WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.320 before Ralph comes up. And James chapter 1 verses 9 to 18. Perfect. 00:00:10.519 --> 00:00:17.440 Last Saturday week I sprained my ankle stepping out of the car so I was delighted when I heard 00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:25.100 Jonathan say that the theme for today is standing firm. I hope that we can all learn from Ralph 00:00:25.100 --> 00:00:31.220 and learn how we can stand firm and you'll hear that phrase as I read out today's passage. 00:00:32.780 --> 00:00:38.780 So James chapter 1, if you haven't found it, it's on page 1213 in the Red Church Bibles. 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:47.439 1213. Starting at verse 9 through to verse 18. 00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:57.399 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position, but the rich should 00:00:57.399 --> 00:01:04.340 take pride in their humiliation, since they will pass away like a wildflower. For the sun rises with 00:01:04.340 --> 00:01:11.200 scorching heat and withers the plant, its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same 00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:17.420 way the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. Blessed is the one who perseveres 00:01:17.420 --> 00:01:24.400 under trial because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the 00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:30.320 Lord has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say God is tempting me, 00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:37.200 for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when they are 00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:43.939 dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then after desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin, 00:01:43.939 --> 00:01:50.539 and sin when it is full grown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:55.759 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly light, 00:01:55.900 --> 00:02:01.819 who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, 00:02:02.159 --> 00:02:09.039 that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created. Let me just pray for Ralph as he comes up. 00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:19.019 Father God, thank you for Ralph, for his gifts and abilities that you've given him, those of us who 00:02:19.019 --> 00:02:25.859 have heard him teach before. Thank you how he helps Johnny and Alex and Jonathan lead this church 00:02:25.859 --> 00:02:34.439 faithfully. We pray for him as he comes up to speak your word. It's a privilege, but also Lord, 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:42.139 it can be a daunting task. So we pray for him that you would give him the confidence that comes only 00:02:42.139 --> 00:02:52.460 from you and your word, that he would present it calmly and truthfully, honestly, and yeah, 00:02:52.520 --> 00:02:57.960 that he would remain confident in you and in your Holy Spirit, because we know it's only through your 00:02:57.960 --> 00:03:03.340 Holy Spirit that our lives can be changed. Otherwise, they're just mere words. So we pray for your 00:03:03.340 --> 00:03:09.840 spirit here today as Ralph preaches that we would take in what he's being said. We recognize it as truth 00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:15.920 and that we put it into practice in our lives. We wouldn't just leave it here when we leave. 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:19.219 In Jesus name. Amen. Thanks Ralph. 00:03:19.219 --> 00:03:34.400 Thank you very much, Connor. I'm just going to adjust things slightly. 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:34.500 Thank you. 00:03:34.500 --> 00:03:34.539 Thank you. 00:03:34.539 --> 00:03:34.560 Thank you. 00:03:34.560 --> 00:03:34.599 Thank you. 00:03:49.219 --> 00:03:50.219 Thank you. 00:03:50.219 --> 00:03:54.819 I've learned from past experience to do this now rather than midway. 00:03:54.819 --> 00:04:04.060 Thank you very much, Connor. And we'll be staying mainly in James and referring a little 00:04:04.060 --> 00:04:10.919 bit back to the passage we read earlier about the parable of the sower. 00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:23.599 Pastor Drew Sokol had a crisis of faith. Now, unfortunately for Drew, it came under lights 00:04:23.599 --> 00:04:30.219 and 10 minutes into preaching a sermon into a large hall, much bigger than this, filled 00:04:30.219 --> 00:04:38.079 with 800 people. And he was standing on a big stage. And a feeling suddenly came over him 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:46.560 that I can't do this anymore. About a week earlier, he'd received an email from a friend, 00:04:47.259 --> 00:04:54.199 someone in his congregation, a single mom who had two young daughters. And in that email, 00:04:54.199 --> 00:05:01.419 he discovered that she'd been diagnosed with terminal cancer. This young mother of two young 00:05:01.419 --> 00:05:07.379 daughters was going to die. Well, he immediately called over and as soon as he got out of his car, 00:05:07.379 --> 00:05:15.420 he could hear her moaning in pain from the third floor apartment. When he got there, there were the 00:05:15.420 --> 00:05:24.120 daughters at the kitchen table doing their homework, hardly flinching at each moan because this had 00:05:24.120 --> 00:05:33.319 become the new normal. Drew prayed with them all that God's love is