, He gives you problems equal to your strength, and strength equal to your problems. 1 Cor. 10:13 says, God “will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (NKJV). How then should we pray about problems? Phillips Brooks wrote, “Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men! Do no pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for power equal to your tasks.”

Expect the best from God, but prepare for the worst from Satan also. A life of obeying God is no guarantee of a life of escaping trials. No less than God called Job, “a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil” (Job 1:8, WEB). But the next day, Job lost all his precious sons and daughters and all his possessions. Daniel prayed 3 times a day to God. But a life of prayer did not spare him from facing the lions.[1] Clearly, God favored both Job and Daniel; but He allowed Job to lose all his children and assets, and Daniel to face the lions. The favor of God may include the trials of God. God’s favor does not translate into a trouble-free life. But the favor of God still operates despite the trials of God.

Maybe you cannot understand why you’re experiencing more problems now that you are a believer. Don’t be surprised, but rejoice in it. “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy” (1 Pet. 4:12-13, NKJV). Sooner or later, every true believer will experience trials. This does not mean that God’s favor is no longer upon you. To the contrary, God’s favor covers you in times of trials. His strength is made perfect in weakness. It is when you are weak that you can experience the strength of God (2 Cor. 12:10).

---

[1] James Merritt, “When Your Faith Goes on Trial,” http://www.sermonsearch.com. Accessed July, 2009.

 

The Surrounding of Trials. James said, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials” (ESV). The verb, “meet” (ESV) or “fall” (NKJV) here is from peripipto, a compound of peri, “around,” and pipto, “to fall” (Strong); “to fall into something that is all around, i.e. be surrounded with” (Strong); literally, “to fall around (into the midst of), to fall among as in Lu 10:30 lêistais periepesen (he fell among robbers).”[1] It means, “encounter, fall into esp. misfortunes” (BAGD). The picture here is some trouble or problem that falls on you and surrounds you. It means, “to experience somewhat suddenly that which is difficult or bad.”[2] It carries the idea of a difficulty that suddenly falls on you. Have you experienced a sudden difficulty that falls on you?

When Mylene had transient amnesia in Manila, it came suddenly. It struck her out of nowhere. She forgot her flight back to Cebu on Wednesday night. She forgot that she withdrew P15,000 from her ATM, for her office bills.  She forgot where she slept Tuesday and Wednesday. She was missing in action. Her cell was unreachable for 3 days. Her amnesia surrounded her. And her whereabouts surrounded our minds.

As if that were not enough, she was diagnosed with aneurysm. She had a bulge in her blood vessel. It could burst anytime. When it bursts, most people either get paralyzed, comatose, or die suddenly. It was a trial that suddenly fell on us and surrounded us. She had to undergo angiogram and coiling procedure. The whole thing cost us P500, 000.00 ($ 10, 638.00).

---

[1] Robertson, Word Pictures, Power Bible CD.

 

[2] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene A. Nida, eds., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, s. v. peripi¿ptw, Bible Windows CD.

The Sense of Trials. The plural noun, “trials” in James 1:2 is from peirasmos, “period or process of testing” (Newman). It is from the verb, peirazo, “to test, scrutinize, examine, prove” (Strong).

What were the tests and trials of these believers? Some had a temptation problem. They were being tempted to sin (Jas. 1:14). Some had a tongue problem. They were murdering others with their tongues, while praising God with them (Jas. 1:26; 3:5-6). Some had a catering problem. They were catering to the rich, while snubbing the poor (Jas. 2:1-6). Scholars say that most of these believers in James’ time were poor. Also, they had a doing problem. Some were hearing the Word, but not doing it (Jas. 1:22). Some had a sin problem. They were committing sin that caused their sickness (Jas. 5:15, 19-20).

James called these problems, trials “of various kinds” (James 1:2, ESV). “Various kinds” here is from poikilos—“diversified, manifold”;[1]or what A. T. Robertson calls, “many coloured.”[2] Probably the most colorful life full of trials is Paul’s. He experienced:

far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure (2 Cor. 11:23-27, ESV).

One wonders if Paul had “the favor of God,” given all these trials and tribulations. If “the favor of God” excludes these trials in Paul’s life, then he does not experience “God’s best” for him. But Paul asserts that God’s favor still rests on him, despite these fiery trials.

And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor. 12:9-10, NKJV).

---

[1] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 2nd ed., rev. F. Wilbur Gingrich and Frederick W. Danker, trans. William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich (Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1979), s. v. poiki¿loij.

