Now we are going to begin a study on the epistle of James this morning. And our text this morning is James chapter 1, the first four verses. So let me read our text this morning in James 1:1-4. Alright, this is the Word of God. “James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Now, let us pray.

“Our dear Father in heaven, we again thank You. The fact that we are gathered here this morning on the first Lord’s day of the year confirms again Your goodness and faithfulness to us. Indeed Your faithfulness is new every day. So we want to thank You for such a blessing and such a privilege to be gathered as Your people to offer worship to You, to raise up our voices to praise You, and now to hear Your truth. And so we pray that You might do good to our souls. Please instruct us that Your Spirit might once again open up our eyes to see this wondrous truth. For these, we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Alright, the epistle of James this morning. And at the very first verse, we have the introduction. And then the first subject matter is from verse 2 through verse 4. So let me say a few words by way of introducing this book or this epistle. Now James is probably the oldest of the New Testament books. This is the earliest writing of the New Testament. So it is earlier than all of Paul’s letters. Now first, we see here in the very first verse where this is the way James introduces himself. He said: “James, a bondservant (or a slave) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”. So we’re going to look at three things. I’m going to say three things by way of introduction. So first is who wrote this letter, or in other words who is this James.

And secondly, to who was this letter written. And then thirdly, what did James write about? Now first, who is this James? So the author has identified himself. Now we know that there are a number of James’ in the Bible, but it is believed that the James who wrote this epistle is none other than the brother or the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ. But remember that when James grew up with his brother, now he and actually his siblings did not believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. They did not believe that He was the Messiah. That is quite amazing. And James later was converted. And he was converted.

We believe according to Paul’s letter to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 15:7 that the Lord Jesus appeared to James after His resurrection. So that might have convinced James that his brother was really the Messiah. And so he was converted after seeing the risen Christ. And not only that, he became not only an ardent follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, he described himself here in this verse that he became a bondservant or slave of the Lord Jesus Christ, of his own brother. And he later became the leader of the Jerusalem church. So this is the James that we are looking at here in the first verse. Now to whom was he writing to? To whom was he writing?

Now we are again told in verse 1 that he was writing to the twelve tribes. Now, who are these twelve tribes? Now it could refer to the Jewish Christians at that time, but he could not be writing to all the physical, all the Jewish people. So he was having probably in mind the Jewish Christians because he was writing to Christians. But I believe that in the New Testament, it’s very often the writer of the New Testament uses Old Testament expressions or terminology to refer to New Testament realities. And so the twelve tribes in the Old Testament refer to all of God’s people. So in a sense, the Jewish people in the Old Testament were referred to as God’s people.

And then in the New Testament, so it’s an expression used to refer to all of God’s people, regardless whether they were Jews or Gentiles. So it’s a reference to all Christians. Now we find the same kind of expressions is used by the apostle Peter. You turn for example to First Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter 2:9-10. In verse 9 of First Peter 2, it says: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light; who once were not a people but now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now obtained mercy.”.

Now look in verse 9, we have this expression here alright or this description here. It’s an Old Testament description. We find that in the Old Testament, referring to God’s people in the Old Testament which there refers to the Jewish people. But when it comes to the New Testament using the same expression, and now he is saying that God’s people are all those who believe in Jesus Christ. Now, remember Paul told the Galatians the same thing that we’re all children of Abraham if we believe in Jesus Christ. Alright so that is how the New Testament writers alright using Old Testament expressions but now to refers to all of God’s people, and that is all believers.

Therefore when we come back to James, the people to whom James was writing are the people of God. He was writing to Christians who were at this point scattered abroad. Now they were being dispersed alright. Dispersed was they were everywhere. Why were they everywhere? Why were they dispersed? Now you might remember that in the book of Acts in chapter 8. Book of Acts 8:1, now we are told this concerning the early church. What happened to the believers then? So Acts 8:1, we are told here that: “And Saul was consenting to his death (that is to Stephen’s death). At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.”.

