Joy in Trials: Strengthening Faith Through Adversity (James 1:1-12) | Greg Denham

Let's all stand at this time. Let's turn in our Bibles to James chapter 1. James chapter 1.

Let me just say, I believe that this is one of the most important passages in scripture, and I'll tell you why. Because it is associated with what the Lord wants to give us ultimately, which is a crown of life. There's instruction here that he wants us to be successful with. And of course, the title of the message is "Joy and Trials: Strengthening Faith Through Adversity."

But as I mentioned, I believe one of the most important teachings, and I think even for the time in which we live. Because as Pastor Jack said last week, he believes that October is going to see some unique surprises, right? And he said that, and then two days later, you have some 200 ballistic missiles from Iran shot to, uh, Israel. And not one Israeli lost his, his or her life, thank God for that. No weapon formed against you shall prosper.

But, hey, I've been really looking forward because I've seen Pastor Jack do this all the time. Like, he does the odd verses, you guys do the even. And I thought, this is going to be fun, right? I kind of blew it first service a little bit, but I've course-corrected. Okay, here we go. Uh, I'll read the odd, you read the even.

Right, James, the bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad, greetings. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. And if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives liberally to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting. For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. But let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with the burning heat than it withers the grass, its flower falls, its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the Crown of Life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Amen.

Amen. Let's, let's, let's pray together. Lord, I want to thank You for every person in this room that You love with everything. And Lord, we want to thank You for You. We have the most, most incredible, beautiful Father. And we've seen Your face, Lord, uh, Father, in Jesus. And Lord, I ask now, would You give us ears to hear what the Holy Spirit would say to us? And thank You, Lord, that Your word is always a healing word, and a transforming word, and a rescuing word. And, and thank You, Lord, for the miracles that are going to take place, um, before we see them in our mind's eye, uh, that are going to take place here this morning. As, Lord, we pray that if there's anyone here that doesn't know You, they would turn to You as Lord and Savior and experience that great miracle, leaving here with the assurance their sins are forgiven. If they were to die, they would go to heaven. And for Pastor Jack, thank You for him. And Lord, we ask You continue to strengthen him, his precious, precious family. Gift him to speak not only the nourishment needed in this local body, but to impact the entire world. And we pray for our nation, Lord. We pray as You've said, righteousness exalts a nation. We pray for great course correction and repentance in these next few days. We pray for an awakening of believers all throughout our country. And we pray for Israel. We, as You've said, those who bless Israel will be blessed, those who curse Israel will be cursed. And, uh, on the eve of this terrible anniversary of October 7th, Lord, comfort, comfort, comfort, uh, Your people. Strengthen the church in Israel, the faithful remnant of Israel, to bring the gospel to the people of Israel. And may we be a part of that as well. We pray these things in Jesus' name, and everyone who agreed said amen. You may have a seat.

You guys, as I mentioned, the title of the message is "Joy and Trials: Strengthening Faith Through Adversity." And as I mentioned, look, I am convinced one of the most important passages in scripture because, as we read in verse 12, it's associated with a crown that the Lord wants to put on our head. And the idea of a crown speaks of identity. Like, if you put a crown on a queen or a king, it speaks of purpose, unique purpose. But it also speaks of success through a process. It's like, if you're an Olympic athlete, and they put a crown on your head, and you've gone through a process and you've done well. So it speaks of a successful process that you've gone through. This is the crown of life. It's like, you know, the Lord doesn't want us overcome by life. He has made us more than overcomers.

And the instruction in this passage, as I mentioned, is just so, so important. Look, it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when we're going to go through hardship and adversity. And I'm convinced, I mean, there's a dad out there that just lost his job, three kids, his wife is ill, uh, who's hearing this message. I, I, you know, I'm convinced of there's so many listening to it. There's a missionary that's hearing this somewhere that, you know, just had some support dropped and they're not, uh, receiving the support like they once received, and they're going through a challenging time. There's an 18, 20-year-old out there, I'm, I'm convinced, right, going through a trial, uh, fear is being triggered in their life, they are paralyzed by the fear.

Look, as he says here, it's not a matter of if, but when. What does the Lord want to accomplish in our life when we experience adversity? Well, listen, there is a chief point here, and we can't miss it. So I just want to double underscore it at the beginning. We've got like five points ultimately, but just want to double underscore the main point.

I'm reminded of a story, though, of Sherlock Holmes and Thomas Watson. How's that for a transition, right there? You know, you're talking about, of course, the great investigators, they can solve any mystery. They're out camping, having an incredible time. Middle of the night, Sherlock Holmes says to Thomas Watson, "Thomas, what do you see?" And he, like, wakes up. He says, "I, I see stars and stars and more stars." And Holmes says, "Yeah, but what does it tell you, Watson?" He says, "Well, logically, it tells me it's about 2:30 a.m. Meteorologically, it tells me tomorrow is going to be a great day. Astronomically, it tells me there are billions and billions of stars. Theologically, it tells me there's a Creator of the entire universe." He said, "Why, Holmes, what does it tell you?" He says, "You idiot, Watson! It tells me someone stole our tent!" That's what it tells me, right? Like, you talk about missing the point.

