We are starting a new series, and we're going to do the Bible reading in a few minutes' time.
We're starting a new preaching series. We're going to be going through the book of James.
And the book of James is this really interesting little book of the Bible.
It's right at the back of your Bible.
And just because it's little doesn't mean it's unimportant.
The book of James is fascinating for a couple of reasons.
It's one of the books of the Bible that Christians, most Christians, really enjoy,
and pastors really struggle with.
And the reason is this.
It's so practical and concise.
And pastors really struggle with this because, you know, we like theological arguments
and digging into Greek and our ivory tower study stuff.
And James isn't really interested in any of that.
He is very practical and to the point.
One of the most famous sentences in the book of James is found at the end of the first chapter.
So he says, don't merely listen to God's word and deceive yourself.
Do what it says.
Very to the point.
Very wonderful.
So the book of James is a great book in that way.
It's also very interesting because James is the brother of Jesus Christ.
His younger brother.
And technically his half-brother.
He had the same mom, different dad.
They would have grown up in the same house together.
Sat at the same dining room table together.
He would have watched Jesus growing up.
And what's interesting is James no doubt realized there's something special about Jesus.
But James didn't believe that Jesus was the Christ.
And so even when Jesus is an adult, John's gospel tells us that his brothers didn't believe
what everybody else was saying about Jesus.
And yet later on, James did come to believe.
And it's amazing how he writes about, he calls him our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
As the result of seeing Christ rising from the dead, James came to believe that Jesus really
is who he said he was.
I, by the way, I have this wonderful older brother.
His name's Simon.
He's also a pastor.
He lives in Singapore.
He's two years older than me and I really look up to him and respect him in many, many
ways.
But I've never called him Lord Simon.
Or the glorious Lord Simon Murphy.
But James came to see that his brother really was who he claimed to be.
And so he writes here in the first verse, a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And later on, our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
It's wonderful that this man who was once filled with doubts and skepticism, later on
came to write a book of the Bible.
And we see that, as we read the book of Acts, we actually see that James came to be the leader
of the church in Jerusalem, which was one of the biggest churches in the first century.
In chapter 15 of Acts, he is the chairman of this very important council.
And so James is this really important figure in the early church.
He's the brother of Jesus.
He's the leader of the church in Jerusalem.
He's one of the key leaders.
And yet, if you look at verse 1, how he describes himself, he says, James, merely a servant of
God and a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This man who has this remarkable CV, brother of Jesus, leader of the church, just sees himself
as this humble servant.
And then maybe the last thing to say by way of introduction is, who is James writing to?
Well, he says he's writing to the 12 tribes of the dispersion.
In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel, God's people, were made up of 12 tribes, 12 clans.
It was a way of describing God's people.
And in Acts chapter 8, we see that God's people in Jerusalem, the Christians, encounter persecution
and difficulty.
And so they flee out of Jerusalem.
They go and live all over kind of the Roman Empire.
But James, who was this pastor in Jerusalem, still carries these men and women on his heart.
Even though they're no longer part of his church, he loves them.
He wants to know how they're doing.
He's concerned about the fact that they're facing these trials.
And so he writes to these Christian Jews all over the Roman Empire to encourage them, to
encourage them in their faith.
This is what the book of James is about.
It's written by this humble pastor to these Christians that are going through a difficult
time, who are facing these various trials, to encourage them to keep on going when life
is hard.
And so on that note, let's listen to the reading from this morning.
And Karen is going to come and read James chapter 1, verses 1 to 8.
Let's listen up.
Lord, please speak to us from the book of James.
This is chapter 1, starting in verse 1, we read, James, a servant of God and of the Lord
Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes in the dispersion, greetings.
Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know
that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking
in nothing.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach,
and it will be given him.
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting.
For the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.
He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
This is the word of God.
Great, thanks, Karen.
Let me pray for us, and let's ask God to speak to us.
As Karen prayed, Lord, we want you to speak to us.
We want to hear your wisdom for real life.
This week, God, as we go into the great city of Hong Kong, we want our eyes fixed on you,
God.
We're going to face various trials.
Lord, we want to experience and encounter your grace.
And so, God, won't you encourage us from your word?
Won't you speak to us from James' words to us?
May we hear not just James' message, but your word to us today.
