A Living Faith in Trials and Temptations
Book of James Chapter 1
We know that this James was the half-brother of Jesus Christ.
Mat 13:55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
Mar 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
It was this James who was one of eyewitnesses to the resurrected Lord.
1Co 15:7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
It was this James who became the Pastor of the first Christian Church after Peter had to flee for his life, which was in Jerusalem.
This is also when Peter started a mission for Jesus Christ.
Act 12:16 But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.
Act 12:17 But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.
It seems it was this James that took over for Peter who actually began this first church of Christianity.
It was this James who was the presiding officer of the first Jerusalem Counsel.
Act 15:13 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:
Act 15:14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
It was this James who was named one of the pillars of the early Church.
Gal 1:19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.
Gal 2:9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
We can see that the half-brother of our Lord was held to a high standard to be mentioned along with Peter and John.
We know that this James was well versed in the Old Testament.
We know that this James knew how to apply the Old Testament to the New Testament of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We know that this James was really familiar with the Sermon on the Mount, because he has included much of it in this first Book of the New Testament named after him.
We can trust this Book of James to be written under the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit!
This Book was written to the Christians who were scattered because of the persecution of the Jews.
*****Jas 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Jas 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
We can imagine it took a lot of faith for a brother to confess that his brother was actually the Messiah and the Creator of this Universe.
That faith came when he saw his brother, the Lord Jesus Christ after his death, as He was resurrected from the grave, because the grave could not hold Him because death could not hold Him!
No doubt James was proud to say he was a servant to his half-brother Jesus because he did so.
We know that Moses was a slave to God, along with Joshua, and David, and Paul, and Jude, and all the Apostles and this James along with all the Prophets and now each of us who believe the truth and are all called Christians.
James had a calling to reach out to all Christians.
God used this letter so James could remain with the early Church when Peter had to flee from Herod and begin his own mission to reach the lost.
We should understand that it is not always easy to be a Christian in this world and it has been that way since the beginning of the Church.
We should expect trials and temptations and prepare for them because they will surely come!
When we think about having joy in these things, it first seems ridiculous, but in truth, life is not an easy walk for most people to begin with.
We should also understand that temptation also means to test, to try, and to prove, so we can have a better understanding of it.
When we conquer temptation and the trials of life, we become a much purer person, more holy, more righteous and more just.
We become a stronger person and become ready to be that servant the Lord can use.
The more we conquer these things, the more we become like the Lord Jesus Christ which must be our goal after salvation!
Remember the Lord Jesus told us take up our own cross and follow Him. That cross is a sign of death.
Mar_8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Then the Lord teaches us:
2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Joy is not one of the things we feel while we are going through these things.
But Joy is the attitude that is needed.
The Lord is saying that when we look back on the things that have made us more Christian, we will find that some of our reactions were indeed laughable.
In reality, we should have joy in the fact that the world sees us as a Christian.
One of the greatest rewards we can receive upon this earth is patience!
We should understand that the Lord did not send us temptations nor trials in this life, but He will chasten us for our sin.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Will the Lord test our faith? We can be certain that He will!
An untested faith is a faith that may not exist.
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
The Lord is seeking to improve our endurance to all these things.
Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Mat 10:23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Notice the Lord says, if it gets too bad in some areas, we may have to flee, but we can be assured that the Lord is coming back to get those who have not already gone home to Heaven.
This is called the rapture of the Church.
In all things we must allow patience to be our rule in this life!
*****Jas 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
We should understand that if we truly want to become a citizen of Heaven, we must not refuse to enter the school of suffering which the Lord Jesus Himself has established here on earth!
When we look at these things as opportunities to get the blessings of the Lord, then we will see that we can have joy as we go through them.
When we can conquer our trials and temptations and get stronger, then we have fulfilled the purpose that God sent them.
We can see how these words become real in this day we are living.
Listen to the Lord Jesus:
Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
God's purpose for us is to become more like the Lord Jesus Christ.
We cannot say we are Christian if we are not becoming more like Jesus. Do not let this world fool you!
The more like Jesus that we become the more this world will hate us, because this world hates the Lord Jesus Christ!
If we stand firm in our faith in Christ, then we have conquered death just as He conquered death!
This is when the Lord opens the windows of Heaven and pours out more blessings than we can absorb while we are upon this earth.
We will have an eternity of perfection.
We will have an eternity of fitness, of completion, and fulfillment and all these things throughout eternity and that mansion will not be a bad thing either.
My pastor once preached that some of the people left behind might be injured for all those false teeth, those old joints that have been replaced with steel, all those glasses we need on this earth, all those braces, and crutches and any other thing that was placed in our bodies while we were living on this earth as they fall down as we are going up.
It will be the strangest rain they have ever seen!
We will lack nothing.
We will want for nothing.
We will have the abundance and the fullness of this life, but it cannot compare to those days of eternity in God's Heaven in His House!
We cannot reach this fullness of life if we lack the wisdom of the Lord!
*****Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
We will not be able to conquer anything in this life without the wisdom of the Lord!
