Transcription
James chapter one verses two through four. Maybe the hardest first to actually live out in the Bible.
Dear brothers and sisters, James is writing to the church, so it's writing to us, a church family. When troubles come your way, and they will, consider it an opportunity. Troubles are an opportunity for great joy. Great struggle is an opportunity for great joy. For you know, and this is where he's challenging us, because if you don't know now, you know. He says, if you don't know, the trouble is used by God to strengthen you, to help you, and to grow you. He's got a perspective that most of us don't have. Hopefully, we can get ahold of it a little bit in our hearts today, that every single problem that we face, God uses it as a process to build us even better.
And if you don't know that, well, you're still living in junior varsity faith. But if you want to grow up to the full maturity, to be a not just a Christian who comes to church, but to be the church that lives for the mission of Jesus to change the world around us, then you have to understand there's a reason for the struggle. God will work it for your favor in the long run if you don't give up. Says, "For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow. And when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." In one translation, it says, "lacking nothing." In other words, God actually takes care of you, makes you complete, and perfects you through the problems that you face. And if you don't know that, let's talk about it today.
Because if you're in a storm, God has something significant for you. He wants to strengthen you. You're barely making it? No, you're gonna make it and go on to great God things, 'cause this is the way that God works. I've talked about my problems, and I've got problems, a lot of them. Some of my problems are the sun. I am almost albino. I burn really easy. I could never be out here in Vegas for very long. I've got some problems. But what I need to understand, the problems on the inside of me are there for a purpose. God is actually developing something great inside of me. So I call it my perfect problems, because God perfects me through problems. I have a different perspective. Problems are annoying. Storms are frustrating. Difficulties are tiresome, and they cost me too much. And yet, God, when he looks at it, says, "No, this is my process of perfecting my people." I allow some things to happen. I allow you to go through some issues so that you could turn to me, and I can strengthen you on the inside where it matters the most. God calls an object in your way an opportunity for advancement. God actually uses even pain and struggle as a passport for promotion and significance in your life.
James says, "If you don't know this, get this in your heart." What you're facing that seems so frustrating is actually gonna develop your character and your faith so God can complete you and make you better. Because if God can do a work in you, God could do a work through you. And he uses outside situations and even internal heartache to strengthen us to something even even greater. Here's the truth: God has more for you. God has more for your life. What a great word. Press for J, been brought about that we pray and believe that God would bless you, that you would have prosperity, more than enough, not just for your own needs, but to to be a person who participates in generosity for the advancement of the kingdom of God. Because your stuff doesn't go with you to eternity, but the lives that we change do. And that's why we're a church here, and see like that's always for the other people coming to know Jesus Christ. But what we need to understand, God has more for you. And he doesn't give it to you all at once. He develops you in the process. And more often than not, the more that he has for you will take you a little longer than you would like. Will cost you more than you think, but it will be better than you thought. And this is why God doesn't just hand us everything on a silver platter immediately. It's because he wants us to grow and do something significant. He wants to strengthen us on the inside. Because faith, faith is what he's after. Without faith, we can't please God. And God uses the frustrations of life to build our faith and trust in him so that he could do something that's lasting, something that's complete, something that's perfect.
All of us want to grow in our faith. All of us want to develop as believers. All of us would want to be perfect, complete, lacking nothing. I think every one of us would like. "Faith comes by hearing," is what the book of Romans tells us. But "faith grows by testing," is what James is trying to teach us. I don't know about you, but I don't really like tests. If you like tests in high school, we weren't friends. If you were that person that reminded the teacher that they said there's gonna be a quiz at the end of the day when we're about ready to leave, you and I, we're not on the same team. Now, you can still go to heaven, but you can't live by me. If you're in heaven, get off my lawn. Okay? I don't like people that like tests. And no one really likes tests and trials, but we like the end result. We will all want to graduate to something greater with God. And testing and trials and problems and pain is the way that God works to get us to new levels of fulfillment. He allows us to go through some through some stuff. 'Cause why? We don't want to stay immature and incomplete.