We pray this in your great name.
Amen.
Okay, so this passage today, nice and short, is broken up into two sections,
verses 2 to 4 and verses 5 to 8.
And the two big ideas are this.
When life is hard, okay, I know that's not really a full sentence, but when life is hard,
to seek the wisdom of the gracious God.
When life is hard, seek the wisdom of the gracious God.
So let's look at what James says just here.
Firstly, when life is hard.
I'm sure you probably don't need too much convincing that life is hard.
It's testing.
It's challenging.
If anyone doubted the reality of that, COVID-19 just reminded us of the reality that life is not always a bed of roses.
But the danger, of course, is that sometimes we think, oh, COVID was this wild anomaly,
a once-in-a-century anomaly.
Now that we got through that, let's just get back to the good old days, and life will continue wonderfully.
But the reality is that even before COVID, and certainly post-COVID, life is full of trials, full of difficulty, full of challenges.
And so look at how James says this.
He says in verse 2,
James is writing to these Christians, not because he thinks they might be a good one.
He might possibly, on a bad day, have experienced some trial.
But because he knows they will.
He says when you encounter trials.
Not if that may happen.
When.
It's going to happen.
We are a very young church.
35% of Watermark is between the age of 20 and 29 years old.
And let me just say to those of us that are younger in our years, and especially if you're a high schooler,
the world tells you that the world is your oyster.
And you can do anything you want, and be anything you want.
And just look inside yourself, and you can fulfill any dream you want.
Friends, let me tell you, life is full of challenges.
It is hard.
And so let me encourage you, don't believe the Instagram life.
That is not real life.
You know, sometimes I meet up with people, and someone will say,
I'm going through a really difficult time.
Really, really struggling.
Life is hard.
I wake up full of anxiety.
Sometimes the dark cloud hangs over me.
And yet, when I see the Instagram account there, in Bali, you know, with a cocktail in their hand and an infinity pool,
I think life couldn't get better.
Friends, Instagram is not real life.
That's called a holiday.
Real life is the baby not sleeping throughout the entire night, crying all night long.
Real life is getting a miserable teacher at school.
Real life is having your girlfriend break up with you.
Real life is not getting that promotion or having that psycho boss that makes your life difficult.
Real life is getting cancer or moving to another country that you don't want to move to.
Life is full of disappointments.
And a hundred times a day, we're told in our culture and our society,
that just look within yourself to be what you want to be.
Fulfill your dreams.
Do whatever you want.
Friends, don't believe it.
Life is full of trials.
Various trials.
And when these trials come, James wants to tell us that the Christian worldview tells us not merely to respond just passively,
not to respond emotionally, but to think about it, to engage with it.
Look at what he says here.
He says, count it all joy or consider it all joy when you face these trials.
Now, James is not saying, you just lost your job.
Your wife's about to give birth to twins.
Your cell phone just broke.
Yeah!
What a joy!
Life couldn't get better.
No, no, he's not saying that.
He's not saying, enjoy the trials, or look forward to suffering,
or make, you know, cause the person in your CG to suffer, because that's a good thing.
He's saying, rather than responding emotionally or stoically, engage with it.
Think about it.
Consider it.
Consider how God might want to use this trial in your life for your good.
You see, what do we tend to do when life is hard?
One of the temptations is, as I said, to respond emotionally.
We can say, God, why is this happening to me?
How can you let this happen?
I don't deserve this.
Woe is me!
Or, we can respond stoically.
We can disengage and numb ourselves through escapist behavior.
We can binge on Netflix, or binge on social media,
or food,
or work out at the gym twice as hard,
or dial into our work,
as a way of escaping the reality,
and the pain, and the difficulty of life.
But James says something else here.
He says, no, no, make a deliberate and a conscious decision.
Not to feel sorry for yourself.
Not to just seek the comfort in Netflix or social media.
But actually, engage with the God who is allowing this to come your way.
And seek the comfort and the joy that God will bring as He works in you and through you in this trial.
This week, I was listening to a podcast of somebody that I really look up to and respect.
And he was talking about the fact that 10 years ago, he was diagnosed with cancer.
And at the same time, his wife went through major, major health trials.
Many surgeries.
And for a couple of years, both husband and wife were battling these major trials.