real, that he is a good God 00:05:33.319 --> 00:05:40.079 that cares for them and showed that he cared for them by sending his son Jesus to the earth to die on 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:49.240 the cross. But by this time, Drew was thinking to himself, is there really this good God, good and 00:05:49.240 --> 00:05:56.839 loving God when this mom and her daughters are suffering like this? So a week later on stage, 00:05:56.839 --> 00:06:02.199 he was preaching on the topic of truth. And he wanted to say to his congregation that morning that 00:06:02.199 --> 00:06:09.139 that God is the God of history, a God that we can trust, the God who came down and who saves us. 00:06:09.959 --> 00:06:16.319 But Drew realized he just seemed too much suffering. And none of this can be real. None of what he's 00:06:16.319 --> 00:06:24.179 saying made sense to him anymore. This feels fake. I'm a liar and I'm lying to these people and to 00:06:24.180 --> 00:06:30.180 others. He held it together for the sermon, but immediately afterwards, he threw up and he began 00:06:30.180 --> 00:06:38.319 to cry. Over the next six months, he began applying for new jobs because, well, as a pastor, you're meant 00:06:38.319 --> 00:06:46.280 to have all the answers, aren't you? And he didn't. He realized he just didn't believe in the same way 00:06:46.279 --> 00:06:57.239 anymore. Drew saw the pain and the suffering of a dear friend. And in the midst of her trial, 00:06:58.119 --> 00:07:05.779 he experienced a severe trial of his own. And his trial caused him to doubt the goodness of God, 00:07:06.279 --> 00:07:09.839 really doubt. And he almost abandoned the faith. 00:07:09.839 --> 00:07:19.719 What would you say to someone like Drew that is struggling in the midst of a trial like that? 00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:26.139 What would you say? What words of comfort or what encouragement or challenge could you bring 00:07:26.139 --> 00:07:33.159 to someone who is tempted to simply give up on God and to walk away? 00:07:33.160 --> 00:07:40.600 Well, James, the half-brother of Jesus and leader of the early church in Jerusalem, 00:07:40.860 --> 00:07:48.920 knows that his flock, his people, and fellow believers everywhere are going to suffer doubts 00:07:48.920 --> 00:07:54.379 about their faith. They're going to have these kinds of questions. They will doubt that God is good, 00:07:55.320 --> 00:08:02.879 especially when trials come. Trials, along with the temptation to give up, and we know this, 00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:10.379 they're part and parcel in many ways of following Jesus in this world. A world that is at odds with 00:08:10.379 --> 00:08:17.600 itself internally, and a world that is at odds with its creator. There's going to be struggles and 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:28.100 trials and temptations. Where then is our comfort through trials and suffering? Well, I believe that 00:08:28.100 --> 00:08:36.700 verse 12 is the key for us this morning, and I want to spend some time, in fact, most of this morning 00:08:36.700 --> 00:08:43.220 focused on verse 12. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because having stood the test, 00:08:43.700 --> 00:08:49.279 that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love them. 00:08:49.279 --> 00:08:57.120 And I believe that James wants us to know this this morning, and this is the radical claim when we 00:08:57.120 --> 00:09:08.879 consider someone like Drew and that mom. Trials prove the goodness of God. Trials prove the goodness of God. 00:09:08.879 --> 00:09:20.679 And in front of the hardest trials that you can imagine, that's a bold statement to make, isn't it? 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:29.259 That trials prove the goodness of God. Where Pastor Drew found a trial cast doubt on the goodness of God, 00:09:29.259 --> 00:09:39.779 I want to humbly say from the word in front of us this morning, that trials ultimately demonstrate the goodness of God. 00:09:39.779 --> 00:09:46.059 That God is for us, and that God is saving us. 00:09:47.819 --> 00:09:58.740 There are no easy answers here. Trials and suffering are like rakes and spades and shovels that are digging 00:09:58.740 --> 00:10:06.820 all around us. And when they dig, they expose our roots. And in the midst of trials, we're left vulnerable. 00:10:07.180 --> 00:10:12.039 We're at our lowest ebb. And at that point, we feel like there's almost another axe that's coming in 00:10:12.039 --> 00:10:19.180 and being taken to our very core to chop us down. And at times, we're not even sure we can hang on 00:10:19.180 --> 00:10:25.879 in some of the trials that we face. But my hope this morning is that we can leave with a renewed 00:10:25.879 --> 00:10:37.659 confidence in our faith. To root your life in Jesus. And to remember that to be pruned by Jesus 00:10:37.659 --> 00:10:45.279 through trials is how we know that we are going to arrive at our eternal reward. 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:53.000 For Drew's friend, the mother with terminal cancer, her trials were many and varied. 00:10:53.000 --> 00:11:00.360 She battled physical pain and inevitable death. And all of that with the worry for her two 00:11:00.360 --> 00:11:09.580 young daughters. Drew himself underwent spiritual anguish, an existential crisis. Who am I? What do I 00:11:09.580 --> 00:11:17.519 believe? It threatened his livelihood, his identity, his relationships, his marriage to walk away from 00:11:17.519 --> 00:11:24.939 his faith? And James is writing to Jewish Christians in the first century of Palestine. 