Why don't you write this down? It's got three simple things for either gonna help you get a right perspective to see your your problems and as something that perfects you. First thing is this: Every struggle is significant. God doesn't waste a struggle. Every struggle is significant. You can either wear you down or it can build you up. All that it's depending on the way that you look at your perspective. Truly, every problem that you face is a place of God promotion if you let him go to work on the inside of you. Think about the tests that you took in high school or in college. When you passed that test, you told the authorities, which would be your teachers, the faculty, your professor, the principal, you told them, "I know enough to go up one level. I've got enough understanding, enough knowledge, I I can apply it enough to move on to a new level." And that's exactly what tests do as well, to the ultimate authority over life, our Heavenly Father. It shows him when we trust him in difficult situations. And through problems and storms, it's like, "I trust you enough, God, to graduate on a little bit more to the perfection process." Do you know one day we're gonna be just like Jesus? The Bible says, "When we see him, we'll be just like him." That's either the day that you die or the day that he returns. In the meantime, we're becoming more like him. And we become more like Jesus by building our faith and trust in God. And that happens through testing. It shows God when you pass an entry-level exam that you're ready for the intermediate exam. And some of you are facing advanced tests and trials in your life, your health, and your family. But God will strengthen you through them. And friends, he's gonna take you through them. The God is faithful. He'll finish what he starts. He's your deliverer. He's your protector. He's your provision. And he's your healer. But he allows sometimes for us to tarry in the middle so that he can develop something greater on the inside of of us.
First Peter 1, verse 6 and 7. There's kind of three things I learned about the trials that we face from this passage. Peter is writing, and he says, "At present, or right now, you may be temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials." This is no accident. It happens to prove your faith. See what happened was, it happens to prove your faith. First off, says this: It's a temporary harassment. Temporary problems, trials, tests, storms. Temporary. They will not last. Now, why in the middle of it, you feel like it's gonna be forever? Does anyone ever feel that way in the middle of your problem? It's like, "God, you've forgotten me." You, you, anyway, other drama queens out there like me, you know what I'm talking about? In sixth grade, when homegirl broke up with you, you're like, "I'm never gonna love again. It's over." And I can't even remember her name. You can't remember her name. You need some deliverance. And you get baptized twice. But in the moment, 'cause why? You're immature. You think that's the end of the world. The truth is, your future self, if you could tell you something right now, is the thing that you're losing sleep over right now, you won't even remember what it is because it's not significant in your future. It's something that you're struggling with right now so God can do significant things in in you. Think about what you lose sleep over right now. Think about, has anyone ever lost sleep over a bill, or a test, like a like a literal test you were gonna take, over a career, over a relationship? And we're still here. So you have to think back, "Oh yeah, I remember that back then." Okay, they didn't define your life because your destiny is not defined by the test that you take. Your destiny is defined by the faith that you build and the trust in God that you develop over time.
I preach a lot. I'm like your pastor as well. But we have lots of services. One of our campuses is very small. It's right downtown Kansas City. And downtown Kansas City is as exciting as it sounds. Not quite like downtown Las Vegas or the Strip. It's, it's dead. It's dead down there most of the time. But that's where we are, in the heart of the city, young professional church, and small buildings, that's all that's available. And we just do a lot of services. I preach a lot. Preach a lot. Sometimes I preach five times. Most weekends, I preach five times on a Sunday. And I used to look really young when I started at church. I'm starting to get really old, really quick. And thank you. I appreciate that. Trying, trying to exfoliate. Whatever. It's okay. No big deal. But when I get home from preaching, I'm worn out. And I like just the veg. And I'm fine. I try to find the cheesiest action movie on Netflix I can possibly. But I'm talking about like a Sharknado, you know what I'm talking about? The cheesier the better. And a lot of times, it's getting late in the night. And I'm like, "Oh, this is the worst writing, the worst acting, the worst storyline I've ever seen." But I'm almost done. I feel like I'm almost done. So I pause it. When you pause the Netflix, it shows you how much longer you have to go. And when it's like 18 minutes left, I mean, we're gonna ride this thing out. Let me tell you right now, your struggles have a shot clock. They're not gonna last for forever. Your problem that you're in right now, if you pause for a moment and look back at the full linear of your life, how faithful God was yesterday, and how faithfully tomorrow, you realize, "I can kind of get through this thing because I know there's gonna be," and I can make it to the end when I know it's gonna end. And I can tell you right now, not what I know about your situations, I don't know you. But what I know about your Heavenly Father and the incredible plan he has for each and every one of your lives and destinies, you're going to make it through. Don't give up in the middle of the struggle. It will end, but you won't. It will strengthen you. And what you learn in the process and in the trial will last so much longer and be so much more significant than the thing you're actually walking walking through.
