[Originally preached 15 August, 2004]
James 1.12
We return, again, to this profound sentence. I do think, however, that this will be the last time we’ll look at it in this series. We’ve looked at the word ‘blessed’ and some of the things that are associated with it. We’ve also seen how love is the motive for enduring trials. This week we shift our attention again to consider something else. We’ll start by looking at the phrase ‘crown of life’. We won’t be examining the meaning of this in any depth as much as noticing that it gives us a hint of the larger perspective on this life that James is taking. The claim of any religion is the same: ‘This is the way to understand this life. Once you understand life this way you will succeed.’ In our text James gives a large part of the Christian answer to the question, ‘How shall we understand this life?’ Let’s see what he has to say.
We can see that according to James, the reward for endurance in the face of trials is the crown of life. It’s a fitting phrase. The Greek work translated ‘crown’ doesn’t refer to the crown of a king. Rather, it is the crown given to the winner of a race. Today, when someone wins a race he’ll receive a gold medal. Back then, the winner received a crown of laurel, or the like. Like the gold medal, it was the reward for winning the race. We, along with all of the other saints, are in a race. And this race is a marathon. It requires endurance to reach the end. But all who do finish the race are winners. All will receive a crown. Now, the language of ‘crown’ is a symbol for the actual reward. And that reward is life, life in is fullest expression. Every saint who endures to the end will receive this ‘crown’, this fullness of life. Now, when will we gain it? We don’t gain it now. We will receive this crown of life in eternity, the age to come.
Now, I went through all of that to get to this point. In our text, James is not saying that the believer will receive this reward for standing firm in the face of some particular trial. Rather, James is saying that the reward is promised to those who stand firm in the face of all of the trials of life. This reward is for enduring to the end. Back in verse two James was referring to dealing with specific trials. But here, James is looking at the big picture. He is talking about all of life. And he is viewing this life as a life of trials, a life of testing. The blessing of the crown of life is promised to those who remain faithful through all of the trials of life. And so, what James is doing is looking at life from a particular perspective. There are many ways to look at the life of a Christian. Each of those ways is a piece of the whole pie. To get the right understanding you need to include all of the pieces of the pie. In our text, James is just looking at one slice: this life, for the Christian, is a life of trials. This life holds many trials to be endured. Understanding and accepting this piece of the pie is very important and will be very helpful. Now, my saying all of this probably raises some questions. So, for the rest of the sermon let’s look more closely at this perspective on being a Christian and at what the implications might be.
First, you need to see that trials are a normal part of Christian living. They are not odd or extraordinary or even rare. They are normal for the Christian. Why do I say that? For one thing, sending trials is something that God normally does. Consider some Scripture. ‘The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.’ [Psalm 11:5] ‘I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.’ [Jeremiah 17:10] These verses describe something of the nature of God and how He deals with us. And so, we see that divine characteristic being expressed in this passage. ‘After these things God tested Abraham…’ [Genesis 22:1] Consider how Moses described Israel's years in the desert. ‘And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.’ [Deuteronomy 8:2] Being put to the test, enduring trials, is a normal part of being one of God’s people. It is a normal part of how God deals with us. And so, we find Peter writing, ‘Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.’ [1 Peter 4:12] Trials, even fiery ones, are not strange. They are a normal part of being a Christian.
This basic understanding – that life for the Christian holds many trials – is critical. If this part of the Gospel is not believed by the Christian, then there will be significant problems. When a trial hits such a believer what will result? There may be confusion. Or there may be an unnecessary sense of guilt. Or even a lifelong bitterness that eats away at the person. How different it is for the saint who knows and believes these things. He can avoid these pitfalls and prepare for the various trials that he knows are coming.
Here is the key thought. There is no such thing as smooth sailing for the Christian in this life. You will hit bumps in the road. Your faith is going to be put to the test. There will, at times, be fiery trials. Expect these things. Know ahead of time how to respond. Remember that summary question. ‘Do you trust Me now?’