00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:34.259 We know they experienced famine, the early church there. Hardship, persecution from family members 00:11:34.259 --> 00:11:40.299 because they're following of Jesus. From their fellow countrymen and women. And in some cases, 00:11:41.259 --> 00:11:44.939 believers, people like Stephen, we know from the scriptures and other sources, they were put 00:11:44.940 --> 00:11:53.580 to death. Such was the persecution and the trials. So trials are many and varied. And the examples I've 00:11:53.580 --> 00:12:00.240 given are just some. We all experience trials in many ways. They come to us at different times, 00:12:00.580 --> 00:12:08.520 different circumstances. And as I was thinking about this sermon and thinking about what is a trial, 00:12:08.519 --> 00:12:16.079 and I think the best definition I could think of is trial is anything, anything that can upset our 00:12:16.079 --> 00:12:21.939 most basic assumptions about life, the commitments that we have. So if we say that our heart, 00:12:22.079 --> 00:12:31.039 our heart is set on following Jesus, then trials, when they come, will test and prove that commitment. 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:37.439 So a trial is anything that has that ability to unsettle us at our core. If, on the other hand, 00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:43.500 if we're not a believer in Jesus, and we ignore God or believe he doesn't exist, and we say that we live 00:12:43.500 --> 00:12:50.920 in a purely material universe, and that we go and find our own meaning, well, when trials come for the 00:12:50.920 --> 00:12:55.920 unbeliever, they're going to upset them in that worldview, aren't they? So whether we're a believer, 00:12:56.500 --> 00:13:01.300 or whether we're an unbeliever, whether we believe that God exists, or we don't believe there's any God, 00:13:01.299 --> 00:13:09.079 and anything in between, trials will come and challenge us in our very core and our very center 00:13:09.079 --> 00:13:17.740 of our beliefs. And trials, I believe, will do one of two things. They'll either drive us closer 00:13:17.740 --> 00:13:25.339 or further away from that truth that we hold at the very root of our hearts, because that's what trials 00:13:25.340 --> 00:13:33.000 do, don't they? They unsettle us. They cause us to kind of hop around and maybe step more firmly 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:41.240 where we are, or to step away. That's why we read the parable of the sore, because I think it really 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:49.320 helps us to understand how trials function in the Christian life. Jesus explains how trials work there, 00:13:49.320 --> 00:13:56.600 how trials on earth are most important commitments, and show us exactly what it is that we're being 00:13:56.600 --> 00:14:04.120 faithful to at the root or at the core. We're familiar with the story. A farmer, he comes and he 00:14:04.120 --> 00:14:08.100 scatters seed, and he's kind of doing it indiscriminately, it sounds like. He's scattering 00:14:08.100 --> 00:14:14.060 some here and there. Some hits the path, and the birds come and eat that. Great for the birds. 00:14:14.059 --> 00:14:21.459 Some seed lands in shallow soil, and it starts to grow, but the sun comes out and scorches, and it's all 00:14:21.459 --> 00:14:28.859 gone. It stops growing. Other seed falls in a place where there's thorns, and as it starts to grow, but 00:14:28.859 --> 00:14:37.079 ultimately it's choked out by those thorns. Some seed hits good ground, and it puts down deep roots, 00:14:37.080 --> 00:14:46.420 flourishes, and produces a large crop. And Jesus explains that that seed in that parable, or that 00:14:46.420 --> 00:14:52.460 story, it's representing the kingdom of God in seed form, the very smallest thing, and it's been 00:14:52.460 --> 00:14:58.879 sown by Jesus, and by the disciples, and by the church. And that message, it's scattered wide to all 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:08.879 kinds of people, all of creation. But then, in time, trials come, and they come along, and they show up 00:15:08.879 --> 00:15:16.179 whether that message, that seed of the gospel has truly taken root or not in the person's life. 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:26.279 Satan comes, and he tests people's commitment. And because the message landed on that stony path, 00:15:26.279 --> 00:15:32.919 and it never really penetrated, the person never took hold of it, well, those people aren't going 00:15:32.919 --> 00:15:38.059 to stay and follow Jesus. They're going to go their own way, aren't they? And a shallow ground, 00:15:38.199 --> 00:15:43.059 it's like those that initially received the message with joy, and we think, wow, this is amazing. 00:15:43.179 --> 00:15:53.360 That person loves Jesus. But persecution, it says, Jesus says, or trouble comes. And because there's 00:15:53.360 --> 00:16:00.419 no deep root, that trial, it causes those people to leave the faith, to abandon the faith. It never, 00:16:00.860 --> 00:16:07.919 the message never really took deep root in them. The shallow ground, sorry, the seed among the thorns, 00:16:08.800 --> 00:16:16.200 well, that grows for a while. But then the worries of life come along, don't they? I mean, we've 00:16:16.200 --> 00:16:21.659 experienced this ourselves. Just the worries that come from living in this world, the struggles. 