Well, like when he says here in verse two, "My brethren, count it all," what's the next, you guys, "count it all," what? "Joy." Hey, let me just ask you, when you go through hardship, do you generally think "joy"? Be honest. I, no. We're, we're not thinking that. That's like, we're thinking, "I count it painful. I count it disappointing. I count it potentially demoralizing. You know, I count it as a setback. I count it as a waste of time." It's like, we really, really got to get this interpretation correct. And by the way, it's like, well, like, what does he mean by "joy"? Does this mean we're to have some joy, you know, when our friend's child has leukemia? As if we're to work up some sense of well-being? As if, you know, we're skipping down Main Street Disneyland, you know, happy or something? What does this actually mean?

Well, it doesn't mean you know, like you have to be happy about it. I mean, Jesus despised the shame of the cross, but for the joy set before He endured it. He's not saying, like, "Be happy, happy, happy, happy about adversity, trials, and breakdown." No. The point is that it's a test of our faith. So get this: our faith is in God. Can I hear a big amen to that, right? So if I ask you, "Hey, does God ever fail?" No. You know He doesn't. Is He true to His promises? Yes, He is. I mean, is anything going to stop His genius plan? I mean, the Bible says that the gospel is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes. I mean, is the gospel going to be stopped? Is Jesus, who is coming again, somehow, some way, is that going to be under my? No.

So here's, here's the thing. Here's the idea: If you're going through adversity and trials, and we all do it one time or another, the reason we can consider it joy is because faith has an object. The object is God, who never fails. That's why we can consider it joy. He's true to His promises, even though we're like weak. I mean, the emphasis is not on our strength. You know, faith has an object. The object is God, who's omnipotent, all-powerful, totally good, and loves us. So therefore, He's saying, when you experience adversity, it's a test of your faith. Your faith is in God, who never fails. And therefore, your faith never fails because your faith is in God. And He says here, therefore, when you're in midst adversity, the natural inclination was, "I, I want to bail. I mean, I want out. This is hard." And He's saying, "Let patience, like, under the pressure, have its perfect work. Don't bail. God's true to His promises. He's going to use it to train you and grow you more like Jesus." Can I hear a big amen to that?

I mean, that's like the big idea here. We're going to unpack it more. But I mean, like, going back to the whole Watson thing, you know, he's analyzing the stars and everything, deconstructing the whole thing. There's a lot of details here we want to unpack. But you guys, verse one is critical because it identifies context. Context is essential to any successful communication. We've got to understand context for clarity. And in verse one, he identifies that he's speaking to 12 tribes which are scattered abroad. This is like code word for ethnic Israel. So here you have the half-brother of Jesus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, writing this, probably the Upper Hill of Jerusalem, sending it out outside of Israel, the land of Israel, to the 12 tribes of Israel amidst the diaspora. He's sending this authoritative message. He is an apostle, and he's sending it to Jewish followers of Jesus. How many of you know that the Jesus movement, you know, was a Jewish movement, right? That we are invited into this genius plan unfolding in and through Israel, the Messiah of Israel. And the gospel is going to go full circle. Fullness of the Gentiles come back to Israel. And one day, as Pastor Jack's been just killing it on Sunday morning, all Israel will be saved. They will call upon Him whom they pierced. They will say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."

So, look, the point is, though, he's writing to Jewish followers of Jesus, and they represent the faithful remnant of Israel. It's like, who's the faithful remnant of Israel? Are Jewish brothers and sisters who believe Yeshua is the Messiah of Israel. In chapter 5, he addresses what the trials are they're experiencing. The trials are their isolation, they're being exploited, some are not being paid for their work, others are actually being put to death. But I've got to tell you guys, this passage pulsates with relevance and reality because, for one, our generation is witnessing the gathering of Jews amidst the diaspora, which means dispersion, back into the land of Israel. I mean, of course, big turning point in 1948. I mean, like the greatest miracle, as far as I'm concerned, in the last 2,000 years is the regathering of God's people throughout the earth back into the land. That is a setup for eventually the salvation of Israel and the return of Jesus. Let me just say it this way: the world will not see Jesus's second coming until a Jewish Jerusalem turns to Him. So that means actually that, um, well, do we play a role in this? Directly? Indirectly? More indirectly, because the Bible says faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. It's like everybody comes to faith in the same way. We have different journeys and different experiences, but we have to hear the truth. Are you guys tracking with me? Ultimately, it's like our Jewish friends in Israel, they hear the truth that Jesus is their Messiah, Savior, they call upon Him, and they are saved. And when He returns, He rescues them in the darkest time in human history.