He is a pastor, or was a pastor.
And at the same time as all this was going on, there were difficulties at his church.
There was a bit of division.
The staff weren't quite aligned.
And he said, for about three years, he really wondered, God, I don't know if I can do this anymore.
Maybe I need to find another job.
I'm not cut out for this.
And yet, he said, I learned some things about God, and I learned some things about myself.
And in that period, I learned how to pray.
And then at the end of the interview, he says this.
He says, as hard as that time was, it was completely worth it.
I wouldn't change it for anything.
I was diagnosed with cancer, my wife going through trials, work difficulty.
I wouldn't change it for anything.
Because I discovered some things about God.
Friends, when God brings trials and challenges, and they'll come,
don't run away from it.
Don't feel sorry for yourself.
Engage the God who wants to do something in you and through you.
Seek out the good that God wants to do in your life.
And that's what he says in verse 3.
Now here, James has a very specific outcome.
Look what he says here.
He says,
Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds.
For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness,
resoluteness, endurance, stamina to keep going.
And let steadfastness have its full effect,
that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
So James tells us that when, not if, trials and difficulty come our way,
when life is hard, we have a choice how to respond.
We can either get bitter and defensive.
We can feel sorry for ourselves and ask,
Why me, Lord?
We can get angry.
We can blame others.
We can retreat into a cocoon.
We can engage in escapist behavior.
But all of those will short circuit the process,
the work that God wants to do in your life.
To shape you and mature you and grow you
to the kind of person that he wants you to become.
To develop a steadfastness,
a resilience,
an endurance,
that is necessary to become a mature and wise person.
And so he says,
Let steadfastness have its effect in you.
Let it do its work in you.
Don't bail out and short circuit the process.
Let it do its work in you to make you a wise and mature person.
Friends, God tells us that often,
one of the only ways that we grow up and mature in life
is by going through and engaging
with the difficulties and the trials that he brings.
And so that's why he says,
Submit to the process.
Yield yourself.
Let God do his work in you.
Kind of like when you go to a physio.
I don't know how many physios we have in Watermark.
I know Mandy, one or two.
But when you go to a physio,
sometimes you're lying there and you're feeling like,
What on earth have I done?
Why am I letting this person abuse me?
And you cringe and you think,
How much longer can this take, right?
It's painful.
But as you submit to the physio's strength and work,
what are they doing?
They're bringing an element of healing and health
to an area of weakness or insufficiency in your body.
As you submit to the painful process of them working on you,
actually healing and growth comes.
Friends, that's what God says here.
He says,
Don't resist God's physio work in your life.
When trials and difficulty come,
don't play the victim.
Don't say,
Why me, God?
Don't run away and avoid it.
Submit yourself to his work
and let him grow you through the process.
When life is hard,
engage with God's process.
Now, all that I think is good and true.
And I think that's why it's in God's word.
But there are two problems with this.
I don't know if you experience any problems with this.
I find two problems with this.
The first one is,
it can sound very much like,
When life is hard, keep calm and carry on.
Right?
Or it can sound like,
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
And if that's the case,
then where does Jesus Christ come to this?
What's the point of a Christian worldview?
Why not just be secular and say,
Keep calm and carry on.
What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.
The other problem I have with what James says here
is that when we go through these trials,
one of the challenges is,
you can,
it can be really hard to process.
It can be confusing.
You can feel like you're lost in a mist
and you don't know the way out.
Sometimes the very problem that trials bring
is that you can't think straight.
I actually had this recently.
I was,
not too long ago,
I was going through a difficult time.
Weighed really heavily on my heart.
I was a bit,
I felt like I was in a bit of a slump,
both emotionally and even spiritually.
And I didn't know how to handle it.
But part of what was so confusing
was that I felt so guilty about it.
I felt so confused about it.
I felt,
God,
I'm a pastor.
I'm not meant to feel like this.
I'm meant to give my own heart wise counsel.
I'm meant to quote some Bible verse.
God,
I shouldn't feel like this.
And I felt confused about the fact
that I wasn't in a great space.
And so there was kind of this double confusion.
Not only was I unsure about
what was going on in my life,
in my heart,
I then felt guilty and confused
about the situation.
I wonder if you can relate to that.
And so how do we handle it?
