Comfort

A couple of weeks ago I spoke to you about love. I tried to clarify a bit what Jesus means when He calls us to love one another. I told you that love, according to Jesus’ definition, is patient and kind. Love will confront and take risks. And love endures. This is what Jesus expects when He calls us to love one another.

What I’d like to do this morning is return to the topic of love and look at another piece of what Jesus calls us to. To love one another is to offer comfort to those who need it.

Jesus’ Definition of Love

We live in a society that is undergoing tremendous change, and that very quickly and in the wrong direction. One tool being used to create this change is words. Words that used to be solid and clear in their meaning are being given new definitions. These words, with their new meanings, are being used to re-make our world. ‘Love’ is one of those words. I’d like to spend a little time this morning reminding you of the true meaning of the word ‘love’. My goal in this has to do with living well. If our world is going to be rescued from its current madness, the Church will need to live well, the Church will need to live the Gospel. To be able to do that we will need to keep clear in our minds what it means to love. We need to be clear on Jesus’ definition of that word.

Let’s start with some familiar words from Paul.

Love One Another

Today’s sermon is an unplanned part two to last week’s sermon on Isaiah 5. There were gaps in what I said last week. I said things that I need to clarify. I’m preaching on this and not moving on the Isaiah 6 because of some feedback that I received last week. I won’t embarrass my caller, but I do want to say, ‘Thank You’ for the call.

You’ll remember that I used Jesus’ love for us as our model of loving devotion for one another. He said, ‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’ [John 13.34,35] What I’d like to do is take this apart a bit and look at three aspects of Jesus’ love for us, three aspects of love that we are to imitate. After doing that I’m going to answer some questions that I’m guessing that you have. Some of my answers surprised me.

Let’s start with this. Jesus described Himself as a shepherd. He talked about how, as a good shepherd, He cares for His sheep. In that context He said, ‘The sheep hear [their shepherd’s] voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.’ This whole thing about names is a big deal in the Bible. Time and again we see that a person’s name was so much more than just a label. A name was to say something about the person. It was to be a reflection of something significant about him. This is highlighted when we see names changed. So, after God promises that he will be a father of a multitude of nations, Abram, ‘exalted father’, is renamed Abraham, ‘father of a multitude’. After a night spent in a wrestling match, Jacob, ‘schemer’ becomes Israel, ‘he strives with God’. And it’s when Jesus says, ‘Upon this rock I will build My Church’ that Simon, ‘he hears’, becomes Peter, ‘the rock’. A name in the Bible is important because it is about who you are. So, when Jesus says He knows His sheep by name, He’s saying more than, ‘I know your label.’ Instead, He is saying, ‘I know you, who you really are. And that’s because you are one of my sheep.’ A good shepherd knows his sheep. Jesus knows us. Each one of us. By name. Jesus’ flock – His Church – is not a bunch of faceless names to Him. He knows each of us and loves each of us one by one by one. There is an intimacy here that Jesus has with us, an intimacy that He also encourages us to pursue. He wants us to know Him in the same way that He knows us. And He calls us to know each other in the same way. Love strives to know the loved. Love is about the intimacy of persons.

Let’s move on. Here’s something else Jesus said. ‘I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.’ These are Jesus’ words to His closest friends right before His death. He promises His ongoing presence with His own – an interesting thing to promise on the eve of one’s death. And what was He talking about? The Spirit. Listen to the larger context. ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.’ Do you see what this says about His love for us? Jesus will not love from a distance. He promises to be near to us. He is with us as He loves us. And that is important because it is almost impossible to love from afar. A young married couple comes to you for advice. The wife is a student here in Erie, but the husband has been offered a great job in California. They figure they’ll be apart for a year or two until the wife can finish her obligations here. But they’ll call each day and visit during vacation times. They want to know what you think about their plan. I think we all agree that this is a really bad idea. For a marriage to flourish a husband and wife need to be together, spend time together. They need walks together, shared jokes, working through issues together, his coffee with her brownies, or just being in the same room while they read different books. Love – in a marriage or in any relationship – needs time together. ‘I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.’ To love as Jesus loves means being with the other person, spend time together. Nearness.