But look, I kind of wrote about this in this book, and I don't want, I'm not going to talk about my book, but I mean, like, I'm convinced that the way forward at this time is the way back to recapture the ground floor of the Jesus movement. The gospel was first preached to Jews, then preached to the world. We are called to live a life that provokes our Jewish friends to jealousy. But what we have to understand, you guys, is for like 1,800 years, Jesus, our Lord, the Messiah of Israel, the Davidic King, can I hear an amen to that, right? It's like He's been slowly but surely clothed. This is a generalization. Clothed in Western clothes. How many of you know the story of, um, Joseph? You know, Joseph was the betrayed. He was betrayed by his brothers. He ends up in Egypt. How many of you know that story? Just raise your hand real quick. Oh my goodness gracious, that's a lot of people. So it's like, okay, he's rejected by his brothers, falsely accused, ends up in prison. You know, just, you know, he has wisdom from God and, and he's, and he's able to speak to the Pharaoh about what's going to happen in the future. He ends up second in power. He ends up in a place where it could be said he's the savior of Egypt and even the savior of his own people during that great drought. We don't have time to get into the details, but remember when his brothers came to Egypt looking for grain, needing grain? Here they come face to face with their brother, but they don't recognize him because he's in Egyptian garb. And it's like, um, they don't recognize him until he removes the garb, and they're like, "Whoa, that's a Jew. That's our brother."

In a similar way, it could be said there's been decades and there's been years and years and thousands of years, 1,800 years at the very least, where Jesus is being clothed in a way that obscures His identity, the Messiah of Israel. I'll tell you what can help with this, and that is when we receive communion. Of course, when Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of Me," what is the "this"? It's a Passover Seder, celebrating the great deliverance of the children of Israel out of Egypt, totalitarian plague dictatorship of Pharaoh. And the Lord instructed Israel, "Okay, every year you bump into Nissan 14, celebrate that great deliverance." And then Jesus, when He had that Passover Seder with His disciples, He said, "Do this in remembrance of Me." He identifies Himself as the central figure of God's unfolding plan in the future. And what do it speak of? Well, He said, "Okay, this cup is the New Covenant of My blood." The New Covenant was promised to Israel. Pastor Jack's been unpacking this the last four weeks. It was promised to Israel: forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit in us, the guarantee of Israel's preservation, the glory of God on planet Earth. It was first promised to Israel, for which we are invited into, for which we benefit, like we're engrafted into this genius plan that is unfolding in and through Israel and the Messiah of Israel. Do that make sense, you guys?

So my point is, it's like, let us bring the Messiah of Israel, Yeshua, Jesus, the Passover Lamb, to this generation, to Jew and to Gentile. I've got to tell you, though, this gives clarity today to what's happening because the rise of anti-Semitism is radical. Why? Why? Why? The persecution of Jews all over the world? Why even a, you say, LA, a no-Jew zone? What's going on here? Anti-Zionism is the promotion of the idea that the ancestral home of the Jewish people, which is Israel, is not actually their ancestral home. That feeds, you know, falsehoods of that Israel's the oppressor and the apartheid state. All this insanity. Look, there's a darkness behind the darkness. I mean, Satan wants to undermine God's unfolding plan in and through Israel and the Messiah of Israel. So, like, we see the rise of anti-Semitism. The church has a moment here that we, and this is like a test, as far as I'm concerned. I think it's a test of our faith. We have a moment to be like a Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer, 1933, saw the insanity like of Hitler and Nazism beginning to isolate Jews and kick them out of the church, isolate them in institutions. I mean, I mean, not to the same degree do we see that today, but the rise of anti-Semitism is radical. And of course, tomorrow is October 7th, the terrible anniversary of Israel's 9/11, which took place. A lot of details here, thanks. I'm just actually, this is the intro to this message, okay? But, but actually, just listen. It actually took place during Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, you know, prophetically, that speaks of Jesus's reign on planet Earth. That speaks of the nation coming up, Zechariah 14, to worship the King, the Messiah of Israel, the Davidic King. You have these like demonic spirits inspiring this demonic, radical, you know, terrorism of 1,000 of our Israeli friends massacred, raped, murdered. Listen, I, I was, I was in Israel. They showed me pictures that are not seen in the public, and, um, I don't even want to talk about it. Just absolute demonic insanity. But what I'm trying to get to is, like, it's so important to understand where we came from. We cannot lose our story. Story of America, Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Emancipation Proclamation. Our story promised to Abraham, David, New Covenant. It's that we are invited into this. So let us be faithful to bring the gospel, yes, to the world, but also to our Jewish friends today. Can I hear a big amen to that? So important. So thank you for that intro, and now let's study.

Okay, we've been studying, but look at verse two. Look at the word there, "count." Um, it's a unique word because it's a word that actually speaks of thinking deeply and differently. Okay? So he's saying, "Look, I, I want you to think deeply and differently, specifically about adversity." So he has more to say about that, but I want to slice this point really thin here. And here's Point Number One on the screen, and that is: God redeems adversity. This is one of the ways we can understand how we can have joy. He actually wants to change the way you think, which then changes you. So, amidst adversity and hardship, and we're slicing this really thin, he actually wants to make adjustments in your thinking, now, particularly when it comes to adversity, how to think about adversity and hardship.