So the church was under persecution just in Jerusalem. And remember, James was the leader of the Jerusalem church, and his members were all scattered abroad. And so probably the only way for James to reach his members was not through Zoom but through letters alright. So that’s the only way he could reach his scattered people. I know that some of you are still scattered because you’re not in this hall; you’re following us online. And so this is a way to reach you alright through our live streaming. But for James, it is through this letter. So he was writing as a pastor to his church members who are now scattered everywhere because of persecution. Alright those were the people to whom he was writing. And then why was he writing to them? And that is the content. Why means so what was he writing to them about?

Now the subject matter alright, the main theme of James is about their faith. He’s writing to them about their Christian life. That is the subject matter. It is about their faith. But not just any faith. He is talking to them about their Christian life and he is saying here there is such a thing as a true, genuine Christian life as opposed to false, hypocritical Christian living. Now James is very concerned about this matter when he writes to his members, when he writes to the Christians. He says that remember this. There is such a thing as real faith, genuine faith, and I want you to have that. Now you see that James is emphasising on this always letter.

Look for example in this chapter and verse 22. He said be doers of the Word and not hearers only because those who are only hearers of God’s Word, these are not true Christians. You realise that? That if you’re only here to sample sermons, now some people like sampling sermons. Oh, that’s a great preacher. Oh, I like to go to that you know. That sounds interesting. But if you’re only sampling sermons and not obeying the Word of God, you are not a true Christian. Now James is not only a follower of Jesus Christ, his older brother but he was what we call an ardent follower. Now, he is a real disciple. He learns. In fact, he is a good student of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so we find that many of the teachings in the epistle of James reflects the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. He learns from his Lord, and now he’s teaching what his Lord has taught him. Now, what did Jesus teach in His Sermon on the Mount? He said if you only call Me Lord, Lord but do not do what I say, you have no place in the kingdom of God because the day will come God will say to you or Jesus will say to you I never knew you. You are not one of Mine. Now James is saying that, If you’re only hearers of the Word but not doers, Jesus will say to you I never knew you. You are not a true believer.

And then James says in this chapter (chapter 1 and verse 26): “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.”. Now you see, James doesn’t mince his words. He’s a straight talker alright. He’s a straight talker. He says if that is your Christian life, it is useless, no point alright no use. And then he continues. He writes in chapter 2 and verses 14. Now in verse 14 alright: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith (or that faith) save him?”. Then he says in verse 17: “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”.

You see, James kind of hammering this point again and again. He is huge on this subject about genuine faith- about genuine faith. And so that is what his main subject matter is. It’s talking to the Christians about their Christian life- about their Christian life. It matters in other words how you live your Christian life. And then alright he comes to his first subject matter alright. His first job subject matter. And so we’re going to spend the rest of the time looking at the first thing he is saying to his members and here to all of us this morning. His first subject matter is trials. It’s trials.

Now remember the Christians here, they are all scattered abroad. Remember they were under persecution. And James is saying that there are a number of things that will show whether their faith is real or false. There are many things that will show it, and trials is one of those things. And so he comes to the subject of trials. How should we Christians face trials? How should we handle sufferings, crisis in our lives? Now there are three words I will use to help us understand what James is saying here as to how we should handle trials in our life. Three ways. Number one, adopt. Number two, understand. Number three, submit.

Let’s begin by looking at the first thing James is saying here. How should we handle trials as Christians? Number one, James says adopt a radical attitude towards trials. Adopt a radical attitude towards trials. Verse 2: “My brethren (or my brothers and sisters)”. Brethren, that means brothers and sisters. I think that translation that only says brothers alright might be deceiving. My brothers and sisters, “count it all joy when you fall into various trials”, and I said this is radical. This is like you might be thinking you know when the members of James’ church alright got the letter and they read this verse and they say what? Pastor? It’s like something wrong. Maybe you know he wrote by mistake.

How could we tell a Christian? How could we tell someone who is suffering to have joy? And that is what James is saying here. My brothers and sisters, “count it all joy when you fall into various trials”. I said this is an amazing statement. You should be shocked. If you are not shocked by the first statement here as it were (the opening of James’ letter), then you don’t understand what James is telling you to do. What do you think he’s telling you to do? Let’s pause and think about it a little. Now, this is what James is telling them to do. Four points here alright. First, he says: “count it” (or in some translations “consider it”). Count it. Count it means to regard something. Count it means to choose, to think about something from a certain perspective.

