Trials & Temptations
Purpose: Maturity

James 1:1–18

When Struggling Under Trials Remember the Christian’s Goals—Maturity

James 1:2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations; 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Just as a long-distance runner perseveres in order to grow in perseverance, we also persevere. We weather trial and temptation, knowing it will strengthen and toughen us up, it will help us help others, and will also prepare us to recognize and overcome the sins trying to sidetrack us.

James 1:12: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

We are to face our trials and see that our trials enable us to grow, and equip us to face future trials even better. This is to make us mature in Christ. We face these trials and they make us stronger, better.
They teach and enable us to persevere, make us mature in our faith and, ultimately, we receive the crown of life.

What you ultimately receive is life in all of its perfect consummation, life that is opposed to everything connected with death and destruction and sin and decay. It is the life of a new heaven and a new earth; it is the culmination of a relationship.

When Tempted, Don’t Misread God’s Motives

James 1:13 When tempted, no one should say, ‘ God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt any man.

God allows things to occur and also puts us through all kinds of tests in our lifetimes. Although God may do this to prove His servants’ faith, or to lower our pride or foster our endurance, He never does so to induce sin or to diminish or destroy faith.

God Himself finds no inducement to sin. Temptation is an impulse to sin, and since God is not susceptible to any impulse or desire to do evil. It is inconceivable that He would have any interest in inducing us to sin.

It all begins from the failures of our own hearts. Do not blame God. We’re the ones who have wanted to listen to the advice of ungodly people, misled again by the deceitfulness of the age, or by our own troubled hearts. Instead we must hear and apply the Word of God.

Even When You Feel Abandoned and Crushed God Remains Good

James 1:16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Don’t kid yourself about these things. Don’t make unintelligent excuses. You have to see the fault is within you. The fault is within me. He is still here, and He is good. Verse 17 goes on to say God Himself is immaculately good. “Every good and perfect gift is from above.”

In so much of our experience, there’s a dark side to everything. There’s certainly a dark side to us.
God has no dark side and He is never other than a good God!

The Proof of God’s Goodness

The ultimate proof of this is found in James 1:18. “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth,
that we might be a kind of first fruits of all He created.” He chose to give us birth, to regenerate us through the gospel, the word of truth, the word of the cross, that we might be different! The final demonstration of God’s goodness is the cross.

Don’t Just Hear the Instruction of the Gospel

James 1:19 Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

We face trials and temptations and sometimes we learn to lash out in bitterness, resentment, hate, and doubt. This is all because we are finding ourselves under pressure, and often we don’t want to or believe we can face what needs to be faced. But that’s precisely when we must come to the word of truth once again.

When we go through really tough times and we become bitter, our tongue often becomes uncontrolled.
What we’re really saying is that our vindication and confidence is being placed in our own opinion about things.

We come to the cross, and we understand we’re justified by God’s grace in our lives. Then we go back to work or school, and so much of our self-esteem and our self-identity is or becomes bound up with what others think of us. Then we get really down in the dumps because someone thinks badly of us. At that point, we’ve just erected another idol. Our self-justification now turns not on what Christ has done for us, but on whether we can live up to someone else’s expectation.

God help those of us who confess the name of Christ to never reduce the gospel to that which merely justifies us now, but has no bearing on how we think and live! Open our eyes to see that this is the gospel that not only saves us from guilt, but saves us from sin’s enslaving power. Lord, forgive these deep, grievous, idolatrous sins. Restore and return us again and again to the cross, that we may trust you and put your Word into practice in every domain of our lives.

For Jesus’s sake, amen.