Not Crazy, But Happy • James 1:1-11

Notes

James is writing to Christians right at the beginning of Christianity. And he begins writing to them about suffering and trusting in God.

They didn’t like suffering in the first century. We don’t like it any better in the 21st century.

It forces us to trust in God and that’s scary. And then James says, count it all joy, brethren? Are Christians crazy? No. Christians know God. We believe His promises.

And we receive from Him perseverance, which enables us to receive everything else from God that we need.

We are not crazy. But we are happy.

We are reading in James chapter one.

1. First, a quick look at the author and recipients of this letter.

A. James, bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

B. We remember that James was the half-brother of Jesus, who didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah during Jesus’ life. He became a believer after Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to him. He became the leader of the church in Jerusalem, well-known and recognised, but what you want to remember is that he was permanently humbled. He didn’t go around saying, well, I’m the Lord’s brother! He was content to call himself a slave of God. Followers of Jesus are humble. We’ll see more of this in a few minutes.

C. He is just as much a bondservant of the Lord Jesus as he is of God. He is saying here that Jesus is God.

D. His readers are dispersed abroad through sufferings.

1. They are Jews at this early time in the church when the only Christians were Jews.

2. Because of this they were persecuted by the Jews and scattered abroad, as we see in Acts 7 and 8 following the stoning of Stephen.

3. These Christians are suffering, they are going through trials. They are being humbled and they are really having to trust in God.

2. James explains why we suffer and what is the point: that we would be perfect and complete.

A. First thing we notice is that we will fall into all kinds of difficulties and sufferings.

1. That is, little difficulties that irritate and annoy us. Think losing car keys, breaking something, software doesn’t work, amazon sent you the wrong order.

2. Big sufferings that are life changing. Think Job, losing possession, losing children, losing health, losing life.

3. All kinds of things can happen that put us at a disadvantage and we are challenged to respond. We are perplexed, scared, angry.

B. This situation shows us our lack. That trial shows us our need. What we don’t have.

C. James commands us to think rightly about suffering, that is, biblically. Consider it all joy, all gladness, all delight. Because God is going to supply what we need in that situation.

1. At first glance that command outrages our natural thinking. A bad thing is a bad thing. You want us to lie to ourselves or to others and say, “It’s nothing” ?

2. But biblical thinking demands that we view life with God.

D. And whatever this trial is, it is testing our faith in God.

1. Faith is not a power that you have in yourself that does things. Some people make it sound like that. That is absurd.

2. Faith is weakness and dependence on someone or something else other than yourself. Here it means your relationship with God through Jesus. Your relationship with God is based on your depending on what Jesus did for you when He died on the cross for your sins. Because all sin was judged on Him and He died, that means He took your penalty. He rose from the dead to new life. You received Jesus, you depended that He really did die for you and rise again from the dead. Because of Jesus, you are born again as a child of God. You have forgiveness of your sins and eternal life. You will be revealed with Christ in glory when He comes again.

E. This bad thing that happens to us tests our relationship to God and it tests our knowledge of God.

1. The devil is right there to slander God. God doesn’t love you. God isn’t in control of your life. This issue is bigger than God. He can’t help you. You are a fool to trust in God.

2. Our relationship with God is based on our knowledge of God. How much do we really know Him?

F. True faith in Jesus responds with perseverance.

1. We persevere in our knowledge and relationship with God.

2. Our faith in God, our relationship and our knowledge of Him, says, God always loves me, He has all power and knowledge, I will pray to God to help me. So we keep praying, and God helps us no matter how long it takes.

3. Because these trials take a lot of time, don’t they? God doesn’t respond immediately. Jesus said, “Keep on asking, keep on knocking, keep on seeking, for the one who asks, receives. The one who knocks, the door will be opened. The one who seeks will find.” We trust in Jesus, we know His character, that He is the Truth and He cannot lie, so we persevere until He answers.

3. James gives us an example of how it works in verses 5-8 with our need for wisdom.

A. A trial exposes our need, what we are deficient in, what we lack. We would not discover our need for wisdom if that trial weren’t happening. We would think, “Hey, I got this. I’m cool.” We would be arrogant. So first off, I am humbled by this trial.

B. That stimulates me to pray to God. James says to ask in faith.

1. Remember that “faith” describes your relationship with God and your knowledge of God.

2. James shows us what we know about God here. We know that God gives to all liberally and without reproach. God is generous. He is kind and gives in abundance, continually! He is not stingy. He is not going to find fault with me or blame me. Stupid! Idiot! That’s not God, that’s the devil slandering God. God is the fountain of living water. There is more where that came from. How do we know this? Through Jesus. If God gave us His only Son to die for our sins, what else won’t He give to us? That’s Romans 8!

