[Originally preached 1 August, 2004]
James 1.12
What I’d like to do this morning is to look at a word, just one word. And the word, of course, is ‘blessing’. ‘Blessing’ is one of those church words that we think we know. We use it with some ease. And yet, do we really understand it? We’ve all heard the famous benediction from Numbers, ‘The Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine on you.’ What does that mean? Or just think of the last time you sneezed. Did no one say, ‘God bless you’? What does it mean for God to bless? I’d like to consider that and the related question, ‘Does it really make any difference?’ My concerns here are practical and they are that because James’ concerns in our text are also practical. He is trying to encourage the saints as they encounter the many trials of life. And the key to his encouragement in this text is the promise of God’s blessing. If we can understand a bit better what that means it will help us to endure the difficult tests of faith.
We’ve all read different Scriptures that mention how God has blessed someone. Often it goes on to describe, to some extent, what it was that God did in blessing that person, how He acted for his good. One familiar example is Psalm 1. ‘Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.’ Here, God has blessed, and the psalm pictures that blessed man as someone who is flourishing. Now, in the Old Testament ‘flourishing’ is usually understood in terms of material prosperity. At least, that is certainly in the foreground. So, for example, we read, ‘I am Abraham’s servant. The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys.’ [Genesis 24.35f.] Now, this is appropriate for the Old Testament. This is during the time of the Church’s minority. It was underage. And so, since the Church was immature, the good things of God were pictured by physical objects. The great hope of Israel in the desert, for example, was to enter Canaan, the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. But when the Church reached the point of maturity after Pentecost, God adjusted His teaching. He was no longer dealing with a child but with an adult. So, Israel in the wilderness is a picture of the Church in the world today. And the Promised Land is a picture of heaven. As we look at the material blessings of the Old Testament, they point us to Spiritual blessings which far surpass them. The material blessings aren’t in the foreground now. Flourishing for the saints since Pentecost has more to do with Spiritual things, things like love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. A person so blessed is ‘like a tree planted by streams of water.’ God’s blessings today may include material prosperity, but they are more focused on you becoming more like Jesus. That’s the real goal of God’s blessings. I hope that you have a sense of what it means to be blessed by God and that it really does make a difference. God is doing you good when He blesses you. And this is key to what James is talking about.
Now, we’re ready to move on to the next thought. Let’s go back to the text. Did you notice that God’s blessing is conditional? Being blessed by God is not automatic. Receiving it depends on some prerequisites being met. According to what James writes in our text, it is those who remain steadfast when faced with trials who will be blessed. If you endure the test faithfully, then you will be blessed. Now, it is important that you see this. There are those who just assume that God is supposed to bless us. It’s His job! And they get quite angry when He doesn’t do that on cue. But James doesn’t agree. Being blessed by God is anything but automatic. It’s conditional. According to our text, it all depends on how you deal with those trials. Now, that should give us all a little pause.
But there’s more. What if someone encounters a trial and fails? What if Christ poses His question, ‘Will you trust Me now?’ and by his actions this person answers with a ‘No’? What will happen? Is it just a matter of missing some blessing? ‘Oh well. Better luck next time.’ No. There is more going on. Let’s go back to Psalm 1. I read to you how God blesses the one kind of man. But the psalm also talks about another kind of man. ‘The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.’ How does this psalm describe this kind person? The word that fits is that he is cursed. He is cursed by God. There is an important dynamic to keep in mind. When someone faces a trial, it isn’t a matter of being blessed by God or just missing out on that blessing. God will either bless, or He will curse. In Deuteronomy 28 Moses describes how God will respond to Israel. ‘And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you…’ And a list of specific blessings follows. Here, the condition for blessing is faithful obedience. But Moses isn’t done. ‘But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you…’ And a different list follows. God either blesses or He curses. There is no third category. Jesus applies the same dynamic in Mark 4. ‘Pay attention to what you hear; with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’ Jesus warns the people of God. Some of them will respond well to His teaching. The Word preached will be mixed with faith. The condition will be met and so there will be blessing. Here, the blessing is being given more ability to understand Jesus’ teaching. But there will be those who do not respond well, who do not receive the Word preached with faith. The condition is not met. And so the result is being cursed. Whatever ability such a person may have had to understand Spiritual things will be reduced. We are either blessed or cursed by God. And all of this is included in our text. James, for reasons we’ll see in a bit, highlights the blessing offered, a real blessing that makes a real difference. But the possibility of being curse is also very real. As you deal with trials, as Jesus poses His question to you, ‘Will you trust Me now?’, much is riding on how you respond. There will be an opportunity to receive important blessings which will make a difference in your life. But there is also the possibility of experiencing God’s curse if you answer Jesus’ question with a ‘No’.