00:16:21.659 --> 00:16:30.379 Jesus says the love of wealth can be one of those things. And those things, it begins to choke 00:16:30.379 --> 00:16:37.159 the life out of the gospel message in our hearts. And it shows that ultimately, again, our desire for 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:44.740 Jesus is quite shallow. And ultimately, we often see those people struggle and fall away. 00:16:44.740 --> 00:16:55.039 Faithfulness is tested at the very root and can be found lacking because there's no real root. 00:16:55.799 --> 00:17:02.639 Only the seed, Jesus says, that falls on the good soil, the prepared soil, the ready soil, 00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:10.680 that seed takes root and will outlast the trials that come and go because there's stability. It's rooted 00:17:10.680 --> 00:17:22.519 in Christ. You see, in the end, our perseverance or our faithfulness prove the depths of a person's 00:17:22.519 --> 00:17:33.920 love for Jesus. I don't know if you've ever asked this question. I certainly have many times. Why? 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:44.840 Why are there trials? God's God. He could do this in many ways, couldn't he? He could have created a 00:17:44.840 --> 00:17:51.980 world or a Christian experience or a way of living that possibly may not have necessitated trials like 00:17:51.980 --> 00:17:59.019 this. He could have sent Jesus once, you know, to come and to take his people. And, you know, in this 00:17:59.019 --> 00:18:04.940 period that we live in between Jesus' two comings, why is it like this? Why is the Christian life full of 00:18:04.940 --> 00:18:12.559 trials and of testing? Well, it's ultimately because when testing come, when trials come, 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:21.440 the roots are exposed. And it's not enough, James is telling us, to simply say that we have faith in 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:29.519 Jesus. It's not just about a set of words, is it? Saving faith. James constantly says in his book, 00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:34.400 and he tells us in his letter, it's going to be evidenced by what? It's going to be evidenced by 00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:42.640 love. It's going to be evidenced by works. It's going to be evidenced by obedience. And it's going to 00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:50.640 be evidenced by faithfulness to Christ. And the easiest, simplest way I can put this is that to 00:18:50.640 --> 00:19:03.640 to be saved by Jesus is to become like Jesus. To be saved by Jesus is to become like Jesus. 00:19:04.040 --> 00:19:10.320 There's a connection there. It's not that we're saved by Jesus in the sense of we say a form of 00:19:10.319 --> 00:19:16.559 words and we're into heaven and that's it. But truly to be saved by Jesus is ultimately to become 00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:24.399 like Jesus. The root produces fruit. It's another way of saying it, isn't it? The root produces fruit. 00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:33.079 Our root within Jesus will produce the fruit of Jesus in our lives. So as Jesus persevered under 00:19:33.079 --> 00:19:40.079 trials himself, so too will his true believers, those who are united to him by faith. 00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:48.519 They will persevere to the end in obedience to God the Father. Rooted belief in Jesus has 00:19:48.519 --> 00:19:56.359 practical outworkings in our life. And because of that, it exposes some of our inconsistent living. 00:19:57.700 --> 00:20:04.579 So we can say, can't we, that Jesus rose from the dead. And we can acknowledge that. We know it's 00:20:04.579 --> 00:20:11.419 true from the Bible. Yet thoughts of our own death cause us to doubt that we are going to live forever 00:20:11.419 --> 00:20:20.299 with God on a new earth. And we're going to live 10,000 lifetimes more. So as a result, because we 00:20:20.299 --> 00:20:26.960 don't connect those things, that my belief that Jesus rose from the dead and that my eternity is 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:31.240 secure, we don't connect that. So as a result, we end up spending our lives trying to secure an early 00:20:31.240 --> 00:20:41.120 retirement so that we can potter around our gardens or go golfing. But how does our plan for retirement 00:20:41.120 --> 00:20:49.779 fit with this temporary world that will end versus life unending with Jesus on a new earth? 00:20:50.900 --> 00:20:56.559 You see, trials begin to expose our faulty thinking. We say that we follow Jesus' example of 00:20:56.559 --> 00:21:04.619 of trust and humility, how Jesus always trusted the Father. Yet the prospect of being without work for a month 00:21:04.619 --> 00:21:11.099 or two causes extreme anguish and almost anger towards God when that trial comes, as we fret about having 00:21:11.099 --> 00:21:21.819 money for all that we think we need. In the midst of trials, the seed of the gospel, that seed that's within, 00:21:21.819 --> 00:21:28.579 that's going to be plucked, it's going to be starved, it's going to be choked by the worries of life, the deceitfulness 00:21:28.579 --> 00:21:37.919 of wealth, and the very fear itself of being tested is going to bring all of its weight to bear on our roots, on our 00:21:37.919 --> 00:21:46.759 trust in Jesus. Trials expose the roots of our supposed commitment