But look, what we think matters. And sociologists have said that most of our thinking is like repeats from yesterday. Like, 90% of what we're thinking on a daily basis are just repeats from yesterday. So let me just say, look, you may be in a trial and adversity. God bless you, and the Lord, I know, will comfort you. At the very least, so far in this, this message, look, he may not change your circumstances. Maybe he will. But what he wants to do is adjust the way you think. That could change your circumstances, and if not, could impact other people's lives. Like, for example, I think of A.J. Curran, a two-story Jerusalem Post report about this. He's in a motorcycle accident in Jerusalem. Goes to the hospital, gets all these tests. Doctor walks in, "A.J., I've got good news. I've got bad news. Good news is no broken bones, no problem from the motorcycle accident. The bad news is you have a brain tumor, and it's like, we don't have the technology to help you at this time." Maybe 10 years, he's thinking, "I don't know if I have 10 years." So he started a company called Vision Sense and spent a decade developing a type of operating scope modeled after the structure of an insect's eyes that ended up saving a bunch of people's lives. Point is, his trial triggered different thinking, right? "Hey, my circumstances may not change, but I'm going to change the way I think." It ended up with great technology that healed a lot of people, even brought blessing to his own life. What we think matters.

In fact, um, I love this scene. I've got to read this to you. This is from a, this is from a movie about Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first female prime minister. And she was being evaluated for, for dementia. And for those of you that have experienced dementia in the family, that's no fun to see a loved one, you know, no longer processing properly with clarity. And the context is, I mean, she's really in the thick of dementia. She's not, she's not seeing reality for what it is. And her daughter wants her to go see the doctor. So this is the exchange. The doctor says to Margaret, "Still, it must be disorienting. You're bound to be feeling." And Margaret interrupts him, "What, what am I bound to be feeling? People don't think anymore. They feel. How are you feeling?" "Oh, I don't, I don't feel that comfortable." "Oh, the problems of our age. We're governed by people who care more about feelings than thoughts and ideas." "Now, thoughts and ideas, that's what interests me. Ask me what I'm thinking." The doctor says, "Well, Margaret, what are you thinking?" She says, "Watch your thoughts, for they become your words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny." What we think, we become. My father always taught me that. Thank you for asking, but I think I'm fine." And that's how she ended it. Hey, what we think matters.

Here's Point Number Two. Check it out. Here's how we need to think: God redeems adversity through the testing of your faith, which can never fail because your faith is in God, who never fails. And this is what He's saying in verse three: "Knowing the testing of your faith." Think about it, guys, what is faith? You know, maybe you're here for the first time, so glad that you're with us, and you're new to the Bible, you're considering Jesus. And things, you know, what is faith? You know, it's faith, hyper-positivism? Is faith like subjectivism? Is faith just, like, I don't know, think positively, speak something, think you could create it? No. Is it lesser knowledge? No, no, no, no, no. Faith is being informed by the truth of God and then being transformed by it. Faith is like, okay, what is truth? Like Jesus said, "I've come to bear witness of the truth." And Pilate said, "What is truth?" And he should not have walked away from that conversation, by the way. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." I mean, faith, faith is being formed by truth. The truth of who God is. He's revealed Himself in Christ. He's revealed Himself in His word. So faith would be, "Okay, I'm going to be informed by His word." "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but power, love, sound mind." That's His word. "All things are working out for the good to those who love God, called according to His purpose." That's His word. "He will never leave me nor forsake me." Praise God. That's His word. That's true. He promised to supply my needs. Not necessarily my, the faithfulness of God. Like, if I ask you, you know, "What is 2 + 2?" You know the answer already. So you just experience the fresh what you already know. And we all know as Christians, "The Lord is with us." Can I hear another amen to that, right? Okay. So through adversity and trials, by the help of the Holy Spirit, He brings that reality a fresh to our hearts. That's why we can experience joy, and we should, should count trials as joy.

You guys, to illustrate this, turn with me to Mark chapter 6. Stay on over to Mark chapter 6 real quick. This is a beautiful picture, and you know, it's a passage we know well, but there's some details here that are so worth underscoring. Mark 6:45: Jesus just multiplied the bread and the fish, feeding 5,000. John's gospel tells us there's a little Messianic fervor behind the scenes. There's a group that want to force Jesus to be king. He is the king, but He first came to bear the cross. He's going to come again to wear the crown. He doesn't want anything to do with this fervor to force Him to be king because it's perpetuating a wrong view of God's will. And He wants the disciples in the boat, and He wants them out of there. And it says, verse 35, "Immediately He made His disciples get in the boat, sense of urgency, and go before Him to the other side to Bethsaida. And while He sent the disciples away, He went up on a mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. And He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed there was a ghost. They cried out. And they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said, 'Be of good cheer. It is I. Do not be afraid.' And He went up into the boat with them, the wind ceased. They were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and they marveled, for they had not understood about the loaves because their heart was hardened."

