Count it Joy

Notes
Transcript

Today we are starting a new series that will take us to Christmas season. We are going to take a walk through the book of James
The book of James is unlike any other book that we have studied together at Douglastown Community Church. It is a letter- but unlike Paul’s letters which we have studied before this letter is not focused on explaining the theology of the gospel but the practical aspects of how the church can live out the gospel.
I have called this series
James: Words of wisdom transforming faith into action.
And that is pretty much exactly what this book is and does. It invites us to see the beauty and the purpose of living out the gospel in our churches, families and communities. Many times as we journey through this book I expect that we will be challenged by how quick James is point out the failures of the churches in his day… and how those same failures haunt us today.
James - the author of this book was the head apostle of the church of Jerusalem. But while he knew Jesus far longer than any apostle he was not one of his disciples. James was Jesus’ brother.
And as it is in family situations, he didn’t understand what Jesus was getting on about until after he was crucified and risen from the grave. But after he converted his wisdom and teachings became well respected in the church and so by the time that Saul was becoming Paul- James was a known and well respected teacher and elder in the church of Jerusalem.
One of the neat things about James is that while he like Jesus was raised by his father- a carpenter - in the back-country of Nazareth. And yet James was clearly a very well educated man. who wrote this letter with excellent classical Greek . In this way he like his older brother blows the stigma that nothing good, or sophisticated could come from as poor of a place as Nazareth.
While we don’t know his story I do imagine it was an interesting one.
One of the things that makes this letter and James’ life interesting is that he grew up with Jesus as his older brother. I can’t imagine what that was like, but I do believe that those experiences that he had as a child were part of what shaped James into the man that he became. Full of the wisdom that saturates this book and that gave the people of Jerusalem reason to call him- James the Just. Growing up with Jesus would certainly teach you a thing or two about how to life the beautiful life that is the life of wisdom.
And that wisdom brightened and focused by the gospel is what we get to enjoy, and wrestle with as we study this book. I hope that as we study it together may we too will grow in wisdom and grace.
Now to the book.
James 1:1 NIV
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.
Now this one verse is the whole of James’ introduction to his letter. So let’s take a second to understand it. James does some really neat things with this introduction. First notice that he doesn’t call himself James the Brother of Jesus, or James of the Church of Jerusalem. No he keeps it really simple- he says he is a servant. and as we were talking about a few weeks ago . This servant-hood is not a lowly position but a high one. Servants of Kings were often respected, and frequently generals and governors would refer to themselves as servants of the emperor or the king to show the authority that they possessed and their nearness to the throne.
Here James is showing both humility and authority in his introduction- but he also shows that he is a christian in the sense that he sees Jesus as equal to god the father. The focus of the letter moves quickly to a reminder that this profession is what all the Christians had in common. They and we as well, declare that Jesus is the Son of God and that he lives.
After than James addresses his audience. And this is a general letter- James wrote it not to a single church or city, but to all the Christians everywhere and he expresses that in a really cool way.
To the 12 tribes… Now if you know your bible history then you will remember that 10 of those tribes were lost after the Assyrian destruction of Israel- but here James turns that on its head and he says he is writing to the the full 12 tribes.
That means two neat things.
This letter was written before or during Paul’s first missionary journey, around the year 45 AD. So at this point many Christians have been dispersed from Jerusalem because of the persecution of the Jews. But the church is growing only a few key places outside of Jerusalem. Last week we talked about the church of Antioch- this was when that church was just beginning to flourish. and the other large church was the church in Samaria.. Which we talked about a few weeks earlier.
I love this.. remember that the Jews had long denied that the Samaritans were truly part of Israel. They declared them “unclean” and “soulless.” But here in this letter James writes to the Church in Samaria and calls them the “of the 12 tribes scattered.” He is giving them back something that was taken from them long ago by the Jews.. Their membership in God’s kingdom. But he does that by giving them membership in Jesus, and as he does that he also gives membership to God’s covenant to another group of people that have newly joined the church- The gentiles.
Remember what Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 2:11–13 ESV
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
SO James has turned to a mixed multitude- Jews, gentiles and Samaritans and he has literally called them family. Not only that but he has also called them the fulfillment of God’s plans.. That God has restored what was lost. The 12 tribes representing the kingdom for God are restored.. And though they are now many different peoples, divided by culture- language, and tradition they are united by Jesus. And given hope and purpose by his blood.
And James is saying this is all God’s plan! Not bad for one sentence huh!
James addresses the church..
What is one thing that we all have in common. ..
We all suffer.
James 1:2–4 NIV84
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Wisdom’s view of the trial- opportunity to grow - Count it Joy
How could you possible think that suffering is good?
