Introduction
Most of us have see video or a special on butterflies that shows them emerging from their cocoons. What is interesting to note is that the struggle to merge is necessary for the butterfly to live. A young child had put a monarch caterpillar in a jar and it formed its chrysalis. When the caterpillar had metamorphed into the butterfly, the child decided to help it get out of the cocoon. As the newly emerged butterfly began to exercise its wings to bring the circulation to them that they would unfold and eventually carry the insect to the winds, something did not happen. The wings never opened. The butterfly never flew. It died clinging to the stick from which the cocoon hung. Had the butterfly struggled to get free of its cocoon, the vital pathways for the blood to reach her wings would have opened and she would have lived.
Describing the Biblical Text
Our test this morning is the opening of the letter to the Jewish followers of Jesus written by the half brother of Jesus.
It is a pretty straightforward text but it is a reminder to the Jews who were suffering persecution for their faith that their plight was not in vein.
They would be better stronger believers for having endured the suffering that the trials of their lives would bring.
Narrate the Contextual application
When you think about it, a Jew who would follow Jesus during this time would be one who be ostracized from his life and community.
Jesus was not recognized as the Jewish messiah and at the time James wrote this letter, the separation between Judaism and Christianity was growing as the Jewish community was trying to convince the Roman Empire that Christianity was not a sect of Judaism.
This meant hat when a Jewish follower of Christ was baptized he was disowned by his family and community.
That would be a tough pill to swallow for many of us.
We don’t do well with rejection or disappointment let alone true persecution or suffering.
But, faith is powerful and James is telling his readers that their suffering will in turn lead to their strength or perfection.
Life Application (thesis)
The validity of our faith serves to strengthen us.
It enables us to be tested and to be challenged and then to stand up to the challenge and finally to be made strong in the challenge.
It is like lifting weights. Your strength allows you to get the weights over your head and then your repetitive lifting of them makes you stronger.
SO WHAT!! (Outline)
As we see how the validity of our faith strengthens us, let’s make three observations from our text this morning.
My trials are good for my endurance.
I know a pastor who had come to a place in his life where he was questioning his calling and his service in ministry. One of the considerations that he made was that he felt called to ministry early in his Christian walk. Was his sense of calling simply a response to the exuberance he felt when he first followed Christ?
The Christian life is a race of endurance but here are spurts of sprinting as well as hurdles to be jumped and pitfalls to be slogged through.
In the whole of or faith, we will see seasons of spiritual growth, seasons of spiritual stagnation, mountaintops, and valleys.
Often times we associate the testing of our faith, the trials, as a period of slogging through the pitfalls in the lowest of the valleys.
Look at verse 3
The testing of your faith produces endurance.
The word endurance in this passage is a word that means to stay behind or to wait.
It is often translated patience or perseverance.
Sometimes it is hard to wait isn’t it?
We see a situation and we want to jump into action and to try to correct a problem that we perceive is there.
But we realize that if we are simply enduring until God takes action, things will simply correct themselves through His intervention and our strength is made stronger and better.
It is faith that allows us to wait on God’s timing to handle a problem.
Listen to these verses out of Romans 5.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Do you hear how the hope of God’s glory as it is a result of faith is also a product of tribulation?
So trial is connected to faith and it is connected to hope.
That would then bring us to our second observation.
My endurance will help me to be a complete follower of Jesus Christ.
Look at verse 4
Let endurance have its perfect result.
The word perfect here indicated the idea of the ultimate result.
That result is further defined in verse 4
So that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Endurance leads to the perfection of our faith, not that we will ever be perfect, but our becoming complete in Christ depends on our endurance especially our endurance under the pressure of trial and tribulation.
We have already connected endurance or perseverance to faith and hope.
In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul describes 3 things that are constant when all of the other trappings of our faith fall away.
These things are faith, hope and love.
Can endurance be connected to the final of these three things that remain or that are eternal?
Take a look at 2 Peter 1.
Move your eye to verse 5
Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
Here we see perseverance or endurance connected to love and through that, we are made useful and fruitful.
This is the perfect commentary on James’ idea of our faith being perfect and complete.
God has called us to be fruitful.
This means that we are bringing people to God through Christ and we are giving God glory in al that we do.
That is what trial are all about.
They enable us to demonstrate the love and glory of God to a world that dying and is on their way to an eternal condemnation without Christ.
An untried faith is a weak or even a useless faith.
An untried faith is a fruitless faith as we are not able to see beyond our current circumstances to point to God’s providence and sovereignty to carry us through to perfection.
Endurance leads to a perfected faith, an enduring Hope, and a love that enables us to be useful and fruitful in the hands of God.
So what will be our response to trials?
It should be the response of Joy
Our third observation then is this.
No matter what my circumstances, I can and should be joyful.
Verse 2 says to count it all joy when we encounter various trials.
The idea behind the word to count or consider is the idea of leading such as a prince would lead and army.
In the book of Hebrews, we see this word used thusly.
Greet all of your leaders
This would show us what our leading response to trial should be.
All too often we face trial with disappointment or with self-pity.
I know how hard it is to be joyful in the face of trial, tribulation, opposition, and heartbreak.
It is hard but it can be done but only through he Lord and what he has given us.
Remember that joy is not some sort of phony baloney smile that simply puts on a false front in the midst of your circumstances.
Joy is the inner peace that comes from knowing that God is ultimately in control of our lives and every ordeal that we face.
Where does that originate?
It comes from the Spirit of God.
The fruit of the Spirit is joy.
Trial comes when we are connected to God and His Spirit gives us joy to face the trial.
The trial then can have its work in brining us the endurance that subsequently leads us to the faith, the hope and love that will reside with us through all eternity.
Speaking of eternity.
Where do you stand on that issue this morning?
God’s love might be reaching out to you here today.
Are you ready to respond to that?
Are you ready to give your heart to Jesus?
He paid the price for your sins in order to provide the way for you to have a relationship with God.
If that is your desire, won’t you pray to receive Him this morning?
Won’t you trust Him for the rest of your life?
That is the only way that your trials will be faced with joy to produce the endurance that perfects your faith for all eternity.
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