That is what James is saying here. Here are trials in your life, and there are so many people looking at these trials from different angles with different perspectives. Different ways of looking at trials. And he’s telling Christians there is a certain way you should look at trials. That is what he’s saying. You say: What way? How should we look at trials? You know what? The way we look at trials so very often is exactly like our non-Christian friends, the way they look at trials. And no wonder we cannot handle trials better than them. So James said you have to change. You have to adopt a radical attitude towards trials. So consider. Choose to think of it from a certain perspective. And let me tell you what the perspective is.

Look at Acts chapter 5. Acts 5:40-41. Acts 5:40-41. Verse 40: “And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. (Verse 41) So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.”. You see, they were being beaten. They were being persecuted, but they were rejoicing. Why? Why were these people rejoicing? Because they looked at these trials from a certain perspective. What perspective? Verse 41, that they count it worthy. That they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.

Or in Romans chapter 8. Romans 8:18. Romans 8:18, again on the subject of suffering. Now Paul writes: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”. So this suffering process, however great these sufferings might be, but they cannot be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. So there’s a certain way of looking at sufferings. Or in Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews 12:2-4: “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross”. This is extreme suffering.

You want an example to follow, here is the ultimate example, that of our Lord Jesus Christ. There was suffering before Him, the cross and the shame, where he says: “who endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. (You know what?) You have not yet resisted bloodshed, striving against sin.”. In other words, the writer to the Hebrews is saying that by comparison, the Lord has gone through all these. What is it that we are going through today? By comparison, it’s nothing. But yet the Lord could endure this with joy. Why? For the joy that was set before Him. He saw the reward. He saw the reward.

Now I think another example to help us understand what James is telling us here is this, is to consider a woman in labour pain, childbearing alright. Why was there joy when there was pain? It was for the joy that was set before her that she could endure the pain of child labour. And that is what James is talking about here. Consider, regard it, look at it from a certain perspective. And then he says (back to James chapter 1). Then he says consider it (he says or count it) all joy when you fall into various trials. Now he says that when you fall. Now I believe that the word ‘fall’ should be retained here instead of translating this word as ‘meet’ as in some translation.

When you meet various trials because the word ‘fall’ is the same word used by Luke in Luke chapter 10, referring to the person who fell among thieves. Now how do you fall among thieves? What’s the meaning there that when you meet a thief? Now let me ask you: How do you meet a thief? How do you meet a robber? You do not contact the thief by WhatsApp and say: Can we meet at Jalan you know 222 and you rob me? No, we don’t do that. We meet by accident so to say alright, by chance. We meet the thief at night, at 12 a.m., and then we see two robbers there. And that is the meaning in Luke 10.

I believe James employs the same word to refer to the same thing about trials. We don’t make an appointment with trials and say: Hello suffering, can we meet at 12 pm afterward? No. You see when the word ‘fall’ means that it comes suddenly. It comes when you are least prepared for it, not when you are looking for it. That is the picture here. That is what James is saying here when we fall into various trials. It’s like suddenly you receive the phone call and on the other end bad news- a loved one died or the doctor’s nurse calls you and give you your medical report and say you are at stage four cancer. Suddenly, and that’s what James is saying. You may suddenly fall into a certain trial in your life.

Then next, James says not only you count it, consider it all these various trials (I mean when you fall into these trials), then he also uses the word or these expressions “into various trials”. He is not saying that when you fall into a certain particular trial but various trials, meaning to say that the trials that we face as Christians can be varied. We do not say to Christians that because you are a Christian only certain types of sufferings can come to you, or the others are reserved for non-Christians. No, that’s not what the Bible teaches. That’s not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches here that even as a Christian you can fall into all kinds.

Various means all kinds of trials in your life. Could be big trials, it could be small trials. All kinds of trials. It could be sickness. It could be suddenly you’re made a widow. It could be anything. Trials are common. And then he says here, now this is the thing that people find hard to understand. Then he says: Count it all joy. Christians, you can fall into all kinds of trials, but count it all joy. Some translations translate the word ‘all’ as pure joy. Pure joy, this means nothing but joy. Now this is very difficult to understand. It is easy to understand the English word but very difficult to understand the implication, the meaning for us. James, what do you mean count all these sufferings, all these trials as pure, unmixed joy? Yes, not ninety-nine percent joy but hundred percent joy?