One more. This takes us back to Jesus’ comments about being a shepherd. ‘The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’ When we hear this our thoughts quickly go to the Cross. And they should. And yet, Jesus’ laying down His life includes more than that. Before He could die on that Cross, Jesus had to empty Himself, and come to be among us as one of us. Throughout His life He was the grain of wheat that suffered tastes of death. He died to the love of His family who thought He was crazy. He died to a good reputation in His home when they were ready to throw Him off the cliff. He died to the enjoyment of a wife and children which was normal for everyone around Him. There were many good things that Jesus sacrificed for us and that long before the Cross loomed. Jesus sacrificed for us because of His love for us. Love sacrifices.

So, three qualities to Jesus’ love for us. Intimacy. Nearness. Sacrifice. We are loved people. Deeply loved. The fact that we are such sinners just adds to the wonder of that thought. And if this is the only thing that you take home from this sermon, it will have been a huge success. We. Are. Loved. This is a truth that changes so much. This Jesus, who loves us so, calls us to follow Him, to imitate Him. He wants us to love each other in the same sorts of ways that He has loved us. And, apart from any other benefits from this, our mutual love becomes our witness to the world. ‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’

Now, let me anticipate some thoughts that you might have in response to what I’ve just said. The first is this. ‘You’re asking for too much. To do this is just too hard. I know that it’s a command of Scripture, but it’s just too hard. You’re asking too much.’ Well, what can I say? It is hard. In fact, it’s more than hard. It’s impossible. Think about this. Whatever Jesus calls us to will be impossible. Feeling the impossibility of obedience to some command is actually a sign that you’ve understood what Jesus is expecting. And obedience is impossible because of our sin. It will trip us up every time. To love another person like Jesus loves is simply not possible for us. No holy act is possible for us. And that’s why grace is so important. That’s why grace can never be left out. Jesus expects the impossible from us, but He also provides all that we need so that we can do the impossible. That’s the wonder of the Gospel. Sinners actually behaving like holy people, doing the impossible. So, if you are overwhelmed by what Jesus calls for, you’re on the right track. You’re getting it. You need Jesus to act, to give you the ability to love that you just don’t have. And that is something that you ask Him for, something you pray about. As you pray, He will act. We need to pray if we are going to love like Jesus loves. Depending on grace is so important. Without that you will either be crushed by your sense of failure or become proud because of you sense of success.

Here’s another possible response. ‘I see what you’re saying, but I really don’t have any more time or energy to do this.’ Well, the fact of the matter is that you might be exactly right. You might not have the time or energy to add more to your list. That might really be your situation. Think about the different ways in which we sin. Some are sins of the tongue, things that we say. Others are sins of the eyes, things that we look at. There are also sins of desire, discontent, laziness, overdoing. We have lots of sins. And they all need to be changed. However, it should be obvious that we can’t work on all of them at the same time. The Twelve had lots of sins to work on, but Jesus didn’t have them work on them all while He was with them. So, it may well be that Jesus is not calling you to work on developing loving relationships with more people right now. It may be that He wants you to be working on something else right now. It may be, in fact, that right now He wants you to do less and not more.