How are you feeling? If you’re feeling a little afraid, that’s good. That means you’re getting it. You’re seeing the seriousness of your choices. And they are serious! Blessing or cursing hangs in the balance. It’s good to be a little afraid. It shows that you have a measure of wisdom if you’re a bit daunted by all of this. But don’t allow yourself to be overwhelmed by it all. The bit of fear that you feel and that sense of the seriousness of it all is good, but only if it leads you back to the Gospel. It’s good if it points you back to repentance and faith. What is the proper response to understanding the seriousness of our text and feeling a bit afraid? It’s crying out to Jesus in faith. ‘Lord Jesus, I thank You that I can see this a bit more clearly. But seeing it, I am confronted again with my weakness. Left to myself I will fail every test. Left to my own resources I will merit God’s just curse on my life. But Lord, You are my Savior. You have pledged Yourself to me. Save me now. Give me the grace that I need to endure the trials faithfully. If you act, Lord, then, by Your grace, I will be able to stand in the trials of life. But if You do not act, If You do not give me grace, then I will most certainly fall. Lord Jesus, You are my only hope. Help me now.’ That’s the right response. Now, will Jesus ignore such a prayer? Is it possible even to think that He would hear one of His saints crying out to Him in this way and do nothing? Certainly not! He is the faithful Savior who loves His own. And He is full of grace and ready to give it abundantly to all who call upon Him in faith. The Christian who cries out to Jesus like this will have no lack of grace to meet the trial, whatever it may be. He will stand and endure by the grace of Jesus.
What we need to do is to learn how to make that kind of prayer a part of daily living. Every day has its own tests of faith. In different ways, Jesus will pose His question to us. Every day we need His grace. But how will we learn this? How will we weave this kind of attitude into every day of our lives? Being realistic, one big way that we will learn this is by our failures. One effective way of coming to see your weakness in the face of trial is by trying to deal with those trials on your own and failing. It’s the hard way to learn. It’s so much better to learn by just taking Jesus at His word. But sometimes this is the only way we’ll get it. ‘But if we fail the test won’t we be cursed by God? And won’t that lead downward to a hopeless situation?’ It might. But it won’t if, again, your failure leads you back to the Gospel. Your failure can be used for good if it leads you back to repentance. When the Spirit pricks your conscience and points out that you answered Jesus’ question with a ‘No’, that is an opportunity to believe the Gospel again. That is an opportunity to repent. I hope when the Spirit nudges you to bring your sin to mind, that you are horrified and that you quickly run to prayer. I hope that your first thought is that you must appeal to God for forgiveness lest His well-deserved curse fall upon you. But I also hope that you remember that our God is a forgiving God to all who come to Him in honest, heartfelt repentance. ‘Father, I have acted foolishly. I tried to deal with a trial on my own. I failed. I have sinned. I refused to trust Jesus in that situation. I trusted in myself. I have no excuse. But because of Jesus, I am bold to ask for forgiveness. Please forgive me my sin and do not curse me even though I deserve it.’ And what will the Father do with such a prayer? ‘But there is forgiveness with Thee that Thou mayest be feared.’ [Psalm 130] It is simply amazing to consider the patient kindness and abundant graciousness of our God, the God who forgives sinners like us. It’s better to learn by just believing Jesus’ Word. But if you find yourself having to learn the hard way, quickly run to Christ repenting of your foolish sin.
Now, to my last thought. Do you see why James only mentioned the possibility of blessing and not of cursing? It’s because he was optimistic. Our situation is very hopeful. All you need to do is believe the Gospel. It all boils down to faith in Jesus and repentance of your sins. If you would but believe the Gospel you will be blessed. God will act for your good. You will flourish. And you will become ‘like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season’. So, the next time that you face a trial, don’t be discouraged. Don’t give in to feelings of weariness or despair. Rejoice. It is an opportunity to be blessed by God. And you will be blessed as you endure the trial believing the Gospel of Jesus.