That’s what James is talking about. And do you, therefore, see the absurdity of James’ statement here? That is the first thing we should feel it as it were. Perhaps it is, now this is radical. This is radical. It’s almost to the point of being absurd. Now that you see when you read the Bible and you read its instructions and its teaching for us, you very often come to this kind of truth statement. Here is something radical, but that is the first thing James tells us to do. Adopt a radical attitude alright towards trials. A non-Christian cannot and they will not have such an attitude. But for Christians, that’s what we must have if we were to handle trials correctly. Now that leads to the second word alright, and that is understand. So first is to adopt a radical attitude.

The second word is understand. In other words, perhaps the readers of James’ letter might be thinking: James, are you real as it were? Can this be true? Is that how we are supposed to behave when we are in trials? Now if James were to just simply stop here, yes, then we can understand the confusion. We can understand why people find it so very difficult. But James doesn’t stop here. So he moves on to the second thing he wants to say, and that is this. In order to handle trials rightly, you need to understand a reassuring truth in trials. Understand a reassuring truth in trials. Verse 3, knowing. There’s something that you need to know. Otherwise, it will be impossible to do what James tells us to do in verse 2 alright to have that radical attitude.

To have that attitude, we need to know something. That is what verse 3 is saying: “knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (or endurance)”. What is that? What is that that we must understand or we must know in order to be able to have this radical attitude towards suffering? Now it is this, first to understand that God is sovereign over every trial. God is sovereign over every trial. So verse 3 implies that God is in absolute control, and He is in fact using trials to accomplish His purpose. It is not what we or what people call by accident without any rhyme or reason.

No, that is not how things happen in our life. God is in absolute control. Everything happened by design. Everything happened by design. It is there because God meant it to be there. It happens to you because God means it that way. By design. That is something we must understand. So it is not bad luck. And if you don’t have that kind of you know I’m so lucky last year I didn’t get Covid. Lucky? Then those who got it, unlucky? That is how the non-Christian thinks. But there’s no such thing as luck. It’s all there by God’s will. And that is what James wants us to know. God knows what He is doing. And then secondly alright, so first God is sovereign over every trial. It comes to you by design, and God knows what He is doing.

And second is that God is using trials. So He has a purpose, and His purpose is what? He tells us. His purpose is to use these trials to test our faith, to produce endurance. He has a purpose, and His purpose is to test our faith to produce endurance. The word ‘testing’ here is a word used to you know to refer to refining metals. You know when people have metals, they refine it. They test it as it were. And the end result of that is to produce a better product. That is the idea here. The testing with the purpose of producing a better product. And that is God’s purpose for all of us, Christians.

And that’s what James is writing to his members. He said God has a purpose in your life and His purpose is what? To produce a better you. You are not a finished product; you are still a work in progress. Now how often Christians think that they are finished? Yes, Jesus said it’s finished. But for us, not yet. You see, we are a work in progress. God wants us to make progress or to advance and become better and better as a Christian. His ultimate goal is so that we might conform into the image of His Son, and we are not there yet. And that’s the reason it is often good to remind us at the beginning of the year that we should continue to press on unto the upward call of God or the mark of the high calling.

That should be the Christian attitude. The Christian attitude should be that of the apostle Paul who says that you know I look forward. And that is God’s goal alright. He has a purpose. His purpose is so that our faith will be tested so that we become better Christians. You know we can think of other examples of testing like nuclear testing. Why they keep on testing all these nuclear weapons? Or we think of testing drugs or vaccines. You will not take a vaccine that has not been tested, right? And so people argue about that and they say tested? How much testing has gone into it? Is it proven? So we want that. Or even the car that you drive. Now before you buy it, it has to be tested and proven alright. It must be loose alright, past the test.

And that is what James is saying here. We need to understand that about our Christian life and the way God deals with us. God is moulding us. God is making us alright better and better through all these trials. You see, God perhaps will give us a little test here and there to begin with. Remember Paul tells the Corinthians that God will not test us beyond that we’re able to bear, but He’ll give us tests. He considers us how much you are able, and He’ll give you that test. And then He’ll give us a bigger test, and then He’ll give us a bigger test. And then the time comes when we will have to bury our dear parents, and then we have to bury our dear wife or husband. The test will come. That’s why James write this to his fellow members.