It says that we're temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials. Trials come in different shapes, different sizes, and different seasons. A $50 bill or ticket was a big deal a few years ago. But a $5,000 bill or something you have to pay, I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm just trying to pay my bills up here. It's not a fantasy. That's a whole lot. It's a different situation. My tax burden a few years ago to what it what it is in the future. Just trials are different over seasons and times. And what what James and Peter are kind of collaborating through the Word of God is that these things are always gonna be there. You're gonna make it through. You're gonna last. But realize it's gonna come at you a lot of different ways. A problem of yesterday, you can make it through today. But the problem of tomorrow might seem so daunting. But the same God who got you this far will get you all the way through.
I think about, I think about Jonah. Jonah's trial was well-known. In a fish-shaped problem that swallowed him up. And he was confined in that belly of that great fish for three days until he got some things sorted out. In the middle of his struggle and trial with God, "You're number one, and you're all that I want to serve you. I want to follow you. I want to obey you." He's really his what God was trying to show him. Not was that "I can I can get you any way I want to get you." God was trying to say, "Hey, your heart has disobedience in it, and I've got a great plan for you." And so in his mistake, God captured him to get him back on dry land, spits him back out so that he can go to Nineveh and bring revival to a pagan city. In the same way, God works. Sometimes the real problem was the disobedience. But the end goal is revival. God is always thinking not just about you, but who you're going to impact. He allows trials and struggles and storms to show up or even to linger longer than you thought they would because he's trying to point you in the right direction. If he's all that you need, then he could do something so beautiful through your life. The end goal is actually grace and changing of life. So you have to realize your trials aren't just about you. It's about the Christ in you and what God wants to do through you. Because the testimony of trusting God through the storm speaks so much louder to the people around you than if everything was just fine in your life. Your struggle is significant to other people. It's an opportunity of a testimony of how good God is. Because your friends are watching you. Because they know you're a believer. They know you go to that new amazing church, City Light. They know that you worship God, that you honor God with your giving. They know that you just got baptized. They're watching you to see how you handle your worry, your stress, and your problems. Everyone else is getting downsized at work, and they're all afraid, they're cursing their job. Your your praising your God. And they watch you and they see something different in you. And God can change lives.
Through the trials, to the struggles, and to the pressure that you face, it's it's gonna end. It won't last forever. There are all sorts of different kinds. And it's not by accident. That's what it says in 1st Peter. This is no accident. It happens so that something can be proven in in you. And I don't know what the balance is between this broken world, your bad decisions, and things that God allows to happen. And does. I don't know what the balance is. I don't know what your mistake. Own up to it. God of all grace and mercy will cover you. I don't know what just is messed up world and the violence that we face, and the anger, and animosity, and racism in this world. Know where the balance is. And then sometimes God allows some things to happen. All I do know is the testimony of Paul, who said, "The enemy sent this thorn in my flesh to always be coming against me." And God, I'm like, "God, I could do my job so much better. I'm serving you. I'm trying to follow you. I'm trying to make you known to the four corners of the earth." God, wouldn't it be better if this was gone? And God says, "Not actually, because the testimony of this trial is good. We're gonna be reading about it today and talking about it right now." He says, "My grace is sufficient for your weakness. I've got all the strength that you need." Aren't you thankful God allowed Paul to go through a trial so it's a testimony that he can us in our weakness for something significant right now? I don't know if I'm preaching it or if I'm just yelling, and I like it either way. As heat purifies gold and pressure produces diamonds, tests and trials build us on the inside. It tests turn our faith into forward progress for the incredible destiny that God has for you.