Wisdom means far more than knowledge.
Wisdom is far more than just being intellectual about life of some area of this life.
Many people in this world have much knowledge; they are very common.
Many knowledgeable people fail trials and temptations because all that knowledge did not help them.
Only wisdom can grasp the great truths of life.
Scientists of today when they do not understand life they just add another billion years or so to it.
They may have knowledge, but they lack wisdom and they certainly lack understanding in the truth of God, at least most of them do!
Wisdom is seeing and knowing what to do about life!
Wisdom grasps the great truth of life without having to make up some false idea about life.
Wisdom sees the trials and temptations that surround life and death, the Lord and mankind, time, and eternity, good and evil, the deep things of the universe and the reality of the Lord our Creator.
Wisdom not only understands these things but wisdom knows what to do with these things!
Wisdom gains victory over all these things!
Psa_111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Pro_2:6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Pro_3:19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
The Lord is willing to share all His wisdom with us, but it can be too much for us, so he shares it a little at a time.
Asking wisdom of God is the way to conquer our trials and temptations and the Lord will always, will always, provide a means to escape.
God will never scold us for not knowing how to handle some trial or some temptation!
We must understand there is no question that the Lord cannot answer.
We must also understand if we cannot believe that the Lord has those answers we dearly need, then He will not provide that answer.
*****Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
If we are making a cake, then flour would be a necessary ingredient.
If we are making sweet tea, then sugar would be a necessary ingredient.
If we are praying to the Lord our Father in Heaven, then "faith" is a necessary ingredient.
Not just any faith, but faith in His ability to answer our prayers.
How can we ask in Christ's name, which is another ingredient, if we do not believe the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Joh 16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
There will be no answer for those who are not true believers!
Joh 9:31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
The things we ask for must be an object of our faith!
1Jn 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1Jn 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
That word wavering means being in doubt.
How can anyone who rejects the truth of the Lord even think that our Father in Heaven would even consider answering their prayers when He has said He will not?
No matter how great the storms of life are to the unbeliever, they do not bother our Savior.
Mat 8:24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
He was asleep, because these twelve men had no faith and the things of this world, no matter how severe they seem to be they do not bother the Lord!
Those that pray without faith, how can they expect their prayers to be heard?
Those that reject the Lord, how can they expect to go to Heaven?
Prayer is the greatest gift the Lord gives to believers after the gift of salvation that comes by faith and faith only!
*****Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Unbelieving prayer is useless.
Though they may receive something it did not come from the Lord and they certainly have no right to blame the Lord either way.
They cannot expect anything more because they are not under the assurance of God's promises as is the believer.
Now the believer may not receive an answer they expected, but the Lord will listen to their prayers and His answer will be what is best for them.
God will never reward doubt!
God cannot answer the prayer of a doubting person because if He did, He would be rewarding doubt.
We must believe that God is who He says He is!
God will not hear nor can He answer any person who wavers in his faith!
Those who waver in their faith do not know the value of the gifts of God and cannot receive those gifts!
Those who waver in their faith are unstable in all their ways.
We cannot live our lives up and down, or back and forth and say we belong to the Lord, because we are not sure of anything.
We cannot be unstable in our Christian life and still insist we are living in the will of God. It is not God's will that we live in such a way!
This is the very reason so many saved people receive so little from the Lord.
Some have enough faith to be saved, but they remain babes in Christ all their days, never taking that next step of being Christian, a servant of the Lord trying to be like Him.
We must understand that the fruits of our prayers are received from the nail scared hands of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the middle person by whom God conveys His blessings!
Our strength comes from our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!
*****Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
We must understand that we will face the temptations of Satan, the Devil.
We must also understand that we will face the temptations of those who are lost in this world, our fellow human beings who are the children of the Devil whether they recognize it or not.
We must also understand that we will be tempted by the actions of those of this world that is so full of sin!
The Lord expects us to endure temptation no matter who we are.
It is true that sometimes, the strongest among us fail because they felt like they could not fail.
We must rejoice in the Lord no matter our circumstances!
Even the lowest Christian on the face of this earth will be exalted as a king and prince when the Lord returns.
No one has rank in God's New Heaven except the Lord Jesus Christ.
Knowing this, then if we are poor in this life we can think of ourselves as kings when the Lord returns.
All kings live in mansions and the Lord is building us all a mansion.
Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Dan 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
We must never accuse the Lord of things that He cannot do!
We must never think our temptations come from the Lord!
*****Jas 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
So, where does temptation come from if not from God?
Because we still have that sin nature, sometimes the desire and the craving for things upon this earth are almost unbearable.
This is what temptation is: the desire and the craving for wrong things, things that the Lord forbids, and are harmful to our bodies, and to our spirits.
Just because some man justifies it, and says that it is acceptable, does it make these things right for us.
Such as alcohol, the Lord will never approve the drinking of any alcoholic beverage!
Pro 23:31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
Pro 23:32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
Certainly if we are not to look upon alcohol, then we should not be drinking it!