and our inconsistent living. We say that we love 00:21:46.759 --> 00:21:56.700 Jesus. And trials will either strengthen and prove that or reveal to us and to others, like the other seed, 00:21:56.819 --> 00:22:01.619 that our faith was actually placed somewhere else. 00:22:01.619 --> 00:22:17.759 verse 12 says, blessed. Blessed is the one who perseveres, or happy, or whole, or at peace, and all of those 00:22:17.759 --> 00:22:29.039 kind of ideas are there. Because those that are faithful to Christ, in that verse, under testing, receive the 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:36.059 promised crown of life from Jesus himself. For Jesus says elsewhere, on the same theme in the book of 00:22:36.059 --> 00:22:38.240 Revelation, Jesus speaking these words, 00:22:39.259 --> 00:22:45.359 Do not be afraid about what you are going to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:54.799 to test you, and you will suffer persecution for 10 days. Be faithful, even to the point of death. 00:22:54.799 --> 00:23:06.200 And I will give you life as your victor's crown. God, who comes down from heaven to rescue us from our sins, 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:15.220 also promises us that through trials, we will make it. We will make it to the end. We will persevere 00:23:15.220 --> 00:23:22.159 and receive a victor's crown. See what it says in verse 12 again, blessed is the one who perseveres under 00:23:22.160 --> 00:23:30.560 trial. Because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised 00:23:30.560 --> 00:23:44.480 to all those who believe. Our reward is tied to faithfulness, yes. But he is faithful. He is faithful to his own. 00:23:44.480 --> 00:23:55.000 The Lord is faithful to his promises. You know, each person starts out in life in rebellion, in their heart towards 00:23:55.000 --> 00:24:02.660 God. That's our natural state. Whether we religiously try to always do the right thing 00:24:02.660 --> 00:24:10.039 in order to earn our favor with God and put God in our pocket. Or we're someone who wants to indulge our 00:24:10.039 --> 00:24:17.759 selfishness. It doesn't matter. Our lives by default are lived to our own standards. We like to set the 00:24:17.759 --> 00:24:23.819 rules. And we like to say, well, God, if I do this, this, and this, then that'll please you, and you'll have 00:24:23.819 --> 00:24:29.599 to do things for me. Or we can try and turn our back from God. And we can try and live our own path and 00:24:29.599 --> 00:24:35.920 our own lives and just live for self. And either one is really the same thing, setting our own standards 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:43.880 to live by. But God, the Creator, sets a perfect standard of love and obedience to him. And we 00:24:43.880 --> 00:24:51.279 fail to love God. We fail to love him and we fail to love others. And as a result, we're separated 00:24:51.279 --> 00:25:00.279 in our sin and in our disobedience from God. And we deserve his wrath. We deserve his condemnation. 00:25:00.279 --> 00:25:08.480 Yes, through God, the Son, the second person of the Trinity, God, the Son, Jesus Christ, 00:25:08.899 --> 00:25:17.079 our sins are forgiven. Our slate is wiped clean. We now live under God's perfect standard and we're 00:25:17.079 --> 00:25:27.119 empowered by the Spirit to follow him if we accept Jesus' death on the cross for our sins. At the cross, 00:25:27.119 --> 00:25:35.779 Jesus gives his perfect record of faithfulness, of perseverance, of obedience, of good works. He gives 00:25:35.779 --> 00:25:45.679 us that perfect record. And in exchange, he takes the sin from us and places it on himself. 00:25:47.459 --> 00:25:54.819 We are made right with God through faith, by grace, in Christ alone. 00:25:54.819 --> 00:26:02.240 That's the seed that Jesus spoke about. The seed that's scattered, the seed that's planted, 00:26:02.379 --> 00:26:08.279 the message of the gospel. Has that message been planted in you? 00:26:10.220 --> 00:26:19.099 Do you love Jesus? Have you exchanged your own efforts for all that Christ has done? Do you know 00:26:19.099 --> 00:26:26.859 in your deepest commitment in your deepest commitment in your heart? Your deepest joy is knowing that Jesus has done it all 00:26:26.859 --> 00:26:38.240 for me? That Jesus has forgiven my sin? That I have peace with God, the creator of the whole universe? 00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:45.640 Jesus has forgiven my sin. If that's not you. If that's not you this morning, if you don't have that peace 00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:52.920 with God, today is the day. Today is the day. Today is the day. Do not pass up this opportunity, 00:26:53.519 --> 00:27:02.500 but turn to God in faith. Let that message take root in your life. And I pray that the Holy Spirit is at work 00:27:02.500 --> 00:27:09.119 and has been preparing your heart as good soil so that message would take root in your very life this 00:27:09.119 --> 00:27:22.339 morning. This then is how trials save. For in God's goodness, in God's goodness, trials are a means for 00:27:22.339 --> 00:27:29.240 proving the genuineness of our faith. They're there to prove that our faith and our root is in the right 00:27:29.240 --> 00:27:34.700 place. It's no kindness to go through life thinking you have it all right when you don't. 00:27:35.960 --> 00:27:43.220 The message has been planted. The message is growing and it will persevere because he is faithful. And in 00:27:43.220 --> 00:27:51.180 the end, we will receive the promised crown of eternal life. Those that are saved will persevere. 