What a picture here. A couple of things. I mean, I'm thinking, you know, how many of you have been to Israel? Out of curiosity, maybe on the Sea of Galilee? It's a lake, actually, right? So they're traveling north, they get a headwind. And I'm just thinking, man, you've got some precious cargo in this boat. You've got the 12 apostles. Judas won't be in the picture long-term, of course. But Jesus is like putting like these 12 young Jewish men in a boat who are going to become the most important leaders in history because they will be the authoritative witnesses of the greatest reality: Jesus's King. So He puts them in a boat. They're experiencing some headwinds and adversity. And Jesus appears to them, and He says, "Please, look, we're here." In verse 50, He says, "Be of good cheer." Like, in the hardship, He shows up. He says, "It is I. Do not be afraid." Actually, please look at verse 50. He doesn't say, "It is I." That's not actually a right translation. It's a very unique wording in the Greek. He actually says, "Be of good cheer. I am." He doesn't say, "It is I." He says, "I AM." "I AM." You mean the self-existing one? The one that revealed Himself to Moses? You know, Jesus was much more specific. People say, "You know, did Jesus ever go around saying He's God?" He was much more specific than that. In John chapter 8, He said, "Before Abraham was, I AM." The Great I AM, the self-existing one, Yahweh, the one who's always been. Absolutely.

Listen, I think we, in a lot of ways, are amidst a perfect storm today. Uh, the good news is, like Jesus is true. He's faithful to His promise. He's going to get us to the other side. Can I hear another big amen to that? But look, I'm serious. Like, we've got, we've got, we've got this perfect storm. I'm just thinking, like, when Paul talked about, you know, taking up the shield of faith, you've got a bunch of arrows coming your way. In reference to first-century dynamics, when arrows were sent, it was purposed, kind of like cover fire for enemy advancement. So it put you on your heels. You take up the shield of faith, and all these arrows are hitting the shield of faith while the enemy is advancing. And those arrows were intended to distract and disorient and to demoralize, so there could be enemy advancement. And so a lot of arrows in the air these days that are disorienting and distracting.

You know, I grew up in Southern California, and we used to go to the fabulous Forum. My dad would get tickets to the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Do anybody remember this? I'm not even sure they're still in existence. I didn't, I didn't really, I, I preferred a Laker game, you know what I mean? But I mean, the thing is, I just remember this one time, though, as a kid, you know, elephants are coming in, and oh my goodness gracious, you've got the lions. That was intense. I remember something was happening in the lion cage that was not right. It's like, the, something's not right. I mean, one of the big lions not responding, just not feeling it, you know, and, and giving that trainer a really, really hard time. And it was like, I don't know if this is normal. And then all of a sudden, the clowns came out. All the clowns to distract you from what was really taking place front and center. Well, let me just say, there's a lot of clowns coming out these days. I mean, oh my goodness. Let me name a few. Political clowns. Just a, can I take? I mean, you know what Elon Musk just wrote? Wow. It is now illegal to require voter ID in California. They just made venting voter fraud against the law. I mean, goodness gracious. Got to pray for our governor. Got to pray for him. We all need Jesus, right? But look, the thing is, the spirit of the age is intense. You've got radical relativism. You've got this promotion of AI and technology to biology, promoting the idea that now, like, man is God and stuff. Uh, the spirit of the age. Well, well, like, we know the truth. The Lord comes a fresh and says, "Look, I am the truth. I'm going to lead you. I'm, my kingdom will never be stopped. My sheep hear My voice." I love what Billy Graham said. It was like late '60s on the campuses, the Ivy League school campuses, and a reporter asked him, he said, "Billy, The New York Times wrote that God is dead. What, what do you have to say about that?" He said, "It's impossible. I just spoke to Him a few minutes ago." You know? So it's like, you know, it's like, hey, we know the truth. Jesus won on the cross. We win. We're overcomers. Can I hear another amen to that? It's the truth.

But look, on a practical level, let me share something with you, Jack. In that story, Jesus is atop the mountain. He sees the disciples, okay? He walks on the water. He's walking on their fears. And I just want you to know, the Lord is at the right hand of the Father. Remember when Stephen was being stoned, and he saw Jesus at the right hand? But He wasn't sitting; He was standing, as far as I'm concerned, like fully attentive. "You're my boy, and you've got my full attention." And I just, let's, there's reason for joy if you're going through adversity because you have Jesus's full attention. He just doesn't know what's going on in your life. He actually feels it. And further, He's coming again, of course, when it's like the darkest time in human history. What a day it will be.

I'm just curious, you know, growing up, did you ever see The Wizard of Oz? I mean, I think I first saw that at like six years of age. Those flying monkeys, I mean, like freaked me out. I mean, I've never said this publicly, but I just got out of therapy because of that. No, just kidding. Anyways, those flying monkeys. Oh, hey, right? And the, the witch, I couldn't stand her. And then Dorothy, remember, throws water, and she melts. And then, and then all those who were like under her oppression, just were freed up. "Ding dong, the witch is dead." They all turned to Dorothy. Are like, "Man, thank God." Right? All right. You know, the Bible says like all of creation groans, something is not right. And what all of creation is groaning over is the liberation that Jesus brings when He comes again. And when He does, oh man, thank God for this.