This has some important implications for us. Jesus does not expect you to become perfect by next week. So, He’s okay with the fact that you still sin and will continue to sin. Now, I realize that if you take my last sentence in the wrong sense it is heresy. But if you take in the right sense, then it is extraordinarily freeing. So, let me repeat it. Jesus is okay with the fact that you still sin and will continue to sin. Relax. There’s grace for sinners. One thing that this means is that not every part of every sermon is intended for every person who hears it. So, consider this situation. After prayer and thought you come to a conclusion. ‘Jesus has called me to work on this area of my life.’ And then, come Sunday, I preach a sermon on some other area you need some work in. You just might conclude that you’re not going work on that other area I preached about until that first one is properly dealt with. And you might be right about that. As the Spirit leads you – and that’s not empty Church talk! – as the Spirit leads you, follow. Work on whatever He is pointing out in your life. Just because I preach a sermon on some topic doesn’t mean that dealing with that issue automatically becomes the top priority for your life. And that brings us back to the importance of choices. Pray. Think. Discuss. And listen to the Spirit. Then choose what you will do. It may well be that these sermons on loving relationships with the church aren’t meant for you. Or maybe they are. Choose. Maybe your prayer needs to be, ‘Lord, I know that I sin in this area, but I really think that You want me to focus on what You pointed out to me last month. Bring me back to this at the right time.’ So, not every part of every sermon is intended for every person who hears it. Having said that, there will always be something helpful in each sermon for you. It may be some throwaway comment I make. Or it may be the main point of it all. But the Spirit will have something for you each Sunday. It may be a promise to enjoy or command to take more seriously or just a different way of looking at things. It just may be another opportunity to be stunned by the beauty of Jesus and His Gospel. But you must listen for it. And as you do listen, choose wisely. Jesus is here. He is watching. He will bless your efforts, giving you all you need to follow Him well.

One more. ‘I understand what you mean by working at loving relationships, imitating Jesus in this. I do have a relation with someone that reflects Jesus’ kind of love. But that person isn’t a part of FRC. Why do I need this kind of relationship with someone here?’ My answer has a couple of levels to it. I start with this question. What does it mean to be a church? I think that we can agree that being some sort of Sunday preaching and teaching center isn’t good enough. Just doesn’t fit with the New Testament’s description. A church is supposed to be more than that. So, here’s part of an answer. A church is a group of people who, because of their love for Jesus, love each other and that for the sake of the world. Remember where this all started last week: mission. Jesus expects us to change the world. His prime weapon to change the world are His churches. And one key weapon that we have as a church is our love for one another. So, a church is where the love of Christians for each other is on display before the world in order to draw them to Jesus. That’s not the whole story, but it gets at part of it. So, to quote the Apostles’ Creed, I believe in the Church. Having said all of that, do I think that you should drop those close relationships that you have with others so you can start working on that with people here? That doesn’t sound right, does it? Once again, we’re faced with the messiness of trying to be faithful disciples of Jesus, faithful members of His churches, in a broken world. It’s not easy. I remember a missionary problem. A man with multiple wives was converted along with his family. So, what about the polygamy? Does he divorce all but one wife? If he does the others will either starve or become prostitutes. The resolution was that he was to remain married to them all while understanding that monogamy is the only right way. There are those who think that solutions are easy. All you need to do is follow the rules. They’re wrong. We’re supposed to be working on deep, loving relationships within the church. But sometimes we can’t. So, let me encourage you to hold on to these deep love relationships that you have. Enjoy them, even though that might mean that there is no time or energy left to develop something like that here. But if somehow the Spirit opens the way to develop that kind of relationship with someone here, then pursue it at that time.

Let me pull this together. I sincerely and passionately believe in the church as the place where the love of the saints for one another proves the Gospel to the watching world. Unbelievers will see this love and be convinced by this love because it is something that they cannot do. They will come to Jesus because they see a love that is humanly impossible. I believe that. I believe that that is the goal for every church. That’s one of the things that made the church in the early part of Acts so powerful. But there are many, many obstacles that stand in the way. And we won’t be able to remove them all. In fact, if we remove any of them it will only be because Jesus has acted and given us the ability to beat down some sin. And so, we keep at it, for the sake of Jesus, who has loved us so, and for the sake of a world that needs to see the Gospel before they will believe it.