00:27:52.440 --> 00:27:59.220 That is true. No trial will ultimately affect the root of our deepest commitment, whatever that might 00:27:59.220 --> 00:28:07.720 be. And if it's in Jesus, that's where it will stay. And the flip side is also true, isn't it? Those that 00:28:07.720 --> 00:28:13.839 persevere will be saved. There are two sides of the one coin. We try and separate those things and we argue 00:28:13.839 --> 00:28:22.180 about them sometimes, but they're both true. Those that are saved by God's faithfulness will persevere. 00:28:22.180 --> 00:28:29.180 But in a sense, those that persevere are those that are saved. And those two things beautifully go 00:28:29.180 --> 00:28:31.299 together in God's providence. 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:42.560 Pastor Drew Sokol was rocked by his doubts. But actually, through his crisis of faith, he found at 00:28:42.560 --> 00:28:50.120 the end that his heart was closer to God than ever before. He loved God the Father. He loves Jesus. 00:28:50.119 --> 00:28:57.399 Praise the Lord. He is a faithful minister of the gospel serving in New York City. And his faith was 00:28:57.399 --> 00:29:05.759 proven genuine. But for the one who falls away under trials, what about them? Their experience is very 00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:14.119 different. I came across the story of Drew Sokol from a podcast called Hinge. If you're interested in 00:29:14.119 --> 00:29:20.579 such things, I highly recommend it. It's a 10-part podcast. And it's examining issues of faith and 00:29:20.579 --> 00:29:26.339 suffering and trials. But the primary question is looking at the evidence for Jesus. So the podcast 00:29:26.339 --> 00:29:33.579 is Drew on one hand and a committed atheist called Corey Markham on the other. And a very high quality 00:29:33.579 --> 00:29:37.359 podcast where they look at the evidence for the gospels, the evidence for the resurrection. 00:29:37.359 --> 00:29:43.339 What causes people to believe? Is it just all psychological? Or looks at all those issues. 00:29:44.179 --> 00:29:48.500 But very fair, very balanced, both men co-hosting. 00:29:49.379 --> 00:29:54.959 So Drew teamed up with his former Christian and firm atheist, Corey Markham, to produce this podcast 00:29:54.959 --> 00:30:01.500 about belief and evidence for Jesus. And it's interesting. Within, I think, one or two episodes, 00:30:01.699 --> 00:30:06.000 Corey makes this ultimate charge. And it's the one that I think he sticks to most. 00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:11.299 And it's probably the hardest one as a Christian to answer. Well, certainly I found. And his ultimate 00:30:11.299 --> 00:30:20.420 charge in the podcast is this, that there are times when we desperately need God. We desperately 00:30:20.420 --> 00:30:28.299 need God to make himself known. We need God to show up. And God doesn't show up. He doesn't reveal 00:30:28.299 --> 00:30:38.319 himself. Where's the evidence? You know, if I call out to God in my trouble or my doubt or my lack of 00:30:38.319 --> 00:30:44.059 faith, why doesn't God show up like he did in the New Testament and walked around and healed people? 00:30:44.200 --> 00:30:50.680 It's just not good enough for me. He doesn't show up today, does he? Not like that. And James knows that 00:30:50.680 --> 00:30:58.019 verse 12 is a hard sell to people that have undergone trials because through trials, some are tempted and 00:30:58.019 --> 00:31:05.580 some leave the faith. It's like God has set all the rules for the game, the game of life for the 00:31:05.580 --> 00:31:12.019 Christian life. And then when we most need God in the midst of our trials, in the midst of our struggles, 00:31:12.019 --> 00:31:17.539 in the midst of our doubt, and we need God to intervene and to show up and to show that he's there, 00:31:18.879 --> 00:31:23.839 he refuses. He doesn't. It's like he changes the rules and he blames us for losing the game. 00:31:25.980 --> 00:31:34.259 Is the God of trials then also the God of temptation? Is it actually God through his inaction of not 00:31:34.259 --> 00:31:41.639 showing up that is going to lead people towards unbelief and sin? Is it God's fault then? 00:31:42.019 --> 00:31:49.180 At that point? When he doesn't show up? When I need him? And we know that under trial we're tempted, 00:31:49.339 --> 00:31:55.119 aren't we, to doubt God's goodness. We're tempted to sin. We're tempted towards unbelief. 00:31:56.240 --> 00:32:02.980 Look at the start of verse 13. When tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me. 00:32:04.259 --> 00:32:09.039 But that becomes our reaction, isn't it? That God is tempting me in the midst of this. 00:32:09.039 --> 00:32:15.359 We want the trial to end. We don't like trials. They unsettle us. They shift us around. They move 00:32:15.359 --> 00:32:21.940 us from foot to foot. And we want it to end. So we turn the tables. And God is testing us. And God is 00:32:21.940 --> 00:32:27.079 bringing this trial. So we want to flip it around. So we want to test God instead. We want to turn the 00:32:27.079 --> 00:32:34.559 tables. God, if you're there, show yourself to me by... And you fill in the blank because you will have 00:32:34.559 --> 00:32:41.599 your favorite fill in the blank for that situation. God, God, show yourself to me and that you're there 00:32:41.599 --> 00:32:49.379 and prove yourself by healing me. Father, take away this doubt. Lord, next Sunday, that sermon, 00:32:49.500 --> 00:32:53.299 I really need it to speak to me, Lord. So if it speaks to me, I'll know that you're there. 