James 1.12
What I’d like to do this morning is to look at a word, just one word. And the word, of course, is ‘blessing’. ‘Blessing’ is one of those church words that we think we know. We use it with some ease. And yet, do we really understand it? We’ve all heard the famous benediction from Numbers, ‘The Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine on you.’ What does that mean? Or just think of the last time you sneezed. Did no one say, ‘God bless you’? What does it mean for God to bless? I’d like to consider that and the related question, ‘Does it really make any difference?’ My concerns here are practical and they are that because James’ concerns in our text are also practical. He is trying to encourage the saints as they encounter the many trials of life. And the key to his encouragement in this text is the promise of God’s blessing. If we can understand a bit better what that means it will help us to endure the difficult tests of faith.
We’ve all read different Scriptures that mention how God has blessed someone. Often it goes on to describe, to some extent, what it was that God did in blessing that person, how He acted for his good. One familiar example is Psalm 1. ‘Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.’ Here, God has blessed, and the psalm pictures that blessed man as someone who is flourishing. Now, in the Old Testament ‘flourishing’ is usually understood in terms of material prosperity. At least, that is certainly in the foreground. So, for example, we read, ‘I am Abraham’s servant. The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys.’ [Genesis 24.35f.] Now, this is appropriate for the Old Testament. This is during the time of the Church’s minority. It was underage. And so, since the Church was immature, the good things of God were pictured by physical objects. The great hope of Israel in the desert, for example, was to enter Canaan, the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. But when the Church reached the point of maturity after Pentecost, God adjusted His teaching. He was no longer dealing with a child but with an adult. So, Israel in the wilderness is a picture of the Church in the world today. And the Promised Land is a picture of heaven. As we look at the material blessings of the Old Testament, they point us to Spiritual blessings which far surpass them. The material blessings aren’t in the foreground now. Flourishing for the saints since Pentecost has more to do with Spiritual things, things like love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. A person so blessed is ‘like a tree planted by streams of water.’ God’s blessings today may include material prosperity, but they are more focused on you becoming more like Jesus. That’s the real goal of God’s blessings. I hope that you have a sense of what it means to be blessed by God and that it really does make a difference. God is doing you good when He blesses you. And this is key to what James is talking about.
Now, we’re ready to move on to the next thought. Let’s go back to the text. Did you notice that God’s blessing is conditional? Being blessed by God is not automatic. Receiving it depends on some prerequisites being met. According to what James writes in our text, it is those who remain steadfast when faced with trials who will be blessed. If you endure the test faithfully, then you will be blessed. Now, it is important that you see this. There are those who just assume that God is supposed to bless us. It’s His job! And they get quite angry when He doesn’t do that on cue. But James doesn’t agree. Being blessed by God is anything but automatic. It’s conditional. According to our text, it all depends on how you deal with those trials. Now, that should give us all a little pause.
But there’s more. What if someone encounters a trial and fails? What if Christ poses His question, ‘Will you trust Me now?’ and by his actions this person answers with a ‘No’? What will happen? Is it just a matter of missing some blessing? ‘Oh well. Better luck next time.’ No. There is more going on. Let’s go back to Psalm 1. I read to you how God blesses the one kind of man. But the psalm also talks about another kind of man. ‘The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.’ How does this psalm describe this kind person? The word that fits is that he is cursed. He is cursed by God. There is an important dynamic to keep in mind. When someone faces a trial, it isn’t a matter of being blessed by God or just missing out on that blessing. God will either bless, or He will curse. In Deuteronomy 28 Moses describes how God will respond to Israel. ‘And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you…’ And a list of specific blessings follows. Here, the condition for blessing is faithful obedience. But Moses isn’t done. ‘But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you…’ And a different list follows. God either blesses or He curses. There is no third category. Jesus applies the same dynamic in Mark 4. ‘Pay attention to what you hear; with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’ Jesus warns the people of God. Some of them will respond well to His teaching. The Word preached will be mixed with faith. The condition will be met and so there will be blessing. Here, the blessing is being given more ability to understand Jesus’ teaching. But there will be those who do not respond well, who do not receive the Word preached with faith. The condition is not met. And so the result is being cursed. Whatever ability such a person may have had to understand Spiritual things will be reduced. We are either blessed or cursed by God. And all of this is included in our text. James, for reasons we’ll see in a bit, highlights the blessing offered, a real blessing that makes a real difference. But the possibility of being curse is also very real. As you deal with trials, as Jesus poses His question to you, ‘Will you trust Me now?’, much is riding on how you respond. There will be an opportunity to receive important blessings which will make a difference in your life. But there is also the possibility of experiencing God’s curse if you answer Jesus’ question with a ‘No’.