Expectations

We’re into Isaiah’s third sermon. Before I read it let me mention a bit about the structure so that you can listen well. The first section is about the vineyard. This is a picture of the relationship of Jesus with His Church. The picture starts out very positively, but it quickly turns sad. The second section has six statements that begin, ‘Woe to those who…’ These woes are expressions of punishment and regret. In the last section Jesus gets specific about the punishment He is sending. It’s all about His anger and how He will send powerful and fearsome armies to destroy His vineyard.

Listen as I read Isaiah 5.

Verse four captures a key thought of Isaiah’s sermon. ‘What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it?’ What a thing for Jesus to say! He did everything anyone could imagine so that His vineyard, His Church, might flourish. What grace! What kindness! The love of Jesus for His own is highlighted by this verse. He will do whatever to see His Church thrive. However, that only leads to the shock of the rest of the verse. ‘When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?’ Jesus provided for His Church all that it might need so that she might produce something good. Jesus had expectations. He expected good grapes. But what did he find? He found wild grapes, worthless grapes. The kind of grapes that Isaiah is talking about are so bad that you can’t eat them. They are only good to be thrown out. Jesus had expectations of His Church. ‘… He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!’ Here, Isaiah highlights behavior. Jesus’ expectation was for a certain kind of behavior. He picks two examples of what He means: justice and righteousness. Jesus had expectations of His Church, actions that He had called for, but His expectations were not being met.

Now, clearly, there were reasons for this. A person’s actions are simply a reflection of what is going on in his heart. That’s why Jesus says, elsewhere, ‘Out of the heart, the mouth speaks.’ Isaiah points to three attitudes that ruled the hearts of so many in Israel. The first has to do with money. When Joshua conquered the Promised Land all the land was divided up among the different clans. According to God’s Law, the land was not to be sold by one clan to another. It was the heritage of that clan. But when the poor are desperate and powerless, the rich can take advantage of them. And that’s what happened here in Jesus’ Church. These rich bought homestead after homestead. Behind this was the idolatry of money and its allure. That’s why Isaiah says, ‘Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room…’ That was one attitude behind the evil actions of Israel. Then there is the pursuit of pleasure – ‘the good life’. And Isaiah writes this: ‘Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them! They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts…’ Their pursuit of pleasure took the form of living for the parties, for wine and song. There are many variations on this theme, but the main goal is the same. For some, life is all about partying while for others it’s all about stamp collecting. But both worship at the same idol. ‘I live so that I can enjoy this life.’ That was a second attitude that yielded evil actions. Then there was this third attitude of the heart that Isaiah points to: unbelief. Woe to those … who say: “Let him be quick, let him speed his work that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and let it come, that we may know it!”’ Do you hear what they are saying? ‘We’ll believe it when we see it. Until then, we won’t believe what Jesus has said.’ They may not have said this out loud. In fact, they might not have even said it to themselves in so many words. But that was the attitude of their hearts. ‘I don’t believe what Jesus has said. I don’t believe Him when He promises to act, to bless or to curse. And I’ll only believe it when I see it.’ Remember, these are members of Jesus’ Church.

All of this led to evil fruit. For one thing, a sense of right and wrong was flipped on its head. ‘Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!’ People became proud. ‘Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!’ And the powerful overwhelmed to powerless. ‘Woe to those who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!’ Attitudes of the heart led to actions that bore evil fruit which, in turn, led to consequences.

The last section of Isaiah’s sermon is about the consequences. It’s about Jesus’ response to this evil. ‘Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them, and the mountains quaked…’ Jesus was angry, so very angry. So He punished His Church – violently. Notice what He does to punish His enemies. He calls for the armies of the nations to come to His vineyard so that they might destroy it. Do you have any idea what that must have been like? Imagine being confronted by some great horde of terrifying warriors bent on killing and raping and crushing. Listen again to Isaiah. ‘…and their corpses were as refuse in the midst of the streets.’ Bodies were everywhere. People were screaming. Some only moaning as they slowing died. Men. Women. Children. Jesus was angry. And it was not an anger that quickly passed. He was mad, and He stayed mad. ‘For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.’ Jesus had expectations of His Church. They failed to meet them. Instead of good grapes, they produced worthless wild grapes. So, He acted. ‘And now I will tell you what I will do to My vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste.’