Along with seeing that trials are normal, you also need to see that they are good. Now, I realize that that will sound very odd to many people in our world. ‘How can something that hurts so much be good?’ But that just reflects a basic goal of our culture: avoid pain. A basic assumption of our world is that if it hurts, it’s bad. There is nothing to be gained from things that hurt. But if a Christian adopts that attitude, he will fail the tests that come because he will try to stop the pain by whatever means instead of striving to endure the trial faithfully. We all need to see that pain is not always an unmitigated evil. God uses pain for good. But the question will be raised, ‘How? How can trials be for good?’
For one thing, trials refine. Consider Job. Now, there was a trial. His wealth was gone. His children were dead. His health was broken. And what was left? Three ‘friends’ who accused him unjustly. But how did he respond? Here is one thing that he said. ‘But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.’ [Job 23:10] Do you know how they used to refine gold? The ore was placed into a very hot furnace until all of the dross was burned off. Job was in a burning furnace. His was a fiery trial to be sure. It hurt. And yet, he understood what God was doing. The dross of Job’s life was being burned off. What would remain at the end of the process was pure gold. Trials refine.
Consider a familiar prophecy about the coming of Jesus. ‘But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. ’ [Malachi 3:2-3] Malachi is talking about what Jesus was to do when He came. He would purify the saints. And He would do that by refining them in the furnace of trials. So, that’s why James could write, ‘Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.’ [James 1:2-3] Trials are good. They bring about much benefit. So, rejoice! Jesus is at work in your life purifying you until you are as good as gold.
There is another reason why trials are good. They provide to the Christian a sure basis for assurance. After all, what is a trial? It is a test of faith. Is there true faith in your heart? How can you tell? You can tell when that faith is put to the test. ‘Do you trust Me now?’ And how encouraging it is to see the answer of your heart revealed in your actions and attitudes. ‘Yes, Lord, I do trust You.’ What is that but true saving faith. What better way to calm a doubting conscience. What better way to quiet the accusing whispers of the evil one? ‘I know that I really do believe in Jesus. I know that true saving faith resides in my heart. I’ve seen it at work. And so, I have great confidence that I am one of Jesus’ own.’ Isn’t that worth enduring even a fiery trial?
Then there is the third and best reason that trials are good. They bring glory to God. This, of course, is the most important reason for trials. In John 9 we read about a man born blind. Do you remember the disciples’ question? ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ [John 9:2] And what was Jesus’ answer? ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’ [John 9:3] The man was blind for decades so that God could receive glory by the miracle that was about to occur. When you are put to the test, even if it isn’t being struck blind, it is an opportunity for God to be honored. Your situation can result in your God being praised. And that is always a good thing. So, we see Peter writing, ‘In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, as was necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire —may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.’ [1 Peter 1:6-7] These saints were really put to the test. That’s what the letter is about. But the testing of their faith – the fiery trials that they faced and endured – will bear good fruit. Jesus will receive praise, glory and honor.
Trials are not only a normal part of being a Christian. They also can result in good. They can refine you into a Godlier person. They can encourage you. You can tell yourself that you are one of the real ones. And then, most importantly, Jesus is glorified by our enduring trials of faith. Is there anything more important than that?
Holding firmly to these reasons will save you from a glum disposition or even great discouragement because of the trials that you will most certainly face. In the midst of trials we can rejoice. The trial may be hard. It may really hurt. And yet, we know that good things are happening because of the trial. We may need to rejoice through tears of sorrow and pain, but we can rejoice. Jesus is at work in these trials. Your pain is not for nothing.
That leaves my last thought. And this is just taking the next step. Here we are, in the wilderness of this world, the place of testing. But one day we will cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land. One day we will receive the crown of life which Jesus has promised to those who love Him, to those who faithfully endure these trials. There is no other way to get to the Promised Land except by going through the wilderness. But we will get there. That is a hope that we must never forget. It is a hope that we need to nurture and keep fresh. And that is something that we need to do not just for ourselves but for each other also. We need to encourage each other with this hope, especially when the trials get really hard. We will make it out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land. And when we get there, there will be no more trials to endure. Then we will receive the crown of life. Then we will be able to enjoy fullness of life forevermore as we enjoy Jesus fully.