Where do we find the tools,
the wisdom,
to navigate the trials
and the challenges that we face?
And once again,
this is where James' wisdom
is so different from modern culture.
You see,
modern culture says,
just be true to yourself.
Just look inside your heart
and do what you feel is good.
All right.
One culture tells us to
just be true to your own desires.
But that seems to me
to be no less confusing
than just keep calm and carry on.
That doesn't seem to really help
in the trials and the difficulty.
Friends,
when you're lost,
what do you need?
You need somebody
who knows the way
that can lead you out.
You need somebody
who knows
how to get you
where you need to be.
When you're lost,
you need more
than just keep calm
and carry on.
You need more
than just what doesn't kill you
makes you stronger.
You need the wisdom
of somebody
who knows how to guide you
out of the confusion
into clarity.
James says that
in the trials
and the difficulties of life,
and particularly
when you feel lost
and confused
and not sure
which way to go,
look at what we should do.
Look at verse five.
Verse five,
if any of you lacks wisdom,
let him ask God
and it will be given to him.
Friends,
are you in a difficult season
at the moment?
Are you lost,
confused?
Are you facing some trial
that is overwhelming?
What are you turning to
in this season?
Who are you turning to
in this season?
If any of you lacks wisdom,
let him ask God.
But what does that
actually mean?
I mean,
does that mean
God,
I've got this deal
on the table,
I don't know
which way to go.
Go option A
or option B.
God,
give me your answer.
And God,
you know,
the option B
just kind of highlights
on the screen,
right?
Or maybe,
God,
I've got a university
to choose.
Should I go to HKU
or CUHK?
And suddenly,
an angel appears
at the end of your bed
and says,
go HKU.
Is that what he means?
You know,
if anyone lacks wisdom,
ask God
and God will give it to you.
Well,
I don't think that's the way
that God works.
Certainly not in my life.
I don't know if any of you
have had that.
Sometimes God speaks directly.
We mentioned this earlier
a few weeks ago.
God can speak in dreams.
He can speak a hundred ways.
But seldom is God's answer,
seldom is God's wisdom
just a direct piece of information.
Do A,
not B.
In fact,
in the Bible,
wisdom is not just
knowledge or information.
It's something
altogether different.
In the Bible,
wisdom is not simply
having the intellectual smarts,
having street knowledge,
or being savvy.
Wisdom is a character trait
that has developed
or grown within you
as a result of
walking with God,
thinking carefully
about His will
and His ways.
Wisdom is a character trait
that's developed
or grown within you
over a period of time
after thinking carefully
about God
and His will
and His ways.
If you've got a Bible,
flip over the page
to James chapter 3
with me.
I want to show you.
Look at how James
thinks about wisdom.
Look at verse 13.
James says,
Who is wise
and understanding
amongst you?
By His good conduct,
let Him show His works
in the meekness of wisdom.
In other words,
let Him show
what wisdom looks like.
Let Him show the fruit of it.
Verse 14.
Because if you have
bitter jealousy
and selfish ambition
in your hearts,
do not boast about this.
This is not the wisdom
that comes from above.
No, this is earthly wisdom.
This is unspiritual,
even demonic.
For where jealousy
and selfish ambition exist,
there will be disorder
and all sorts
of vile practices.
But the wisdom
that comes from above,
the wisdom that you need
in trials and challenges,
though this is different.
The wisdom from above
is pure.
It's peaceable.
It's gentle.
It's open to reason.
It's full of mercy
and good fruits.
It's impartial.
It's sincere.
And a harvest
of righteousness
is produced.
Friends,
James is telling us here
that he's saying
when you go through
trials and difficulties,
we need a wisdom
that's going to guide us.
But it's a unique
kind of wisdom.
It's not just the wisdom
that's going to help you
get ahead in life.
It's not just the kind
of wisdom that
is going to make you
look after yourself
or progress your career.
There are many people
that are very smart,
very savvy,
very streetwise,
that know how to get ahead
in their careers,
know how to look
after themselves,
know how to look
after themselves.
But what's the consequence
of that kind of wisdom,
that kind of street smart?
It's often broken
relationships, right?
It's people walking
over one another.
It's a trail
of destruction.
It's what James calls here
selfish ambition
and jealousy,
brokenness.
