Wisdom in Trials

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him" (James 1:5 ESV). 

Here, prayer for wisdom is in a section having trials as its main theme. Wisdom is necessary for responding to trials correctly.

The Priority of Perseverance and Maturity in Trials (Part 2)

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, 

To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:1-4 ESV)

As parents, part of our job is to put certain trials into our children's lives. Parents have to make their children eat healthful food and not just junk food all day; parents have to make their children do their homework and not just play all day. To a child, vegetables and algebra might feel like intense trials that we're bringing into their lives. Ask a child: hey, would you rather have the benefits of healthy eating patterns; would you rather have the benefits of a good education, or would you rather eat junk food and play all day? The child might say, 'Hey, I'm willing to take the risk of being unhealthy; I'm willing to take the risk of never getting a diploma, if it means getting out of the trials you're describing.' Good parents subject their children to the hardships of school and chores and healthful family meals because the parents are wiser than their children. We as parents value our children's maturity (more than they do, most of the time). Through trials, our children gain perseverance, and–God willing–they come to value maturity as well.

We who trust in Christ are children of our heavenly Father. Our Father values our maturity. Our Father will bring us through trials in order to work perseverance in us to bring us to the maturity we need. We need maturity so that we can consistently glorify God, so that we can better love and serve others, and so that we can have greater inner peace and joy despite our circumstances.

The Priority of Perseverance and Maturity in Trials (Part 1)

3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:3-4 ESV). 

Part of maturity is realizing–not just as a slogan, but in our emotions and decisions–that God's wiser than we are.

Looking to Jesus for Sanctification and Endurance in Trials

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV). 

Though enduring torture for us, Jesus had hope. Jesus knew that God's plan would be successful. Jesus knew that He would be glorified through His sufferings. Jesus knew that there would be a time in which all of His sufferings would cease forever. Jesus knew that He would be fully accepted by God the Father.

Through faith in Christ, we share in the hope that Jesus had.

• We know that God's plan will be successful.

• We know that Jesus will be glorified in our faithful sufferings.

• We know that we will one day experience glorification: that there will be a time in which all of our sufferings will cease forever.

• We know that in Christ we will be fully accepted by God the Father.

The Joy and Sorrow of Christ

“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me” (Matthew 26:38). 

Jesus is perfect in joy; He perfectly obeys the command to "count it all joy" (James 1:2). Jesus also experienced the most intense sorrow.

The Great Tribulation

From Kevin DeYoung, Daily Doctrine (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2024), 361: 

"We read in Revelation 7:14 that the great multitude in white robes has come out of the great tribulation. So what is it that they have come out of? Let's start by looking at the word tribulation. The Greek word for tribulation is thlipsis. It occurs over forty times in the New Testament, and from these occurrences it is clear that Christians are right now in a time of tribulation. The church from the time of Christ to the end of the world will face hardships and sufferings and afflictions (John 16:33; Acts 14:21-22; 2 Thess 1:4; Rev 1:9)."

Considering the Sovereignty of God in Our Trials.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28 ESV). 

With people, circumstances, temptations, and our own weaknesses working against us, when we feel out of control, God has NOT lost control.

A Command We Need

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds" (James 1:2a). 

Notice James 1:2 is an imperative, not an option. This MUST be a command, because joy in trials ISN'T something coming naturally.

The Head of the Church: Christ Alone

From Kevin DeYoung, Daily Doctrine (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2024), 338: 

"There is only one king and head of the church: the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other rock (Isa 44:8)."

Re: Church Discipline

From Kevin DeYoung, Daily Doctrine (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2024), 328: 

"Four basic steps. (1) Go to the person alone. (2) Take one or two others with you. (3) Tell it to the church. (4) Treat the person as an outsider. These steps should not be understood or undertaken woodenly. They deal with person (as opposed to public) offenses, and do not envision situations where someone's safety may be in jeopardy. The general rule of thumb us to keep the circle as small as possible and give the guilty party every opportunity to repent and change. As a last resort, the unrepentant sinner is excommunicated. The New Testament language of treating as a pagan (Matt 18:7) or removing from your midst (1 Cor 5:2, 13), or handing over to Satan (1 Cor 5:5; 1 Tim 1:20) is the spiritual and ecclesiastical appropriation of the Old Testament's civil penalty of putting someone 'outside the camp' (Deut 17:7; 19:19; 21:21; 22:24; 24:7).

"Three promises. God promises to those who properly exercise church discipline: (1) Heaven will stand by you (Matt 18:18). (2) God will act for you (18:19). (3) Jesus will be in the midst of you (18:20). God gives his church the keys of the kingdom so that the heavenly membership of God's kingdom above might be reflected in the earthly membership of his church below.

"Two big ideas. (1) Discipline is what we do as followers of Christ. Mutually correct, rebuke, repent, discipline, bind, and loose are not optional for the church (Gal 6:1). (2) Discipline is what we do as the family of God. Notice the deliberate familial language in Matthew 18. We are dealing with siblings (18:15), and the discipline ultimately comes from our Father (18:19). Discipline is the merciful act of a Father who loves his children too much to let us go our own way.

"One overarching goal. Discipline is for the purity of the church and for the honor of the Lord Jesus. We must never overlook these ends. And yet the New Testament emphasizes a complementary goal: the restoration of the sinner. We do not want to punish our brother; we want to win him back. We want to see our friends return to the right path (James 5:19-20). Anytime the church delivers someone 'to Satan,' it is in hope and in prayer that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord (1 Cor 5:5)."