How are you feeling? If you’re feeling a little afraid, that’s good. That means you’re getting it. You’re seeing the seriousness of your choices. And they are serious! Blessing or cursing hangs in the balance. It’s good to be a little afraid. It shows that you have a measure of wisdom if you’re a bit daunted by all of this. But don’t allow yourself to be overwhelmed by it all. The bit of fear that you feel and that sense of the seriousness of it all is good, but only if it leads you back to the Gospel. It’s good if it points you back to repentance and faith. What is the proper response to understanding the seriousness of our text and feeling a bit afraid? It’s crying out to Jesus in faith. ‘Lord Jesus, I thank You that I can see this a bit more clearly. But seeing it, I am confronted again with my weakness. Left to myself I will fail every test. Left to my own resources I will merit God’s just curse on my life. But Lord, You are my Savior. You have pledged Yourself to me. Save me now. Give me the grace that I need to endure the trials faithfully. If you act, Lord, then, by Your grace, I will be able to stand in the trials of life. But if You do not act, If You do not give me grace, then I will most certainly fall. Lord Jesus, You are my only hope. Help me now.’ That’s the right response. Now, will Jesus ignore such a prayer? Is it possible even to think that He would hear one of His saints crying out to Him in this way and do nothing? Certainly not! He is the faithful Savior who loves His own. And He is full of grace and ready to give it abundantly to all who call upon Him in faith. The Christian who cries out to Jesus like this will have no lack of grace to meet the trial, whatever it may be. He will stand and endure by the grace of Jesus.
What we need to do is to learn how to make that kind of prayer a part of daily living. Every day has its own tests of faith. In different ways, Jesus will pose His question to us. Every day we need His grace. But how will we learn this? How will we weave this kind of attitude into every day of our lives? Being realistic, one big way that we will learn this is by our failures. One effective way of coming to see your weakness in the face of trial is by trying to deal with those trials on your own and failing. It’s the hard way to learn. It’s so much better to learn by just taking Jesus at His word. But sometimes this is the only way we’ll get it. ‘But if we fail the test won’t we be cursed by God? And won’t that lead downward to a hopeless situation?’ It might. But it won’t if, again, your failure leads you back to the Gospel. Your failure can be used for good if it leads you back to repentance. When the Spirit pricks your conscience and points out that you answered Jesus’ question with a ‘No’, that is an opportunity to believe the Gospel again. That is an opportunity to repent. I hope when the Spirit nudges you to bring your sin to mind, that you are horrified and that you quickly run to prayer. I hope that your first thought is that you must appeal to God for forgiveness lest His well-deserved curse fall upon you. But I also hope that you remember that our God is a forgiving God to all who come to Him in honest, heartfelt repentance. ‘Father, I have acted foolishly. I tried to deal with a trial on my own. I failed. I have sinned. I refused to trust Jesus in that situation. I trusted in myself. I have no excuse. But because of Jesus, I am bold to ask for forgiveness. Please forgive me my sin and do not curse me even though I deserve it.’ And what will the Father do with such a prayer? ‘But there is forgiveness with Thee that Thou mayest be feared.’ [Psalm 130] It is simply amazing to consider the patient kindness and abundant graciousness of our God, the God who forgives sinners like us. It’s better to learn by just believing Jesus’ Word. But if you find yourself having to learn the hard way, quickly run to Christ repenting of your foolish sin.
Now, to my last thought. Do you see why James only mentioned the possibility of blessing and not of cursing? It’s because he was optimistic. Our situation is very hopeful. All you need to do is believe the Gospel. It all boils down to faith in Jesus and repentance of your sins. If you would but believe the Gospel you will be blessed. God will act for your good. You will flourish. And you will become ‘like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season’. So, the next time that you face a trial, don’t be discouraged. Don’t give in to feelings of weariness or despair. Rejoice. It is an opportunity to be blessed by God. And you will be blessed as you endure the trial believing the Gospel of Jesus.
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