James says
that's not the kind
of wisdom we need
when life is hard.
there's another kind
of wisdom.
And surprise,
surprise,
it turns out
that this wisdom
looks a lot like Jesus.
Look at how he describes it.
It's pure.
It's full of peace.
It's gentle.
It's open to reason.
It's full of mercy.
It's the wisdom
that comes from
knowing him
and walking with him
and having your life
shaped by him
is the wisdom
that will get you
through the trials
and the challenges
of life
without the trail
of destruction
behind you.
James says
that if anyone
lacks wisdom
and will know it
by the fruits
of their lives,
broken relationships,
broken homes,
broken marriages,
maybe it's because
we've been living life
on our own terms.
Having never come
to Jesus
to ask him
to lead us
and guide us.
Never having
had our lives
shaped by him.
If any of you
lacks wisdom,
ask God for it.
Let your life
be shaped by God.
That doesn't mean
ask God to bail you
out of this difficult
situation
and solve all your
problems.
It means ask God
to have his way
in your life.
Why should we do that?
Why should we come
to God?
Well, in verse 6,
James gives us
a reason.
Every reason
to let God
shape our lives
and lead him.
Friends,
maybe you're here
this morning,
you're not a Christian.
I'm trying to urge you
that you cannot
get through life
on your terms.
When trials
and challenges come,
you need your life
to be shaped
by Jesus.
But why Jesus?
What's so special
about him?
Well, look at
what he says.
James here reminds us
of the nature
and the character
of Jesus.
Look at what he says.
If any of you
lacks wisdom,
let him ask God.
Let him come to God,
asking God to have
his way in his life.
Let him ask God
and look at how
he describes God.
God who gives
generously.
This God
is not stingy.
He never says,
that's enough,
I think you've had
enough good things
for one year.
Time to suffer,
right?
I was just thinking,
when I was preparing
this brief confession,
I was eating a chocolate
at the time.
And I was just thinking
about how I treat
my kids when they
ask for chocolate
or ice cream,
right?
Very stingy.
That's enough,
that's enough.
I think you've had
enough for one day.
I'll say things like,
no more,
okay?
God is not like that
with his good gifts.
I don't know if you
remember the story
Oliver Twist,
right?
Very famous Oliver Twist
written by Charles Dickens.
Oliver Twist is this orphan.
He's growing up
in an orphanage
and they're given
this measly bowl
of food
each mealtime
and they're always
grumbling,
complaining because
they're hungry
and one day his friends
dare him to go
to the master
and ask for some more.
And Oliver Twist
goes up to the master
and the whole orphanage
is in silence.
Nobody's ever done
this before.
And he says,
please sir,
can I have some more food?
And the master freaks out.
What?
You want more food?
After all I've done
for you?
Friends,
that's not how God is.
God is generous,
lavish,
extravagant
with his kindness.
God loves to give
of himself.
When you're navigating
trials and challenges,
ask God who gives
generously of himself
to help you
through the storms.
Look what else he says.
He says,
God who gives generously
to all,
not those who
have it all together,
not to the wealthy
or the privileged
or the few,
not to the respectable,
to those that have
read all of the
Watermark Bible
reading plan this week,
those who have
never missed CG,
those that have been
good boys and girls.
God generously gives
to all who will
come to him.
Friends,
are you a high schooler
this morning
and you're facing
a challenge or trial?
You can look to God
and he will give
his grace to you.
Are you a stay-at-home mom?
A young mom
with infants?
That's a challenge.
You can cry out to God
and he gives to
all who need him.
Are you in the business world
and it's cutthroat
and it's challenging
and there's high pressure?
You can cry out to God.
Friends,
are you looking
after your elderly parents?
Are you a fresh graduate?
Are you middle-aged
and you're finding
that hard?
Have you got
teenage kids?
God doesn't give
his grace
to those that have
earned it
and deserved it
and merited it.
He generously gives
to all.
And then look
what he says.
He generously gives
to all
without reproach.
The word reproach
means finding fault
or reprimanding somebody
or correcting somebody.
Now to be honest,
I always thought
that what this meant
was God gives
his grace
to all those
that he doesn't
find fault with.
That he has no reason
to correct.
Right?
So if you've got
all your ducks
lined in a row,
God's got nothing
to hold against you.