Hey, it leads us to a clear understanding of the next point. Check out verse three, you guys. "The testing of your faith produces patience. Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." The word "patience" actually comes from two words: "under" and "pressure." Okay? So it's the antithesis of our natural inclination. When we are out of our comfort zone, we just want to bail. We want to get out of the pressure. Like, as a kid, I remember taking pumpkin seeds and like, you know, pressing in between my fingers and shooting these pumpkin seeds across the room. It's like, we're, we're like that pumpkin seed. We just like, "I, I, I don't want to be, I, I be out from the pressure." But what James is saying here is, "Let patience have her perfect work." He doesn't say, "Let comfort or pleasure or laughter." But "patience." So, in other words, like, "Hey, there's pain, there's adversity. You know, there's a need to remain under that pressure. There's a perfecting work that cannot be accomplished." He's essentially saying, outside of adversity and testing. So when you're working out, the value of it is not experienced. Actually, excuse me, let me back up. Like, when we're working out, like when there's pressure, okay? I'm talking about physically working out. Like, we don't recognize the value of it until, like, a few days later when we've built some muscle. In a similar way, when we're going through hardship, and the Lord wants us to see it as a test of our faith, our faith is in Him, He never fails, He's true to His promises, He doesn't, doesn't want us to bail on Him. It's like, sometimes we're not seeing its significance until later.

But let me just put it a little different way. Our Heavenly Father trains us. It's like Jesus came to make us right with the Father. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. He came to make us right. It's our Father who trains us in righteousness. And what's essential is we never give up. It's like, He cannot train us if we're bailing on Him or others. It's Christianity is a little bit like riding a bike. You just need to keep pedaling. Not to work for your salvation, no, to actually be a part of working out your salvation. Like one famed coach said, "My job as a coach is to make these young men do what they don't want to do in order to become the men they always wanted to be." Well, the Father is training us to become persons we never thought we could become. Jesus came to make us right at the cross. The Father now is training us, and He's saying, "Okay, adversity, test of faith. Faith is in Me. Trust Me because I, what I'm doing is, I'm developing character and transforming you more like Jesus Christ." And Point Number Three is, yeah, you can clap if you like it. It's true, and what a great redemption it is.

Point Number Three. It's on the screen. As God redeems adversity to produce perseverance, staying power, and stability in our lives, so we're not puppet-like on the strings of feelings and circumstances. He's, He wants to, He wants to produce maturity in our life so we're not enslaved to just our feelings and our circumstances. There's no way to live. And then He goes on to say in verse five, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally without reproach, and it will be given to him." Praise God for that. You know, I like what Pastor Chuck said. There's a difference between knowledge and wisdom, right? And he would illustrate it like this. Pastor Jack probably told you this, so I may be repeating, but he said, "Knowledge is, 'Oh, there's a furry little four-legged creature over there that's black, has a white stripe down its back, oh, and the tail is lifting up. Oh, and that's a skunk. Oh, look at that beautiful skunk.' Wisdom says, 'I'm out of here.'" Okay? I mean, it's like, knowledge is the accumulation of information. Wisdom is the right application of knowledge. So the idea is like, "Okay, Lord, this is hard. I'm going through a trial. Ask, Abba, ask your Papa for like, clarity, wisdom, what do You want to say to me? Next steps? What's the right perspective?"

He says in verse six, "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind." Yeah, a wave of the sea is without rest, and so is the doubter. The wave of the sea is unstable, so is a doubter. But really, what He's saying here is like, "Hey, our Father guarantees He will give you wisdom, so ask Him in confidence. Don't doubt and expect an answer." He's really just like putting a little pressure on here to trust the Father because He will answer and provide wisdom. He says, "For let not that man suppose he's going to receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man. He is unstable in all of his ways." But look, as believers, we're not double-minded. We believe God. We believe His word. So when it comes to wisdom, guaranteed, the answer will be there. And that's why we're saying in Point Number Four, it's on the screen. Look, God redeems adversity. Here's how He does it. He gets really specific with us. It's like, if you're going through a hardship, be open to think differently, particularly about trials itself. It's a test, and you may want to just say, "Okay, Lord, I'm going to give You a blank paper. What do You want to say to me during this time in my life?"

And speaking of the Father, ah, we have the most wonderful, beautiful Heavenly Father. You know, we've seen the Father in Jesus, right? We've seen Him in Jesus. "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." Do you remember when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane? Gethsemane means "oil press." So now you're talking about the base of the Mount of Olives, you know, right there near the Kidron Valley, up into the city. And the context is it's Passover. The context is it's Nissan 14. You know, when John first saw Jesus, Jesus said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." So it's Passover. Jesus just had the Passover Seder, ceremonial meal, celebrating Israel's past deliverance. But Israel's past deliverance out of Egypt was a prophecy of a future fulfillment, a future Exodus that the Messiah, Jesus, would bring out of the, out of the enslavement of sin. So this is the context. And He said in that Passover Seder, it's like, "Okay, you guys, this cup, the redemption cup, it's the new blood, like My blood represents the fulfillment of the New Covenant." It's going to explode. I talked about it earlier, right? Forgiveness of sins, Holy Spirit indwelling us, guarantee the preservation of Israel, the glory of God on planet Earth, and the kingdom of God. It's all of those things.