3. Wisdom will be given, because God is good. That is a promise. We can count on that. I don’t know exactly what God will do, but He is smarter than me, so it will be better than I can imagine. I can trust God to help me.

C. My relationship and knowledge of God is being tested here. Do I know God in my heart or just in my head?

D. If I doubt that God loves me I won’t pray. He won’t hear me. If I don’t believe God is generous, I won’t look for Him to give. He wouldn’t. If I believe God is angry with me, why even pray? I’m unstable, I’m sloshed back and forth. So if my relationship with God is weak, my faith is weak. My dependence on Him will be weak.

4. James goes on to point out that our faith has to be grounded in the word of God.

A. Here is a biblical description of God’s character. We have to depend on what we know of God as He has revealed Himself. That means we have to be familiar with what the Bible says. We have to write it on our hearts. We have to hold on to that truth with all our heart.

B. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. If you really don’t know the Bible your ability to depend on God will be non-existent. You will be that double-minded man. Well, maybe God will and maybe He won’t. That is not what the Bible says. All the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ.

5. James tells us that humility is the ground from which faith grows.

A. The lowly brother has an advantage. We know from reading the Bible that God is gracious to the helpless. He has mercy on those who are poor and needy. Our God is the Most High God, far above all gods. Yet He shows compassion to the poor. That’s where He is at. So a lowly brother has an advantage, not a lot of material goods to trust in. It’s God or nothing.

B. The rich man is to glory in his humiliation. God doesn’t respect a rich man’s wealth. There’s not a single reason for God to pay any attention to a rich man at all. Things can happen that make wealth as nothing. “Sir”, says the young girl’s father to Jesus, “Please come down before my daughter dies. I can’t buy You, I can’t make You do anything. Please, because You are good, have mercy on me, please.” So wealth doesn’t get God’s attention at all.

C. None of us have any hold on God, no control on Him. We are all beggars before God. We come to Him humble, lowly. We depend on His goodness, and nothing in us. Humility is the ground in which our faith grows.

D. That is why God allows us to fall into various trials: to humble us greatly. To make us not depend upon ourselves or how good we are or anything about us. All that matters is God, that He is good, that He will help us because He is good. We need Him. And God gives grace to the humble. He means to bless us.

6. So what?

A. You, Christian, think it through biblically, and be happy.

1. God is in control of your life. Not random chance, not the devil, and not even you. Only God is in control of your life. Be happy about that.

2. The trials that happen to you expose your need for God to you. God already knows how much you need Him! God exposes your need so that you will become humble before Him. You really need to be humble. You can’t be happy unless you are humble. You will be happy.

3. You will have perseverance no matter what happens. That strength you receive from God will affect every area of your life. You will be perfect and complete because of perseverance. When you have perseverance you will be happy.

B. The greatest need we have is for perseverance, because everything else we need comes from God through persevering until it comes.

1. Many times I have waited and waited on the Lord for that thing I needed. I found that even though I did not receive that thing I thought I needed, guess what? Still alive! How did I keep going? Somehow it was God Himself who kept me going. It was God or nothing.

2. That was exactly the situation David was in, Psalm 40:1-2 I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.

3. No one could help David out of a pit of destruction, he himself couldn’t do it, only God could help him. It was God or nothing. So he waited on God alone. And God raised him up out of that situation. It was God or nothing.

4. I learned I didn’t need that thing I thought I needed, I only wanted it. Well, what do I really need? I need perseverance to continue no matter what! I need the love of God! Through God I can persevere in a situation that I’d rather not be in, but I can do it anyway, even if I don’t like it. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

5. This is the supreme value of perseverance. Through faith and patience we inherit the promises of God. When you have perseverance, you have everything.

C. When you do not have Jesus, then even what you do have you will lose. You can’t keep anything when you die, not even your own soul. Humble yourself today and turn to Jesus and receive Him as your Lord and Saviour.

D. And then God is going to allow you to fall into various trials. The trial uncovers your need for God. It greatly humbles you. You persevere in seeking God to help you. Whatever the solution, you will grow in perseverance. You will continue with God no matter what. You are made perfect and complete because you receive from God. You get to be happy now, because You understand, this is what is going to happen in my life, signed, God.

Count it all joy, brethren.

Let’s pray.