And what was the reason for this failure? Remember, He did everything anyone could have imagined so that they would thrive and be able to meet His expectations. But they were blinded by the idols that their hearts embraced. And they would not obey because of their unbelief. And so they bore the consequences.

Now, let’s consider what this text has to say to us. There’s an awful lot here, but I will limit myself to this one part of its message. Jesus still has expectations of His Church. He has expectations of us, Faith Reformed Church. He has done all that anyone could imagine so that we might thrive. And He is ready to do even more. And because of that He expects some things of us. Here’s one: that we, as a church together, would shine with the light of the Gospel out there in a very dark world. That’s why He said, ‘You are the light of the world.’ This is something that we are to do as a church and not just as individuals. But we aren’t doing it. Jesus has a mission for us, some specific way that we are to shine together as a church. We’re not doing it. We are pursuing no mission together as a church out there in the world. No mission. And here’s one key reason why we aren’t.

When we receive new members we recite a pledge that includes this: ‘I will be devoted to them in love.’ That’s actually a Bible verse. Jesus calls us to devotion in love within His Church. He has provided a standard so that we can be clear what that verse is saying, what it means to be devoted in love, what He expects. Listen to what Jesus said. ‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’ We are to be devoted in love to each other in the same ways that Jesus is devoted in love to each of us. That’s His standard. According to Jesus, it is as we love one another in this way that we reveal the Gospel to the world, that we shine. They will see that we are His disciples when they see us love each other like He loves. So, before we can pursue whatever mission Jesus has for us as a church, we need to live as a church, according to Jesus’ idea of a church. We are to be devoted to each other just as Jesus is devoted to us. That’s the foundation for Christian mission in the world. That’s the foundation for what Jesus expects of us.

Let’s do a little exercise. Make a mental list. On that list include the names of all the people who are your close friends. I’m talking about people you are devoted to and who are devoted to you because of your mutual love. They know you, the real you, to some significant extent, and you know the real them. Real devotion in love shows as intimacy. Leave out anyone who is family. Do you have your list? First, I’m going to guess that some of you have a blank list. And that is sad. But others of you have names on that list. I’m going to guess that for most of you in this group the people on your list are not in this room. They aren’t members of this church. ‘I will be devoted to them in love.’

I need to be very clear here. I am not saying that you are an unfriendly bunch. That is simply not true. Some church buildings are empty ten minutes after the last ‘Amen’. But not here. Some of you linger here for a long time each Sunday just to enjoy the others. You enjoy get-togethers and birthday parties and more. You are friendly and sincerely so. And that’s good. I do not want to slight that in the least. But what I am saying is that being friendly is not enough. Jesus calls for more than friendliness. He calls for devotion in love. Our love for each other is to picture His love for us. That is what the world needs to see. As disciples we are to imitate our Teacher. We are to imitate His love. We are not doing that. So, we are not meeting His expectations of us as His church.

Let’s take the next step. Why aren’t we His kind of church? It’s not His fault. Remember what He said. ‘What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it?’ What is the reason for our failure? It’s the hidden idols of our hearts. Isaiah pointed to the idols of his day, the idols of money and pleasure. Are these our idols? I don’t know. But, for the time being, we don’t need to identify the idols as long as we all agree that they exist, that there are idols in our hearts, that here are things that you consider more important, have a higher priority in your life, than the hard work of being a church, of being devoted to one another in love. And behind these idols you will find unbelief. And that’s why we aren’t Jesus’ kind of church.