So now He's under so much, much stress. Talk about a trial that He's experiencing. Hematidrosis. His, His, He's, He's sweating drops of blood. So the capillaries in His skin are breaking, and coupled with sweat, you have blood and sweat dropping. Radical pressure. And He says, "Father, if it be Your will, let this cup pass from Me." Like, what cup is He talking about? Is it the third cup in the Passover Seder? A lot of details, I know. But I, it's like, you know, like the cup of the New Covenant. It's like that would pass for me. And He says, "But not My will, but Your will be done." I mean, there's so much here. But one is here: we see our precious Lord bringing His pain transparently to the Father. And let me just say, seriously, if you're going through a hardship, it's very, very important that you, like, you can storm the throne of our Heavenly Father. Bring your pain to Him. Be like, "Really?" I mean, like, this is not silly, but like Jesus was actually in touch with His feelings in the sense, like He was authentic. He brought His pain to His Heavenly Father. His Heavenly Father comforted Him. There was an angel that came and comforted Him as well. It's like, but, but He just, He brought His pain. So that's very important. Very important that we do the same.

But it's like, "Lord, um, not Your will, but the Father's will be done." Like, are you sure about that, Lord? Because You're going to be treated as if You committed every stinking sin in human history. You know, I'm just kind of commentating. "Lord, like, um, it's Passover. You're going to be arrested a little bit. You're going to be taken to Annas and Caiaphas, and then Pilate, Herod Antipas, and then Pilate, under pressure, like stupid decision. He's going to, he's going to have you crucified. Like, you're going to be lifted up on a cross on Passover itself. Um, crown of thorns, symbolic of what you will bear." It's like, He wore the crown of thorns that we might wear the crown of life. It's like, "Lord, you sure? Are you sure you can trust the Father here?" And if we look to Jesus, who said, "Not My will, but Your will be done," and stepped into Jerusalem and gave His life on the cross, three days later He resurrects, 40 days later He ascends to Heaven at the right hand of the Father, you can trust the Father. It's like, you can, Jesus came to restore our trust in the good, good Father. So if you're under pressure, pain, ah, we've got a great Abba. Trust Him. Obey.

It's like, I, I just remember my, a story. You, my daughter, my firstborn daughter's in the front row. We have boy, girl, boy, girl. And she's our second born. But when she was a little one, she needed a, she needed surgery. And long story short, like, they wanted me to go into this examining room. She had these unique X-rays. They strapped her legs down, um, and they wanted me to hold her down. She's, so she's maybe like 14 months. So you've got to understand, up to this point, I'm sneaking her chocolate when her mom's not looking. I dance with her at night, chuck jar songs, you know, the, I mean, I'm dancing. Probably never heard anything harsh come out of my mouth. She's my baby. She's my princess. And all of a sudden, then her dad, like, these hands are pressing her like, and I'm telling you honestly, I see, and she, I like, "I'm not, I, you're not going to get out of this because, because this is a part of your healing, and I want them that successful pictures here because I want you healed. So I'm going to take my hands firmly but gently, and you're not going to move." And she started to look around the room like, "What's happening? What?" She, I could see the fear in her eyes. You know, she looked at me, she was crying. Hey, she looked at me as if to say, "If I ever get out of this, I want a new dad." I'm just telling you right, because you just blew it. But we have the best Father there could ever be. And Jesus's death, resurrection, and ascension speaks to this in each one of our lives.

You know, I didn't mention this. I mentioned it in the first service. I don't think I mentioned this. You know, the Lord is coming again, right? When He comes, listen, when He comes, you know, He comes with a shout. Do you know we first hear Him before we see Him? "My sheep hear My voice." Uh, you know, like, are you ready for the return of Jesus? Everything is moving towards His kingdom. Jesus said, "He stands at the door and knocks. And if anyone would hear His voice and open the door, He'll come in." It's like, you have to hear Him before you see Him. It's like, we can't see God now, but we can hear Him. Jesus said, "If you continue in My word, you'll be My disciples. You know the truth, the truth shall set you free." My sheep hear My voice. What is His voice? "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish."

But have everlasting life. Let me just ask you, has there ever been a time in your life where you open the door, door to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? Say, Greg, what does that even mean? Here's what it looks like.

Number one, you recognize what God has done for you. He not only created you, you're not a byproduct of mindless nature, but He's revealed Himself to us in His Son, and He demonstrated His love for us. And our core need is relationship with Him. Our core problem is separation from Him. Listen, if you don't have Jesus Christ, you're misaligned with God. God, the wages of sin is death. When Jesus said, "If you don't believe in Me, you'll perish," it means break down both now and forever. We're seeing the world break down. There'd be more peace in the world if more people followed Jesus Christ.

So, like, here's the thing. Recognize what He's done for you. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you enough not to leave you the way you are.