James 1.12
We return, again, to this profound sentence. I do think, however, that this will be the last time we’ll look at it in this series. We’ve looked at the word ‘blessed’ and some of the things that are associated with it. We’ve also seen how love is the motive for enduring trials. This week we shift our attention again to consider something else. We’ll start by looking at the phrase ‘crown of life’. We won’t be examining the meaning of this in any depth as much as noticing that it gives us a hint of the larger perspective on this life that James is taking. The claim of any religion is the same: ‘This is the way to understand this life. Once you understand life this way you will succeed.’ In our text James gives a large part of the Christian answer to the question, ‘How shall we understand this life?’ Let’s see what he has to say.
We can see that according to James, the reward for endurance in the face of trials is the crown of life. It’s a fitting phrase. The Greek work translated ‘crown’ doesn’t refer to the crown of a king. Rather, it is the crown given to the winner of a race. Today, when someone wins a race he’ll receive a gold medal. Back then, the winner received a crown of laurel, or the like. Like the gold medal, it was the reward for winning the race. We, along with all of the other saints, are in a race. And this race is a marathon. It requires endurance to reach the end. But all who do finish the race are winners. All will receive a crown. Now, the language of ‘crown’ is a symbol for the actual reward. And that reward is life, life in is fullest expression. Every saint who endures to the end will receive this ‘crown’, this fullness of life. Now, when will we gain it? We don’t gain it now. We will receive this crown of life in eternity, the age to come.
Now, I went through all of that to get to this point. In our text, James is not saying that the believer will receive this reward for standing firm in the face of some particular trial. Rather, James is saying that the reward is promised to those who stand firm in the face of all of the trials of life. This reward is for enduring to the end. Back in verse two James was referring to dealing with specific trials. But here, James is looking at the big picture. He is talking about all of life. And he is viewing this life as a life of trials, a life of testing. The blessing of the crown of life is promised to those who remain faithful through all of the trials of life. And so, what James is doing is looking at life from a particular perspective. There are many ways to look at the life of a Christian. Each of those ways is a piece of the whole pie. To get the right understanding you need to include all of the pieces of the pie. In our text, James is just looking at one slice: this life, for the Christian, is a life of trials. This life holds many trials to be endured. Understanding and accepting this piece of the pie is very important and will be very helpful. Now, my saying all of this probably raises some questions. So, for the rest of the sermon let’s look more closely at this perspective on being a Christian and at what the implications might be.
First, you need to see that trials are a normal part of Christian living. They are not odd or extraordinary or even rare. They are normal for the Christian. Why do I say that? For one thing, sending trials is something that God normally does. Consider some Scripture. ‘The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.’ [Psalm 11:5] ‘I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.’ [Jeremiah 17:10] These verses describe something of the nature of God and how He deals with us. And so, we see that divine characteristic being expressed in this passage. ‘After these things God tested Abraham…’ [Genesis 22:1] Consider how Moses described Israel's years in the desert. ‘And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.’ [Deuteronomy 8:2] Being put to the test, enduring trials, is a normal part of being one of God’s people. It is a normal part of how God deals with us. And so, we find Peter writing, ‘Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.’ [1 Peter 4:12] Trials, even fiery ones, are not strange. They are a normal part of being a Christian.
This basic understanding – that life for the Christian holds many trials – is critical. If this part of the Gospel is not believed by the Christian, then there will be significant problems. When a trial hits such a believer what will result? There may be confusion. Or there may be an unnecessary sense of guilt. Or even a lifelong bitterness that eats away at the person. How different it is for the saint who knows and believes these things. He can avoid these pitfalls and prepare for the various trials that he knows are coming.
Here is the key thought. There is no such thing as smooth sailing for the Christian in this life. You will hit bumps in the road. Your faith is going to be put to the test. There will, at times, be fiery trials. Expect these things. Know ahead of time how to respond. Remember that summary question. ‘Do you trust Me now?’