How important is this? Well, Jesus has expectations. And we have seen that when they are not met, He acts, first to discipline and then to punish. So, to one church, He said, ‘But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.’ What was that church’s failure? It wasn’t some point of orthodoxy. Jesus commended them for being very orthodox. But they didn’t love as they once did. They were not imitating their Teacher. Jesus has expectations. He won’t call armies down on us if we persist in our ways. Actually, it will be worse than that.

I want to be clear. So, let me summarize the burden of this sermon. Jesus has expectations of us as His church. He has called His churches to a mission to change the world, with each church given a particular slice of that mission. We are pursuing no slice of that mission as a church. Faith Reformed is essentially a preaching/teaching center that meets on Sundays. That is worthless grapes. But we cannot pursue a mission as a church unless we first live like a church. That means getting involved in the messy business of working at loving, deeply loving, the other people in this room. Imitating Jesus. That will take time and effort and saying ‘No’ to some things that are quite good but get in the way of living as a faithful church.

So, it comes down to this. Are you interested in doing what is necessary to be a church according to what Jesus means by that? He has provided all that you need in order to do that. He is ready to bless. But are you willing? If you are, it will show in your actions. Mere words don’t count here. What will you do to be devoted in love to the other people in this room so that we, together, as a church, can pursue the mission that Jesus has for us? Attitudes of the heart will need to be changed. And the only way that you can know that your heart is changing is by looking at what you do. What will you do?

I have one last thought. Why am I saying these things? Am I mad at you? Frustrated? No, I am not. I know that I have said some strong things this morning. Some of you might be stung. But a couple of verses explain my motivation for saying what I have. Paul wrote to Timothy, ‘…preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.’ Reprove. Rebuke. Exhort. That’s what I’ve done this morning. A second verse explains why. ‘Faithful are the wounds of a friend…’ I have said these things, I have wounded you, because of love. I love you all, and I want you to flourish. But even more than my love for you is my love for Jesus. I love Jesus more than I could ever explain. And that only makes sense. He has been so good to me, a sinner. And so, because I love Him, I am convinced that He deserves better than what we are giving Him.

And so, I end where I usually do, with a call for repentance and faith. There is grace for sinners not just to be forgiven but to be changed. There is grace so that we can become like Jesus, so that we can love like Jesus. It won’t be easy, but He will lead us. What will you do?

Love

[Originally preached 8 August, 2004]
James 1.12

We return to the text that we considered last week. My focus then was the idea of being blessed and some of what was associated with it. This week we’ll look at something else. This week we look at the phrase ‘which the Lord has promised to those who love Him’. James is referring to the ‘crown of life’ which is the specific blessing promised to those who endure trials. And it may be that we’ll return again to this text next week to take a look at that blessing. But this week we’ll consider this phrase and see what the Spirit has to teach us.

The first thing that we’ll need to do is to understand why James writes this. He could have easily left it out and the sentence would still make perfect sense. It sounds like a condition for receiving the blessing of the crown of life. It is granted ‘to those who love Him’. But we saw last week that the condition is enduring trials. Our phrase, though, is related to the condition. By including this phrase James is telling us more about fulfilling the condition of enduring those trials. This phrase is talking about the motive behind enduring trials. The phrase is about why we endure tests of faith. Simply standing firm isn’t enough. Why we stand firm is also important. As in all that we do, the motive behind our actions is important. It’s never just a matter of what we do. It’s always also a matter of why we do it.

Now, James could have chosen from several alternatives to fill out this phrase. He could have written ‘which the Lord has promised to those who obey Him’, or ‘to those who are faithful to Him’ or to some other biblical motivation, any of which could have been fitting. But he chose to talk about love. And this holds some important lessons for us.

Consider some of the popular motives for not giving in when put to the test. For some, it’s a matter of choosing to be good. When these folk hit a serious crisis, like the rest of us, they feel the pull to fall apart, to give in to anxiety or the like. But they choose not to. ‘I’m going to be calm in this. I’m not going to give in to panic like so many do.’ But consider the dynamics that are going on behind the scenes. Whenever this kind of person hits a bump in the road, he consults the ideal of the ‘good person’ that has been given to him. ‘This is what a “good person” does in a situation like this.’ And that’s what he does. This isn’t really conscious. Over the years it’s become second nature. But whatever the crisis, this person deals with it by matching this ideal. He is going to be one of the ‘good people’. He’s going to act like a ‘good Christian’ as he deals with this trial.