00:32:54.019 --> 00:32:57.700 Lord, if the third car that passes by is red, I'll know you're there. 00:32:57.700 --> 00:33:05.559 Father, we will have... Each one of us will have our favorite way to ask God to say that 00:33:05.559 --> 00:33:11.420 you're there, God. And how we expect him to be there during trials and to prove himself. 00:33:13.000 --> 00:33:18.240 And James describes that slippery slope of reasoning that we get into and the consequences of it 00:33:18.240 --> 00:33:23.440 that are worked out, sadly, time and again in people's lives. And read through this with 00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:30.059 me and see if you can follow what James is saying. Verse 13. When tempted, no one should say, 00:33:30.160 --> 00:33:39.940 God is tempting me. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. But each person 00:33:39.940 --> 00:33:52.140 is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desires and enticed. Then, after desire has 00:33:52.140 --> 00:34:05.259 conceived, it gives birth to sin. And sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death. Now, I don't think 00:34:05.259 --> 00:34:12.280 it's talking about the sins, the individual sins that we do here. Don't worry. This is not to say that 00:34:12.280 --> 00:34:19.539 if you sin, it will lead to death. But there is a sin that leads to death. The sin of unbelief. The sin of 00:34:19.539 --> 00:34:29.679 turning from God. This is sometimes how our reasoning goes. God has put me in this situation, 00:34:30.500 --> 00:34:36.920 because we affirm that God is sovereign. He is God. And he's put me under stress. But we go on to argue 00:34:36.920 --> 00:34:44.840 that we, first to ourselves and later possibly even to others out loud, that God, take an example, 00:34:44.840 --> 00:34:52.519 God, you could have given me a more helpful partner in life. You could have given me a happier marriage. 00:34:53.880 --> 00:35:00.680 Therefore, it's God's fault that when the other person came along and they spent time listening to 00:35:00.680 --> 00:35:08.579 me, that I ended up sleeping with them in order to feel value and love. God could have stopped me. 00:35:08.579 --> 00:35:16.460 He could have stopped me from marrying the wrong person. But God didn't. And then God tempted me. 00:35:17.199 --> 00:35:22.420 God tempted me in that vulnerable situation. And I gave in. And he knew. He knew I didn't have enough 00:35:22.420 --> 00:35:30.340 willpower. And he knew I was unhappy at that time. And why did God allow this to happen? Is God even there? 00:35:30.340 --> 00:35:38.760 Because in my greatest need, he didn't show up. And God didn't stop me. God tempted me. It's God's fault. 00:35:40.440 --> 00:35:47.280 Well, James is a doctor of the heart. And he's not falling for it. He knows that trials, 00:35:47.780 --> 00:35:54.980 on one hand, and temptations, on the other hand, have different sources. They don't come from the same 00:35:54.980 --> 00:36:04.099 source. Temptation. Temptation doesn't originate from God. God's immune to temptation. And God doesn't 00:36:04.099 --> 00:36:11.699 tempt anyone. We can try, can't we, in that turning the tables with God in the midst of trials. We can 00:36:11.699 --> 00:36:20.559 try and pin the blame on God, can't we? Because we reason about God's power and we say that God is 00:36:20.559 --> 00:36:26.980 in control and it's his fault that he causes trials. And therefore, he caused me to be tempted 00:36:26.980 --> 00:36:35.860 and to doubt him. But James says that if we go down that road, then we've only deceived ourselves. 00:36:37.139 --> 00:36:45.219 Verse 16. We've only deceived ourselves. We look outward and it's like we want to shine the biggest, 00:36:45.440 --> 00:36:50.539 brightest spotlight we can purchase. We want to shine it on God. We want to shine it on God. 00:36:50.539 --> 00:36:56.179 And, you know, have everyone looking there in our situation. And in the middle of that, 00:36:56.320 --> 00:36:59.320 while everyone's looking there, we're getting the black bin liners out and we're trying to cover up 00:36:59.320 --> 00:37:04.659 our own mess. And we're switching off the lights in our own house. And we're even closing our eyes 00:37:04.659 --> 00:37:13.019 and hoping nobody notices and saying, look, God, it's God's fault. Point the finger of accusation at God. 00:37:13.019 --> 00:37:21.619 Such self-delusion won't work with the creator of the universe, the one who knows all things. 00:37:22.380 --> 00:37:30.480 James tells us in verses 13 to 15 that we are ultimately responsible for that relentless path of 00:37:30.480 --> 00:37:39.300 our own desires through enticement towards the sin of unbelief and ultimately to death. 00:37:39.300 --> 00:37:50.460 Don't be deceived by your own heart, James says in verse 16. My dear brothers and my dear sisters, 00:37:51.019 --> 00:37:59.760 don't be deceived. Don't be deceived by a heart that would accuse God of evil in order to cover up my own sin. 00:37:59.760 --> 00:38:01.760 Let's read those verses. Don't be deceived by a heart that would accuse God of evil in order to cover up my own sin. 00:38:01.760 --> 00:38:10.520 Let's read those verses. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, 00:38:10.760 --> 00:38:16.620 coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows. 00:38:16.619 --> 00:38:30.799 He chose to give us, he chose to give you and me birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all that he created. 