James 1:12-18 (NKJV)12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

In the text before us today James makes an important distinction. The distinction that he makes is between trial and temptation. Having just discussed the subject of trials – the importance of counting them all joy and the necessity of seeking wisdom from God in how to do this – James goes on to address the topic of temptation.

The first thing that James does is help us understand the promise of God. To the man or woman who endures temptation, the Lord will give the crown of life which He has promised to those who love Him. The Lord promises to reward tangibly those who cling to Him in the midst of temptation and say no to Satan’s allurements.

Notice, then, that obeying God out of an awareness of what He promises to do for us is not wrong. Sometimes ethicists will speak as though the only pure form of obedience is obedience for obedience sake. There can be no thought of the reward that comes at the end otherwise the obedience is tainted. But James has no such compunction. He freely holds before us the reward – remember, he says, if you endure, God promises to bless you beyond measure – promises to crown you with life and glory and honor. Keep that before you. True pleasure comes not as a consequence of giving in to temptation but of resisting it.

What then is the difference between trials and temptations? Trials are the hard providences that we encounter throughout our lives. Sometimes these trials come upon us through no fault of our own – destructive weather, crop failure, certain forms of sickness, abuse at the hands of wicked men; other times they come as a consequence of our own sin or folly – jail time, certain types of diseases, crashing the car after driving 90 around a corner. Trials are the hard providences that we face. As such, they come ultimately from the hand of God.

Distinct from trials are temptations. Temptations are enticements to do wrong by promise of pleasure or gain. Frequently the temptation to do wrong arises in the context of a hard providence and so James wants to make sure that folks don’t ascribe these enticements to do wrong to God Himself. While God does in His providence send trials our way to test and approve His people, He does not tempt us to evil. Where do temptations come from? They come from within, out of the heart. We are corrupt and tainted. When we are tempted, whether it be in the midst of trials or in the midst of smooth sailing, such temptations derive their power not from anything outside us but from our own corruption.

What then should we do when we find ourselves in the midst of temptation? First, look to the promise. Remember God’s promise to bless us if we endure through this battle. Second, ask for strength from God Himself. We pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” for while the Lord is not the one who tempts us, He is the one who can rescue us from our sin. “For every good and perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of lights.” Third, resist the temptation. It is no surprise that the temptation has come – the world, the flesh, and the devil are all conspiring to bring down the people of God. In tennis, we do no marvel when our opponent hits the ball onto our side of the court. But when the ball comes, what are we to do? Are we to catch the ball and admire its furry texture and bounce? No. We are to hit the ball back over the net. And so the last thing we must do is resist. And what promise do we have? Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Reminded that we have failed often to remember the promises of God in the midst of temptation and have transgressed against our Lord, let us kneel and ask His forgiveness.

James 1:5-8 (NKJV)5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Last week we noted that James lays before us the truth of God with no mealy mouth flattery. James cuts to the chase and tells it like it is. You want to know what to do with trials, James asks? Let me tell you – rejoice in them, for through them our Lord is training us into the kind of men and women he wants us to be.

In the text today James takes up the matter of wisdom. But let us remember context. James has just told us to do something incredibly counterintuitive – to rejoice in our trials. To support us in this determination, James now encourages us to seek wisdom from God in how to do this very thing – seek wisdom from God in how to rejoice in the midst of trials.

It is important to note this context because the passage before us is one of the more abused texts in the book of James. Mormons, for instance, tell us that Joseph Smith was endeavoring to decide which of the various denominations around him to join when god himself appeared to Joseph and announced that he was to join none of them. However, note that what Joseph was seeking was not wisdom but knowledge – knowledge which he should have acquired by studying the Word of God and then applying it to the situation of the day. The promise that James makes here is one of wisdom in the midst of trial – how can I possibly count it all joy? Ask of God.

And notice the promise that James makes in connection with this conditional statement – if you ask of God in the midst of your trials for wisdom in how to count it all joy – guess what? – God will give it. Why? Because He is the kind of God who gives liberally and without reproach. He delights to lead and guide His people through the valley of the shadow of death – and so encourages us to seek His face in the midst of the valley.