Only if you believe that it has a product that is good.
Paul and suffering
Romans 8:18–21 NIV84
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
Hebrews 12:1–2 NIV84
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
What suffering? back then we know.
persecution for being a christian, poverty, sickness, not to mention the temptations and doubts that come with suffering that entice the believer from their hope in Jesus.
James says that in the midst of those sorrows we can rejoice. Testing our faith, and this isn’t a pass or fail test.. It is more of a learn as you work test. Open book with a very helpful proctor.
And the Faith that is tested produces perseverance, and patience in the believer.
And perseverance produces maturity and more faith.
This is the logic of the progression. That when the faith of the christian is tested and proves true the christian learns to persevere and to grow in faith and in maturity.
to overcome temptations and to walk trusting God to come through when they act with sacrificial obedience.
So James says to us and to those first churches.. Consider it pure joy.
But where is the Joy in this suffering.. The Joy is in the expectation that some thing good will be the result. Like a mother giving birth anticipating the child coming. She is suffering but she knows that if she is patient there will be rejoicing at her labors end.
Or like a child learning to swim, they might be fearful of the water. But they grow to enjoy the nearness and the strength of their parents arms as hold them close and teach them to swim.
Like that child only way that we can rejoice in suffering is through the radical trust that points us from a universe ordered by our own wills, or by chaos. to a universe where God who is in control. Where he can order the agony and sorrow of suffering to produce something beautiful in us.
The Joy is realizing that this is not a process that we are going through alone. but it is the work of Jesus in us.
This hard time at work that I am having- this is Jesus doing something beautiful.
This struggle that you are having to love or understand your parents, your spouse, your children. This too is Jesus at work.
This is a powerful perspective change because it puts the power on your side again. Suffering frequently makes us feel helpless, but James says, this suffering not just misery it is misery being transformed into maturity and faith.
It is the Idols of this age being scrapped from our hearts like so much arteriole plaque. So that our hearts might live again. As we face suffering with humility and trust, not retreating to the bitterness or controlling patterns of the life before Jesus. We see Jesus at work. in the midst of the storm. And so our faith grows.
In the end what grows in our hearts is our understanding of the power of Jesus and his love for us.
But this isn’t character development, not in the normal sense.
And this isn’t Stoicism. Just endure it and be stronger.. This isn’t character development- of the no pain no gain variety.. Sure you can learn to trust yourself and to grow in confidence when you overcome hard times as a man or a woman. but that isn’t what James is talking about here.
He isn’t preaching the gospel of self- reliance. In-fact this is much the opposite. This is about our faith in Jesus- We are invited to see suffering as an opportunity to turn to Jesus and to rely on him to a greater degree. His strength becomes ours. His wisdom becomes ours and his will strengthens ours when we are tempted to despair.
Both then and today goldsmiths will heat gold to very very high temperatures till it was glowing red hot and liquid. When they did that the gold would sink to the bottom of the cubicle and the impurities which were lighter than gold would float to the surface where the smith could scrap them away leaving behind the pure gold.
This is our faith in the crucible of suffering.. all those idols of comfort, control, and self reliance are burned away in that fire leaving the only thing that lasts. The hope we have in Jesus.
What can go wrong? There are times when we cling to a Idol rather than Jesus. When our comfort, or our control. our anger or our fears overwhelm us and we start sinking in the waves like Peter. Then we do not preserver and we leave the fire before the work is done. and we are stuck no longer growing in perseverance and in maturity. Sometimes that might last for a day, but other times it can sideline us for much longer.
So the question to ask is. Have turned from the fire of suffering before it has done its work?
Do you need to to return to the crucible? To reach out to arms of your heavenly father as you step back into water that is over your head?
That isn’t always easy to do.. but he is the one will lead you. and if you need a little more help turn to your brothers and sisters for a little help. For a little prayer.
For part of this process is learning to depend on Jesus and part of it is to learn to depend on other Jesus people as well. We can’t make it alone and in Christ we are one family. This is why we pray for each other and for our communities because as we support each other in prayer and in deed we become part of God working in each other’s lives and we being to see the story behind the suffering and the beauty of God at work making something beautiful out of the ashes of our mourning.
And Friends, when our brother or sister falls, We reach out to pick them up we mourn with them and walk with them. We point them to Jesus remind them of the gospel. We give them one more chance to lean on Jesus and then when they fall again we give them another. We pray for them we love on them. We practice the patience that God shows us as we walk with them.
together we remember and rest in Christ’s promises for us all.
Matthew 11:28–30 NIV84
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
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