 

[2] A. T. Robertson, Robertson’s Word Pictures of the New Testament, Power Bible CD.

The Experience of Trials

There’s the story about a student who took an exam in college and got a grade of 5, the lowest failing grade. He went to see the professor. He said, “Prof, I just don’t believe I deserved a grade of 5 in this examination. The professor said, “Neither do I.  But it was the lowest grade I could give.”

The Sureness of Trials. In school, you always have tests and exams. So, too, in the school of faith–expect the testing of your faith. The Jewish believers in James’ day were suffering from poverty and persecution. They suffered from social tensions.  The rich maltreated the poor, withholding their salaries (Jas. 2:6-7; 5:4-6). Many were landless. Only the few aristocratic families owned land. Taxes were high. (Doesn’t this sound like the Philippines today?) James wrote this book at about 66 AD, scholars say. At this time, social tensions were running high. There were many Jewish zealots or revolutionaries who hated the aristocratic Jewish priests and the Romans. This hatred resulted in a revolt in 66 AD.[1]

James wrote, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials” (James 1:2, ESV, emphasis added). “When” is from the Greek, hotan—“when, whenever, as often as.”[2] James said, “Count it all joy, when,” not if you meet trials. It is not a question of if, but a question of when. If you believe in Christ, expect to face trials.

Job 14:1 says, “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” (NKJV). Every man that is born of a woman will face troubles in life. But every believer that is born again will face trials. Some prosperity preachers today say that once you obey God, you will walk in the grace and favor of God. Doesn’t God want to give “His best for you”? That is only half-true. In the Bible, there is the gracious favor of God, but also the grinding trials of God. The favor of God may include also the fiery trials of God.

God never promises a trouble-free life. Instead of questioning God to the point of doubting Him, it is better to accept this fact. Face your problems squarely instead of running away from it. Do what is right in His sight. (To do wrong is to displease God and add another problem.) Then count it all joy when you face trials; and trust Him in the midst of tribulations.

---

[1] Craig S. Keener, “James,” IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), PC Study Bible CD-Rom, version 5.0. Jim Gilbertson, ed. Seattle: Biblesoft, Inc., 1988-2007.

[2] Barclay M. Newman, Jr., Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament, Concise s. v. oÀtan, Bible Windows CD.

This sermon is the 1^st of a series of 4 sermons entitled, “Good and Bad Series.” The 1^st part of this series is, “Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?” The 2^nd part is, “Why Do Good Things Happen to Bad People?”

 

Jews in Poland - Ghetto Litzmannstadt, under Nazi rule, 1941

In James 1:2-12, James, the brother of Jesus, was dealing with the trials, troubles, and tribulations of Christian Jews. “To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” (James 1:1, NKJV). The 12 tribes refer to the people of Israel. But James called them, “brothers” (v. 2). He is writing to the believers in the 12 tribes of Israel, the Christian Jews. These Christian Jews were in the Jewish Dispersion. The Jewish Dispersion refers to those Jews who were forced out of Palestine and migrated throughout the Roman world . Now the noun, “dispersion” (ESV) is from the Gk. diaspora—“scattering.”[1] It is from the verb, diaspeiro—“to sow throughout.”[2] It carries the idea of the seed that is being scattered throughout the field. They were scattered probably due to intense persecution by Herod Agrippa I, in AD 44 (See Acts 12).[3] God scattered these believers, in order to spread Christ. (It is just like many Filipino believers today, who are positioned to preach Christ wherever they are scattered in the world.)

Now these Jewish believers were experiencing many trials, troubles, and tribulations in their personal lives and in their churches. Bad things were happening to these good people.  Why? Trials are meant to produce perseverance in Christ (Jas. 1:3). Troubles sharpen Christian character, producing spiritually mature Christians (Jas. 1:4). Tribulations are avenues of divine blessings (Jas. 1:12).

---

[1] Timothy Friberg and Barbara Friberg, Analytical Greek New Testament, Bible Windows CD [CD-Rom] V5.0, ed. Paul Bodin (Cedar Hill, TX: Silver Mountain Software, 1994).

[2] James Strong, Strong’s Greek Dictionary, Power Bible CD [CD Rom] V3.0, ed. John Gilbertson (Bronson, MO: Online Publishing, 2001).

[3] John MacArthur, gen. ed., The MacArthur Study Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997), 1924.