I mean,
none of us are perfect
but by and large.
Then he will
give his grace
to you.
But that's not
what it means.
It actually means
the opposite.
It means
God will generously
give of himself
his grace,
his wisdom,
generously
to all people
without finding fault.
So God doesn't
look at his book
and say,
Jeremy,
I see you haven't
quite read the Bible
very often this week.
I think you better
come to me next week.
God doesn't
point out
our faults.
If you're in need
of his grace,
he generously gives
to all
without
finding
fault.
Friends,
isn't that amazing?
How gracious
and kind
our God is.
He doesn't come to us
when we call out to him
and say,
oh really,
now you want me?
After all,
you've done.
That's very brave of you.
He's so generous,
so kind,
so gracious.
Friends,
are you in a trial
and a difficulty
this morning?
Do you need wisdom
to navigate
the challenges of life?
You can come
to this God
who is gracious
and kind
and generous
and he gives
of himself
his grace
and his wisdom
without finding fault.
How do we know
this is the case?
Well,
because it sounds
a lot like the gospel,
doesn't it?
God gives generously
for God so loved
the world
that he generously
gave of his one
and only son
to broken sinners
like us.
Jesus gave
of his life
on the cross
so that people
like you and I
can encounter
his grace.
God gave to all,
not to the privileged,
to the wealthy,
to the educated.
God gives himself
to the educated,
the uneducated,
the privileged
and the unprivileged,
the rich and the poor,
those that have got it together
and those that don't
have it together,
those whose lives
are neat and tidy
and those whose lives
are down and out.
God gives himself
to all
on the cross
and friends,
he gives himself
without finding fault.
We get what we
don't deserve
because our very faults
and failings
have been wiped away
by the blood of Christ.
If any of you
lacks wisdom,
let him come to God.
Let him come to Jesus
who gives generously
to all
without reproach
and it will be
given to him.
Friends,
James is telling us here
that Jesus' word
is a far better word
than just keep calm
and carry on
or what doesn't kill you
makes you stronger.
James is telling us
that when the trials
and the challenges
and the difficulties
of life come,
you can draw near
to a good
and gracious God
who gave himself
for you
and will still
give himself to you
in the trials
to get you through.
There's one last
qualification.
Look at verse 6
to 8 with me.
James gives the qualification
and it sounds
but challenging.
He says,
if anyone lacks wisdom,
let him come to God.
Let him ask God.
Let him come to Christ
who gives generously
to all
without reproach
and it will be
given to him.
But,
let him ask in faith
without doubting.
For the one who doubts
is like a wave
of the sea
that is driven
and tossed
by the wind.
That person
must not suppose
he will receive
anything from the Lord.
He is a double-minded
man or woman
unstable
in all their ways.
Now,
does James mean here
that if you're in trouble
and you need God,
what you've got to do
is you've got to
really, really,
really, really ask God
and trust him
and not have any doubt
in your heart
that he's going to help you.
Well,
I don't think
that's what James means.
Remember,
this book is written
by somebody
who was wracked
with doubt
once upon a time.
I don't think
James means
that if you are
sincerely wrestling
and grappling
with God
and scripture
that God
won't answer you.
James doesn't mean
that if you really
want God
to answer your prayer
you've got to
clench your fists,
squeeze your eyes
and really, really, really,
really, really
raise your voice
so that God
will hear your prayers
and prove to him
how sincere you are.
Now, what he's talking
about here
is someone
who has split loyalties.
They come to God
when it helps them.
When they're in trouble,
they cry out,
God, I need you.
But actually,
most of their lives,
they're quite content
to live life
on their own terms.
When they're in trouble,
they quickly cry out
to God,
God, I need your wisdom.
But all they're really
interested in
is God just helping them
to get through
their problems
so that they can get back
to life on their own terms.
And James says
that such a person
is double-minded,
two-faced in a way.
They've got one foot
in God's camp
when we need it,
but actually,
largely,
our weight is living life
on our own terms.
James says,
that's not faith.
That's superstition.
That's falsehood.
Friends,
James says that
the wisdom that God gives,
the wisdom that comes
from above,
the wisdom that actually
grows and matures us
through the trials
and the challenges,
isn't something
that you just pick up
by crying out to God
in a moment of difficulty
or reading in a book
or listening to a podcast.