Now, there are a couple of problems with this. For one thing, this motivation has nothing to do with Jesus and the Gospel. You could be an atheist and adopt this motivation for dealing with trials. I think that I can say that the god that this person worships is that ideal that’s stuck in his head. He pursues the ideal of being one of the ‘good people’. But secondly, consider what is going on beneath the surface. Consider what is going on in this person’s soul. The real person inside is working hard not to be overwhelmed. Little bumps are manageable. But if this person hits some more serious bumps, life gets awfully challenging. Keeping up the appearance of handling life well - like one of the ‘good people’ - gets more and more difficult. It begins to cost in different ways. But, in many cases, that goal of appearing good is achieved and that makes the work seem worthwhile.

Now, what do we really have here. For one thing, we have a hypocrite. The reality on the inside doesn’t match what the outside is telling people. Also, as long as it works, we have a proud person who rewards himself by reminding himself, ‘I am one of the “good people”.’ And, on top of this, we have a slave. This person is enslaved to his god, and that slavery is a great burden. This person doesn’t understand the Gospel. This person thinks that God approves of and accepts only the ‘good people’. He doesn’t know that God doesn’t accept the ‘good people’ but only sinners. God only approves of sinners who have fled to Christ. This person doesn’t understand the freedom that grace provides. Christians are not slaves but the most free of all people.

There is another popular motive for trying to deal with trials well. It’s fear. Now, there is a kind of fear of God that is good. The Bible exhorts us to that kind of fear. But this kind of fear is very different. This kind of fear is always thinking in terms of being punished. ‘If I blow it, God will be angry with me, and then I’ll get it.’ When this person encounters the challenge of a trial, his key question is, ‘What should I do to keep God happy so that I won’t get whacked?’ What is this but slavish fear? It was this kind of fear that John had in mind when he wrote, ‘There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.’ [1 John 4:18] This person is not much different from a whipped puppy. Is this the fruit of the Gospel? Does God call us to be frozen by our fear? Neither of these kinds of people understands grace. Both are depending on their works. And so, life becomes a growing burden. How can there be joy for such people?

The Spirit knows that there are people like this and that there would probably always be. So, He guided James as he wrote our text. He had James write about love. The blessing is promised to those who endure because of love. Let’s take a look at what this means.

Most people in our culture have no clue when it comes to understanding love. For them, love is only about feelings. If they have a certain set of feelings toward a person, then they’re in love. If they don’t have those feelings, then they’re not in love. So, when you fall in love you marry, and when you fall out of love you divorce. Sadly, the Church hasn’t been able to fully escape falling into this misunderstanding. So, in an attempt to fix this problem, some within the Church try to downplay emotions, the feelings that we have. They emphasize that love is a decision of the will. It is a decision to act to benefit someone. And they tell fellow Christians to forget about emotions and feelings, and just decide to do the right thing. Now, there is an element of truth here. We are not to be ruled by the emotions. That’s not their purpose. But we must remember that part of the truth presented as the whole truth is a lie. And that is one of Satan’s favorite tools. We are not ruled by our emotions, and yet they are a part of our being. If we are going to correctly understand ourselves, we need to include the emotions, those feelings of elation and sadness, of excitement at being with that very special person, those comforting feelings you have when you are with a person who knows all about you - the good, the bad and the ugly - and still loves you. We are emotional people. God has made us such. And when we look at what it means for us to love, we need to include this aspect as well. Yes, love is a decision to act for the benefit of the other. But we do so with all of the emotional attachments that have been created over time.