A test will come. You must be prepared for it as Christians. And this is the way we handle trials- radical attitude, but understand this reassuring truth alright that God is sovereign and He is using it for our good to make us better people. And thirdly, submit. Submit. Submit to the refining process in trials. Submit to the refining process in trials. Verse 4: “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, and lacking nothing.”. The word ‘let’ in verse 4 implies submission. Let. Let it be. Don’t resist it, submit to God’s providence or providential dealing with us.

You see, that is what James is telling us. You see, our tendency is to fight. Our tendency is to complain. Our tendency is to be like Job’s wife (curse God and die) rather than be like Job (the Lord gave, the Lord takes. Blessed be the Lord). That is submission. That is submission, and that is what James is telling us to do. God has a purpose, and let us submit to His purpose so that He may make us a better person. Now submit doesn’t mean enduring trials passively. It doesn’t mean that we don’t take steps and remedy the problem. It is not what James is saying here.

It doesn’t mean that when you have lost your job that you say oh just submit, then no need to find another job. No, you try to find another job. If you are sick, you pray about it, then you seek medical help. You should do something about it. But at the end of it alright- at the end of it, you say Your will be done. That is submission, and this is what James is talking about here. Even Paul when he was facing trials in his life, he prayed. He said he prayed three times that the Lord might take that thorn in his flesh away. But finally, he says: But not my will; Your will be done. That is what James is talking about here.

Now you might ask: What is submission? What is submission? Submission is an attitude towards God, where we do not definitely shake our fists in His face. If we do that, that is not submission. When we get so-called angry with God when we are suffering, that is not submission. When we say curse God and die, that is not submission. Submission is to bow alright to His will. Now in submission to this process of refining us, God’s process of refining us, now note two things here. First, recognise that maturity is a process. Recognise that maturity is a process. Now this process of God moulding us is a lifelong one. And that’s why James says here: “Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect (or matured) and complete, and lacking nothing.”.

But to attain that, it is going to be a lifelong process. So we can therefore expect that this is going to be an ongoing thing in our lives. It’s going to be an ongoing thing in our lives. A true honest Christian leader will not tell lies to his members, will not try to tell them something just to make them feel happy. These are hard truths. James is very, like I say, a straight talker. He tells them hard truths, but they need to hear this as Christians. There’s no running away from sufferings, but what you need to do is to learn how to deal with sufferings. And that’s what he’s teaching us.

And so this process is going to be a lifelong one because the goal is that we might be perfect or mature, complete, and lacking nothing. God will not have anything less. God will not have half-baked Christians. He wants a perfect you. Be you perfect, even as My Father in heaven is perfect, Jesus says. That is God’s goal. Be holy even as God is holy. That is God’s goal. And so it is going to be lifelong. But secondly on submission, submitting to this process will result in spiritual maturity. Now it will result in that spiritual maturity. Now, this doesn’t mean that we will be sinless, but it means that we will be spiritually matured, well-equipped for the purpose that God has created you. God has a purpose.

So are there any weak points in your life as you examine your life? One year is gone, we are starting the new year. Maybe a certain irritable spirit in you? Maybe you’re not gentle enough with your wife or with your children? Maybe you’re not kind enough. Now if you are a child of God, God will do something about that. But God will do something about all those imperfections in you because He wants to have a perfect you alright, perfect, complete, and lacking nothing. Like I said, God is not satisfied leaving us half done. Trials are His means to make a better you. Let us pray.

“Our dear Father in heaven, we thank You again for Your Word to so plainly instruct us, to so plainly tell us things that we need to hear. And Lord, we know that we are still living in this fallen world. We suffer along with the rest of creation. But we thank You that we are Your people. We thank You that we have heavenly and spiritual resources. We thank You because we have Your Word to instruct us and teach us how to handle trials in our life. So teach us, O Lord, and help us to submit to Your refining process that we might become the people You want us to be. For these, we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

This transcript has been lightly edited for readability.