00:38:33.480 --> 00:38:40.380 James ends with truth, true truth, truth that you can build your life upon. 00:38:40.380 --> 00:38:49.960 And the truth is this in verse 17, that every good and perfect gift is from above. 00:38:51.380 --> 00:39:06.680 All that is good, all that is right, all that is praiseworthy in this world finds its starting place in that which has always been perfectly good, God himself. 00:39:06.679 --> 00:39:14.159 Everything, everything, everything that is good comes from our Father, God himself. 00:39:14.839 --> 00:39:23.799 You see, God doesn't change. He's not like the shadow that shifts as the sun rises and moves through its course during the day, 00:39:23.899 --> 00:39:27.940 and like on a sundial or even your own shadow as that moves and skips around. 00:39:28.719 --> 00:39:33.980 That's not God. That's not what he's like. The shadows that come and go with the moving sun. 00:39:33.980 --> 00:39:45.380 And why is that important? Well, it's because of this, because God, God, our heavenly Father, set his love upon you. 00:39:46.599 --> 00:39:55.820 And when did he do that? He set his love upon you before a single atom in the universe started to vibrate. 00:39:55.820 --> 00:40:01.680 Before a single atom was created and started to vibrate and to fill this whole expanse. 00:40:02.140 --> 00:40:06.220 God set his love on you. 00:40:09.320 --> 00:40:16.600 God willed, before the very first star was called out into its place in the night sky. 00:40:16.599 --> 00:40:25.460 God willed that God, the Son, the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, would come down to this earth. 00:40:26.299 --> 00:40:31.119 He would be sent by the Father of the heavenly lights, who sends every good and perfect gift. 00:40:32.119 --> 00:40:33.519 And what is the best gift? 00:40:34.519 --> 00:40:37.799 What is the most perfect gift that comes from our heavenly Father? 00:40:37.880 --> 00:40:38.759 Is it not the Son? 00:40:38.760 --> 00:40:43.040 Is it not Jesus, who is himself God? 00:40:44.040 --> 00:40:52.100 The Son comes to the earth for you to take the wrath for your sin. 00:40:52.540 --> 00:40:57.780 In eternity past, that was agreed for you. 00:40:59.100 --> 00:41:00.200 Verse 18. 00:41:01.340 --> 00:41:05.900 God chose to give you not just physical birth, 00:41:05.900 --> 00:41:09.480 but God chose to give you a second birth. 00:41:09.860 --> 00:41:14.880 God chose to give you spiritual birth through his word, 00:41:15.300 --> 00:41:16.440 the word of truth, 00:41:16.800 --> 00:41:19.099 the seed of the gospel that we spoke about, 00:41:19.160 --> 00:41:20.119 that Jesus spoke about, 00:41:20.200 --> 00:41:23.079 that tiniest of seeds, yet the most powerful of seeds. 00:41:23.559 --> 00:41:29.059 God chose to rebirth you through that seed in your life. 00:41:29.380 --> 00:41:31.420 Through his Holy Spirit beforehand, 00:41:31.579 --> 00:41:34.260 he prepared your heart as good soil 00:41:34.260 --> 00:41:37.260 so that you, dear brother and sister, 00:41:37.400 --> 00:41:39.220 might be a kind of first fruit. 00:41:40.020 --> 00:41:42.800 That when it would grow, that you would be the first fruit. 00:41:42.880 --> 00:41:45.320 And by that, he means the very best. 00:41:45.760 --> 00:41:50.200 The very best of all that God is doing in this universe is you. 00:41:51.340 --> 00:41:52.680 Isn't that incredible? 00:41:53.060 --> 00:41:54.520 That you are the first fruit. 00:41:54.700 --> 00:41:55.640 You are the best, 00:41:56.100 --> 00:42:00.520 the very best and most important part of all of his creation 00:42:00.520 --> 00:42:01.960 because of that new birth. 00:42:01.960 --> 00:42:05.760 How then, my brothers and sisters, 00:42:06.480 --> 00:42:08.980 if this is God's character, 00:42:09.579 --> 00:42:12.019 and if this is God's heart towards you, 00:42:12.099 --> 00:42:14.280 can you ever accuse your heavenly Father 00:42:14.280 --> 00:42:16.240 of tempting you to sin? 00:42:16.900 --> 00:42:17.940 If this is the truth, 00:42:18.240 --> 00:42:20.260 of tempting you to leave the faith 00:42:20.260 --> 00:42:22.480 and to die under judgment, 00:42:23.099 --> 00:42:23.980 that's not God. 00:42:25.019 --> 00:42:27.920 No, God is good. 00:42:28.400 --> 00:42:29.420 God is good. 00:42:29.539 --> 00:42:30.860 Trials prove his goodness. 00:42:30.860 --> 00:42:34.420 He calls you in eternity past to be his child 00:42:34.420 --> 00:42:38.140 and a good God will bring trials to grow you in faithfulness 00:42:38.140 --> 00:42:40.820 so that your faith is proved genuine 00:42:40.820 --> 00:42:43.280 and you will receive the crown of life 00:42:43.280 --> 00:42:45.880 that he always planned for you. 00:42:46.480 --> 00:42:47.079 Let's pray. 00:42:47.079 --> 00:42:53.960 Our Father, we depend upon your mercy 00:42:53.960 --> 00:42:55.940 and we depend upon your goodness. 00:42:56.619 --> 00:42:58.699 And Lord Jesus, we thank you for your word, 00:42:59.319 --> 00:43:00.940 the word of truth that is planted. 00:43:01.519 --> 00:43:04.360 And Lord Jesus, I pray that in your goodness 00:43:04.360 --> 00:43:07.659 that you will bring everyone here 00:43:07.659 --> 00:43:10.880 through the trials of life. 00:43:10.880 --> 00:43:13.860 Give them the help and strength that they need 00:43:13.860 --> 00:43:14.940 from all that you provide 00:43:14.940 --> 00:43:18.619 to be faithful to you as you are to them. 00:43:19.000 --> 00:43:20.119 Be gracious, Lord Jesus. 00:43:20.119 --> 00:43:21.059 Amen.