Number two, it's critical you believe He died for your sins. He resurrected. He's coming again. Jesus said, "Unless a man repents, he'll perish." Kind of a U-turn in life. There's a broad way that leads to destruction, many go that way. A narrow way that leads to eternal life, few be that find it. And Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." And you know He is just a prayer away. Yeah, praise God, because the Bible says, "Those who call upon Him shall be saved." You're not too young, you're not too old.

Listen, there's a few reasons why people say no to Jesus. One is pride. Self-sufficiency is like, "Oh man, don't go that way." God resists the proud. He, like, does not like the proud because the proud is resisting the greatest good, which is Him. He hates the proud. Don't be that way.

There's another reason. Like, someone could be holding on to some sin in their life, keeping them from opening their heart to Jesus. Jesus, "What would have profited a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?" Don't be that person. A few reasons why someone would say no, but I've never met anyone who ever regretted saying yes to Jesus Christ.

Let me end with this. There's a story about a man and his son. They had a great relationship. Kind of long story short, partly forged because the wife died and the mother died. And the dad was like, super wealthy. And, um, they liked to travel together. They would buy up all this art. I mean, you know, Picassos and Monet, all this stuff. Had one of the greatest collections of art in the world. And World War II, his son went off to war and lost his life. It sent the dad into a major spiral of depression.

And one Christmas Eve, he gets a knock on the door. And there's, opens, and there's a strapping kid. Has a package in his hands. Introduced himself like, "I, I knew your son. In fact, your son was carrying me off the battlefield when he lost his life. We talked about you all the time. You know, you loved, you guys like loved art and you travel and stuff. I'm not much of a painter, but I brought a portrait of your son to you." And he's like, "Oh my gosh." You know, and he put it right above the fireplace. It was like, forget Monet and Picasso, it's like, there's my son.

And, um, well, he ends up passing. And all of his art, you know, went up for auction. And you're talking about museums from like London and Greece and New York. The first item up for auction was called "The Son." And so it's like, "Okay, well, here's the painting, 'The Son.'" Everybody's like, look, waiting for the great art, right? No one's bidding. $125. No one's responding. There's a neighbor who knew the son, ended up buying it. And the auctioneer says, "You know, I just want to thank you guys for coming. With that, ends the auction." I was like, "What are you talking about?" According to the owner, whoever gets the son gets it all. And that's true when it comes to Jesus Christ.

Hey, pray with me. You guys, Lord, pray with me. Lord, we just want to pray for everyone here, particularly those who are at a turning point now. They're making a decision either for or against You. And Jesus said, "You're either for or against Me." Like, there's no middle ground here. Well, like, I pray, Lord, that every person that has yet to open the door of their heart to You, I pray in the next few moments that would happen.

Listen, how many of you would say, "You know, Greg, uh, I would like to open the door of my heart to receive Jesus Christ. I want to know my sins are forgiven. I want to know if I were to die, I'd go to heaven. I want that, like, settled." And listen, just a private moment here. Well, our heads are bowed, eyes are closed. If that's you, would you raise up your hand right now? And by raising up your hand, you'd be saying, "Yes." God bless you. And God bless you. Anybody else? Just slip up your hand so I can see it. I, I'm going to actually lead you in a word of prayer in a moment. God bless you. Anybody else in the side, in the front? You know, the, the Bible says, "Today is the day of salvation. Now is the acceptable time." Um, "You hear the voice of God, harden not your heart." Anybody else? If you'd like to receive, God bless you. I see your hand in the back, in the front. Sometimes it's hard for me. God bless you. You know, Billy Graham said he was the last one to respond. Maybe you're, maybe you're that person, but I want to encourage you to respond. So, anybody else in the sides and the back?

Lord, I want to thank You for all of these that have raised their hands, and they're doing so because they're responding to You. And I just pray, Lord, give them strength as next steps here. And listen, all of you that raised your hands, I, I want you to stand up where you're seated right now. Sometimes, how this works, often it just takes one person to kind of lead the way, and it kind of encourages others with courage. Just stand up. I'll tell you why, because Jesus said, "If you confess Me before men, I'll confess you before My Father." But if you deny Me, I'll deny you. You're not going to be the only one. So, if you're thinking, "Oh man, you want me to stand?" Others are standing. Just stand up. Even though, and I'm going to lead you in a, God bless you. God bless you. I'm going to lead you in a word of prayer right where you're standing. Anybody else? Hey, take advantage of while you have it. You know, you're in the midst of thousands of believers who love you, who are standing with. Anybody else? Just stand real quick. Okay. You guys pray with me. Church family, if you want to join in as a way of encouragement, that's great. This is the prayer asking Christ to come into your life, forgive you of your sins. Pray with me:

Lord Jesus, Jesus, I call upon You now to be my Savior and Lord. Thank You for dying for me and resurrecting from the dead. I know I'm a sinner, but I know You're a great Savior. Lord, forgive me of my sins. Lord, come into my life and fill me with the life of God. Teach me to follow You all the days of my life. Thank You for forgiving me, coming into my life, making me Your child, both now and forever. In Jesus' name, amen.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.