It does not matter that some religions allow the consumption of alcohol when the Lord says no to partake of it. They are wrong!
In this case the Holy Spirit uses wine and He says to not even look upon it.
We must not take into our bodies anything that dulls our senses and lowers our moral tone.
We must not yield to the temptation of anything that influences us to go against the Word of God!
God will never tempt us to go against Him!
We always want to blame someone else for our failures, but our failures are our own and we are the blame for all of them.
*****Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Jas 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Jas 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
While we are in these bodies with that sin nature that we cannot avoid, evil thoughts and immoral desires will rule our lives if we allow them to.
These things will lure us into sin!
Even the unbeliever cannot use other excuses for rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is their decision to make and their opportunity to miss.
God cannot ever induce anyone to act against His will.
God will never go against anything He causes to be written down for us.
There is never a modern Gospel and there never will be a more modern Gospel than we have now. God never changes!
The Word of God is a Living Word that is real and is the truth, in all ages.
We must understand that some of our desires can be a sin, even if we do not act upon them!
Mat 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
When we face temptation from the normal and natural desires of man or woman, and think we cannot turn away from them, then these things become sin.
There is no person who is not a man or a women based upon the sex with which they were born.
Those that desire to be someone of the opposite sex is living in sin just as much as any of those desires that goes against the Word of God.
We cannot desire to do what sinners do and still say we are the children of God!
We are never to given in to our desires if they go against the Word of God!
1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
We must understand that it is the intention of the Word of God to be our guide in living the way that God has decided what is best for us, because we prove over and over again that we do not make good decisions based upon the rules of this world.
*****Jas 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
The Lord Jesus does not see us as wise unless we are keeping the Word of God!
Mat 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Our house is this body we have been given, and it is this house we are to build upon with that Rock of Jesus Christ!
We must understand that just because we sit in God's house and listen to that sermon God gave to our pastor, that these things make us acceptable to Him.
It is not these things that make us safe and secure!
When we slip into some sin, we must not believe that God will forgive us just because we ask this of Him.
We must never think that God will not reject us.
We must clearly understand, God does not accept us because we hear and know the Word of God nor because we confess our sins.
These things are necessary and are very important but God accepts us because we confess our sins and then repent of them.
Repentance is turning away from sin and turning toward God!
God accepts us because we turn to Him and live for Him.
When we truly believe the Lord Jesus, then we will trust and follow Him and doing exactly what He says.
So many believe they can hang on to that pet sin they keep hidden and ask for forgiveness when we slide into it, but repentance is still required.
We are only deceiving ourselves when we think that God will just forgive us because of His grace!
Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
There is no sin that we can continue in claiming God's Grace to be forgiven!
It is the doer of the Word of God who is blessed and not those who just hear the Word of God!
We are deceiving ourselves if we believe otherwise!
We are attempting to defraud the Lord Jesus Christ when we attempt to do these things.
We owe Him all we are and all we have!
*****Jas 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
Jas 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
When we see the Word of God as our mirror, we can see just how great a sinner we have been since our birth
This holds true to every human being upon the face of this earth, no matter who they are.
Eze 33:31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
Eze 33:32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
Many of those who are lost do see the Words of God as great words to live by, but they go their own way because they do not see the Word of God applying to them.
They have made themselves self-righteous.
Mat 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
Much of this world believe the Word of God is too harsh to live by, and they go their own way doing what suits them.
In either of these cases these who are lost forget that they are sinners in need of a Savior and the Bible says that Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ and there are no other saviors.
They forget the destruction of this world that the Bible says will happen.
These are the loudest voices when the world speaks of "climate change" or "nuclear war” because they see this world as savable when the Lord says it is not savable.
Rev_21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
The Lord would not make all things new if this world were worth saving!
The greatest gift we can give to our pastors or preachers who preach the message God has given to them, is obedience.
When they preach, they must be looking for fruit.
As hearers we must carry out what we hear, or the preaching of the Word is falling upon deaf ears and that preacher will get discouraged and quit.
There are not enough true preachers today, but there are many impostors.
We cannot get the blessings of God from an impostor!
If we cannot find faith in the Word of God then as hearers, we also become impostors.
Then there are some who find the truth of God.
*****Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
What is the Word of God? It is the perfect law of liberty. Liberty from the bondage of Satan!
It is only the Lord Jesus Christ who can make us free from the bondage of the wickedness of this world.
When we live according to the Word of God, we will find that we can be freed from all the things that enslave our souls upon this earth.
We are free to know and fellowship with the Lord forever and ever.
We must continue in the Word of God all our days.
The trouble with this world is that those who deny the Lord Jesus, deny that there is life after the death of our bodies.
You would think that even the greatest believer in evolution could see that the miracle of life must extend after death.
They see animals of many kinds that can go dormant for periods of time and then come back to life and this is what God is telling them, there is life after death!
The Lord promises us that it is in this life that we are to prepare for the next life which is eternal!
The Word of God is the truth.
Heaven and Hell are real places!
Amen