But there are a couple conditions laid down by James for us. First, we must seek the wisdom – God doesn’t give to him who does not ask. And so, bang on the door like the importunate widow; seek out the judge; ask Him for wisdom. Second, we must seek the wisdom in faith. There is no easier time to doubt the promises of God than when we are in the midst of trials. But there is no time when it is as important to do so. And so James, in his blunt manner once again, tells us not to doubt – because if we doubt then we’re like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind – moving up and down and around and lacking the stability that comes from building on the rock, Christ. God is free with His wisdom. He liberally bestows it on those who ask. But to those who aren’t really asking; who, when they receive God’s answer through His Word by His Spirit, question whether His answer is really relevant; to those who doubt, in other words, there is no promise that they will receive anything being double minded and unstable.

Reminded of the promise of God – that He will supply wisdom in our times of deepest need and distress – let us kneel before Him and confess that we have failed to seek this kind of wisdom from Him.

James 1:2-4 (NKJV)2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

We begin this morning a series of exhortations from the book of James. The author of the book was James, the half-brother of Jesus. His book has been called the New Testament version of Proverbs – full of pithy directives and foundational principles for practical Christian living. James is well known for confronting issues without blinking. Whenver I imagine James, I picture him as a type of John the Baptist – saying it like it is with no mealy-mouthed flattery.

The text we read this morning illustrates James’ straight forwardness well. James hits one of the most sensitive topics in Christian living – trials. Visit the bookstores and you’ll see numerous books devoted to the topic of trials. Why do bad things happen to good people? Can God be Trusted in our Trials? How To Let God Solve Your Problems: 12 Keys For Finding Clear Guidance In Life’s Trials. The subject of trials is a hot one.

What wisdom then does James have for us? What are we to do with our trials? First, he declares, we are to count it all joy when we fall into various trials. “Count it all joy, James?” we find ourselves asking. My son just broke both his arms – count it all joy? My car just broke down – count it all joy? I can’t find a job – count it all joy? Our marriage is struggling – count it all joy? My work load is heavy – count it all joy? I’m lonely – count it all joy? I told you that James doesn’t pull any punches – that’s right, he says, with his garment of camel’s hair and leather belt about his waist, count it all joy.

But how, we ask? How call it all joy? That’s just not possible. Why should we look upon trials with joy? James doesn’t keep us in suspense – he is, after all, a straight shooting sort of fellow. Count it all joy, he says, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. For some weeks now we have been meditating on the call to wait upon the Lord. James shows us the practical consequence of this teaching – waiting on the Lord requires patience; the more we have to wait the more patient we must become; the more patient we become the more we grow in virtue and holiness – and so what better response than joy? Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter trials because these very trials are the things that God uses to make you into the type of person He wants you to be.

But James reminds us in the next breath that there are different kinds of patience. There is the first type of patience – which sits in the waiting room bobbing the knee, tapping the finger, pacing the floor – yeah, I’m being patient, can’t you tell? This kind of patience will never do – why? Because, James tells us, patience is not an end in itself – it is a means to an end. It is a means to personal growth – growth of character. God trains us in the school of trials so that we will grow in patience and thereby grow in faith – being perfect and complete, trusting in God’s goodness so much that we are able to rejoice in trials, not just grin and bear them.

So how are we doing? Are we counting our trials all joy? Are we remembering that our Lord’s purpose in this life is not first and foremost to make us happy but to make us holy? This is certainly not a lesson that our culture reinforces. Whenever a trial arises the pundits are sure to issue their wisdom – you deserve better; that’s just not fair; someone should pass a law; the government should fix that. We do not handle trials well. And the reason why is that we don’t trust in the Triune God, the God who does all things well and uses even the bitter cups we drink to make us holy. And so let us kneel and confess that we have failed to count it all joy to endure the trials that God in His providence brings our way.