Along with seeing that trials are normal, you also need to see that they are good. Now, I realize that that will sound very odd to many people in our world. ‘How can something that hurts so much be good?’ But that just reflects a basic goal of our culture: avoid pain. A basic assumption of our world is that if it hurts, it’s bad. There is nothing to be gained from things that hurt. But if a Christian adopts that attitude, he will fail the tests that come because he will try to stop the pain by whatever means instead of striving to endure the trial faithfully. We all need to see that pain is not always an unmitigated evil. God uses pain for good. But the question will be raised, ‘How? How can trials be for good?’
For one thing, trials refine. Consider Job. Now, there was a trial. His wealth was gone. His children were dead. His health was broken. And what was left? Three ‘friends’ who accused him unjustly. But how did he respond? Here is one thing that he said. ‘But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.’ [Job 23:10] Do you know how they used to refine gold? The ore was placed into a very hot furnace until all of the dross was burned off. Job was in a burning furnace. His was a fiery trial to be sure. It hurt. And yet, he understood what God was doing. The dross of Job’s life was being burned off. What would remain at the end of the process was pure gold. Trials refine.
Consider a familiar prophecy about the coming of Jesus. ‘But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. ’ [Malachi 3:2-3] Malachi is talking about what Jesus was to do when He came. He would purify the saints. And He would do that by refining them in the furnace of trials. So, that’s why James could write, ‘Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.’ [James 1:2-3] Trials are good. They bring about much benefit. So, rejoice! Jesus is at work in your life purifying you until you are as good as gold.
There is another reason why trials are good. They provide to the Christian a sure basis for assurance. After all, what is a trial? It is a test of faith. Is there true faith in your heart? How can you tell? You can tell when that faith is put to the test. ‘Do you trust Me now?’ And how encouraging it is to see the answer of your heart revealed in your actions and attitudes. ‘Yes, Lord, I do trust You.’ What is that but true saving faith. What better way to calm a doubting conscience. What better way to quiet the accusing whispers of the evil one? ‘I know that I really do believe in Jesus. I know that true saving faith resides in my heart. I’ve seen it at work. And so, I have great confidence that I am one of Jesus’ own.’ Isn’t that worth enduring even a fiery trial?
Then there is the third and best reason that trials are good. They bring glory to God. This, of course, is the most important reason for trials. In John 9 we read about a man born blind. Do you remember the disciples’ question? ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ [John 9:2] And what was Jesus’ answer? ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’ [John 9:3] The man was blind for decades so that God could receive glory by the miracle that was about to occur. When you are put to the test, even if it isn’t being struck blind, it is an opportunity for God to be honored. Your situation can result in your God being praised. And that is always a good thing. So, we see Peter writing, ‘In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, as was necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire —may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.’ [1 Peter 1:6-7] These saints were really put to the test. That’s what the letter is about. But the testing of their faith – the fiery trials that they faced and endured – will bear good fruit. Jesus will receive praise, glory and honor.
Trials are not only a normal part of being a Christian. They also can result in good. They can refine you into a Godlier person. They can encourage you. You can tell yourself that you are one of the real ones. And then, most importantly, Jesus is glorified by our enduring trials of faith. Is there anything more important than that?
Holding firmly to these reasons will save you from a glum disposition or even great discouragement because of the trials that you will most certainly face. In the midst of trials we can rejoice. The trial may be hard. It may really hurt. And yet, we know that good things are happening because of the trial. We may need to rejoice through tears of sorrow and pain, but we can rejoice. Jesus is at work in these trials. Your pain is not for nothing.
That leaves my last thought. And this is just taking the next step. Here we are, in the wilderness of this world, the place of testing. But one day we will cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land. One day we will receive the crown of life which Jesus has promised to those who love Him, to those who faithfully endure these trials. There is no other way to get to the Promised Land except by going through the wilderness. But we will get there. That is a hope that we must never forget. It is a hope that we need to nurture and keep fresh. And that is something that we need to do not just for ourselves but for each other also. We need to encourage each other with this hope, especially when the trials get really hard. We will make it out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land. And when we get there, there will be no more trials to endure. Then we will receive the crown of life. Then we will be able to enjoy fullness of life forevermore as we enjoy Jesus fully.
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