It's developed
and grown within you
from walking with God
and coming to Him
and entrusting yourself
to the one
who is utterly trustworthy.
And so, friends,
this week,
you are going to face
some trial.
Maybe today,
you are going to face
some trial.
Maybe this week,
you are going to face
some trial
that's going to be
so difficult,
you are going to be
left confused
and unsure
how to respond.
How are you going
to respond?
Are you going to look
within yourself
and think,
what doesn't kill me
only makes me stronger?
Are you going to tell yourself
just to keep calm
and carry on?
Are you going to numb yourself
by binging on social media
and food
and Netflix?
Are you going to go
to the gym
and just work twice as hard?
Or are you going to
consider
what God wants to do
and take comfort
from the God
who is utterly trustworthy,
the God who gave himself
for you
and will you draw strength
from him
knowing that if you
draw near to him,
he will give you
the wisdom
and the grace.
He will give you himself
to navigate these trials
but to grow
and to mature you.
friends,
will you consider it all joy
when you face trials
of many kinds
knowing that God
is at work in you
to make you
a wise and mature person?
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father,
we thank you
for the practicality
of James.
God,
thank you for
the testimony of James,
this humble pastor
who had to deal
with his own doubts,
his own concerns,
and yet came
to be convinced
that you,
Jesus,
really are
who you said you are,
the Lord of glory,
the glorious
Lord Jesus Christ.
Father,
James is so real,
it's almost like
he reads our mail,
he knows what's going
on in our life.
It's amazing
to think that this book
written 2,000 years ago
can speak to our
own lives
so clearly.
Father,
I pray for us
as a church
and I pray for
us individually
this morning.
many of us
here,
God,
are facing trials,
difficulties,
challenges.
God,
won't you give us
the grace
to turn to you,
to invite you in,
to come to you,
to yield ourselves
to you,
and to let you
guide us
through the trials
and to do
your work in us.
God,
you promise
that you won't
just deliver us,
but actually
you'll work in us
through the trials,
and I pray
that that'll be true.
God,
this morning,
some of us,
God,
it's hard
to trust you.
We are
wrapped with
concerns,
wrapped with fears.
It feels,
God,
like letting go
of the reins
of our life
is so scary.
God,
I pray,
won't you,
Holy Spirit,
give us faith?
Won't you
help us
this morning
to open up
our hands
and to trust you,
knowing,
God,
that you are
utterly trustworthy,
knowing,
God,
that you
generously
give of yourself
your grace.
God,
won't you
help us,
I pray.
Friends,
maybe you're here
this morning
and you're
not a Christian,
not a follower
of Jesus.
God's word
to us
this morning
is not just
when difficulty
comes,
what doesn't kill
you makes you
stronger.
It's an invitation
to come and know
him,
to entrust
your life
to his hands.
What are you
trusting?
Who are you
trusting?
Where are you
turning
when the trials
and challenges
come?
Jesus Christ,
who was the same
Christ who was
alive and
real to James,
is alive and
real today.
And he's
offering an
invitation for
you to come
and entrust
your life
into his
hands,
to surrender,
to yield
yourself to
him.
He is so
good.
He is so
gracious.
He is so
faithful.
He won't
take advantage
of you.
He will
graciously
walk with
you.
Friends,
if you're
not a Christian
this morning,
why don't
you come
to him?
Why don't
you acknowledge
that you've
so often
done life
in your
own terms?
Come and
let him
have his
way in
your life.
Let him
be your
Lord and
your king.
Come and
surrender to
him.
Christ,
I pray that
in our
church you
will help
us to be
a steadfast
church.
Lord,
I pray for
the many
young adults
in our
church.
I pray
for the
youth,
God,
the teenagers,
the high
schoolers,
the university
students,
the fresh
graduates.
God,
I pray that
you will
give us
a faith
that is
steadfast,
that in
30,
40,
and 50
years'
time,
we will
still be
following you,
still trusting
you,
that we will
be wise and
mature men
and women
because our
faith is
steadfast,
rock solid,
that the
roots of our
faith have
gone deep
into you.
God,
I pray do
that in our
hearts.
In your
good and
gracious name
we pray.
Amen.