Now, all of that is included in our love for Jesus. When we encounter a trial, we are confronted with choices to make. It’s good and proper, in such a situation, to ask, ‘What does obedience look like here? What shall I decide to do?’ But if that is all there is to it, then something very important is missing. Think about the people you love. Do you make decisions for their good based on the facts? Do you ask yourself, ‘What is the best thing for them in this situation?’ Of course, you do. But is that all that goes into it? I certainly hope not! If you love them, part of the equation includes the emotional attachments that you have with them. Any computer can analyze a situation based on the facts and spit out a course of action to pursue. But that’s not loving a person. One person loving another is an emotional thing. That’s true when we are talking about a husband and a wife, or two people who have been best friends since grade school, or an adult child caring for his aging father. And that’s also true when we are talking about a Christian and his Lord. When you face a trial and some choices need to be made, you could consult your Bible and find some formula that says, ‘In situation A, do B’. But is that it? As you consider your Bible to decide the best way to deal with a trial, you also need to say, ‘Lord Jesus, I choose this path of enduring the trial because I love You.’ Including that element makes all the difference. It’s the difference between merely being religious and having a real relationship with a person.

But let’s push on and ask a question that may seem obvious. Why should we love Jesus? Be careful how you answer that. Is it because that’s the religious thing that we’re supposed to do? Is it because that’s what the ‘good people’ are supposed to do? Some folk answer the question that way. But that can’t be. John gives us the answer to our question. ‘We love because he first loved us.’ [1 John 4:19] Now, think about how Jesus has loved you. Think about His living on this fallen globe and all the frustration associated with that. Think about how He had to deal with those obtuse apostles who seemed never to get it and the scheming Pharisees who were always after Him. Then think about the cross and that He suffered – physically, emotionally, spiritually – there. Why did Jesus endure all of that? He did it because He loved you. ‘The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’ And remember that the Good Shepherd knows all His sheep by name. He suffered all that He did because He loved you as an individual. So, why do we love Jesus? Our love for Him is a response to His love for us. We love Him because He loved us first.

Now, this leads to two thoughts. First, James’ reminder of the dynamic of love highlights the very personal nature of our religion. Think of the popular religions on this globe, the Eastern religions like Hinduism or Buddhism, and Islam. There is no emphasis on any personal relationship with any god. Even the spin-offs from the Christian faith, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses or liberal Protestantism, lack this personal element. These religions emphasize behaving according to the rules or holding to proper doctrine or the like. If there is a deity, he or it is distant. It really does boil down to trying to do the religious thing, being one of the ‘good people’. But it isn’t so with our religion. Ours is a religion of love, complete with all the emotional attachments. Our religion is a personal relationship. This is at the heart of the Christian faith. Merely doing the religious thing or holding the right doctrine doesn’t cut it. The goal isn’t to be one of the ‘good people’. The key is love for Christ. This is so very different and so very important.

And that leaves my last thought. Believing this part of the Gospel is a great aid when it comes to dealing with the trials of life. When you hit a particularly tough trial, you might find yourself asking, ‘Why is this happening?’ But you know why it’s happening. The trial is an expression of Jesus’ love for you. All that He does is because of His love for you, including the trials. These trials are not quirks of fate or some such thing. They are expressions of the love of Jesus. If you can hold on to that it will help you to be able to respond well to the trial. The trial isn’t punishment. It isn’t Jesus turning the screws to see how much pain you can handle. And it isn’t even His coldly proceeding to the next step of His master plan with you as a mere pawn. The trial is His love in action. Jesus is in the process of doing you good by the trial. And so, we can refine that question that is at the heart of all our trials, ‘Do you trust Me now?’ We can expand it to be ‘Do you trust My love now?’ If you can answer, ‘Yes’ to that, even a faltering ‘Yes’, you will be able to stand when others fall. ‘Yes, Lord, I do trust You, I do believe that You love me even now. So, I willingly submit to this test of faith and I do it because I want to love You back.’