A different translation of James 1, verse 2 says, "Be very happy when you are tested in different ways." And I'm like, "I'd be very happy if that was not in the Bible. Be very happy when I'm facing a test." It reminds me, this guy is at my gym. And he's really fit. I see him all the time. He's super fit. I come super fit guy. And super fit guys always there. If I ever see him, he's there every time. Every time. Like, I think like this guy lives at the gym. I see him with her headphones on. We give the head up. You know what's up? There what's up in the gym between guys is the highest form of communication. And and he's always there. It's funny. I was like, "Man, if I got to be in the gym as much as this guy to look like that, it ain't worth it. I got things to do. I don't need to be here as much." But I also think it's a vicious cycle because he always sees me at the gym. And I'm kind of an ordinary fit guy, almost fit guy, kind of fit guy hides it well with long clothes and black fit guy. Don't judge me. But I think he sees me and sees how ordinary I am. It's like, "Man, I gotta keep coming to the gym." It's a vicious cycle. You see what I'm saying here? But the other day, I saw him laying on the mat over there where you do all the equipment. I don't like, you don't talk him all the weird stuff he was doing. All that. He was over there, and he's just literally like drowning in a pool of his own sweat. He was laying there as if Jonah's whale to spit him out on the gym floor. And he had a goofy smile on his face. And I'm like, "Look at this idiot. He's grinning. He nearly died, and he's just grinning ear-to-ear." And it dawn on me, he actually sees that as a job well done. He pushed himself so far to the brink where he could barely stand up, and he's smiling 'cause to him, that's an objective. It's him. It's good to go that that that distance into that level of being worn out, even because he knows it's going to develop him according to his goal. Listen, this is what I'm trying to get to you. Understand God is smiling when you are resilient, entrusting him, even to the point where you feel like, "I can't make it any further."
I think about Hebrews, the book of Hebrews. And it tells us about the hall-of-fame of faith. All the great followers, the men and women of God that went before us. And it paints this picture that we are running our race. According to us, don't run anyone else's race. Not your neighbor's race. You have your own. And it's so significant. That's why the body of the Christ and City Light Church, we need you to run your race well. And it says, "Run it with endurance." And when we're running, it says that all of these witnesses, these great heroes, they are clapping, they're applauding, they're standing on their feet in the stadium of eternity because they understand that your race is significant. They finished third. They know something we don't know. And that's why when your legs burn, when you're walking with God, and your lungs are weary from praising God, and when your eyes have cried out from the trial that you're facing, they are actually cheering you on because they know something significant is about to happen in your situation if you don't give up and you keep keep going. God does beautiful things even to the bad things that we are that we are facing. It builds our our strength really quickly.
How do we get through trials? Second thought here's: I got to look to God's promises as I follow the commands. Look to the promises as I followed commands. The promises got a powerful there for you. You need to know them. There's 7,000 plus promises of God. In other words, God says, "I want to do this for for you." And even though they are held in the context of that story, the Bible says that God is no respecter of persons. What he did for one, what did he do for you? He brought a husband to Ruth. They're getting a husband to you. He healed the man of leprosy. He'll heal you. He brought the the prodigal son home. He'll bring your son home. There's promises in God's Word for you. If you don't know them, know them. Learn them. Google them. Ask Siri. Get Alexa involved. Just get them in your life. But what you need to understand is that Jesus Christ is the guarantor of all of God's goodness in your life. That when you know him, you have the stamp of approval of every promise that they're actually for you. Second Corinthians 1, verse 24: "No matter how many promises God has made, they are yes in Christ." But listen, the Bible says that we inherit the promises by faith and patience. I like faith. I want to say it, proclaim it, blast it. But patience, that's not my favorite part. That's perseverance over time. But by faith and patience, those who says you inherit the promises. In other words, they belong to you. You're in the family of God. You've been brought in through Jesus Christ, the firstborn of many. In other words, they're part of your family heritage because your heavenly Father, who gives perfect gifts, wants to give those promises to you. Promises to bless you, and to promote you, and to restore you, and to take you to the A guy wants to give you the desires of your heart. They're already yours, but you receive them by faith and patience. Be a believer in the promises, but follow the commands as well. All of us want peace of mind. There was a promise from God for us to give us peace. He's the Prince of Peace. Rules / peace. But they work together. Here's the command: "Don't worry about anything. Pray about everything." Then the God of all peace will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Forgive others. You have to forgive others. That's a command. Then you will be forgiven. If you have bitterness towards someone, then you have that vial on the inside of you. God can't forgive you. You understand what I'm saying? It can't just be a promise person. You have to be a command person. And some of you, you know the promise and your anchor to it, but you haven't taken the action step of faith to obey the command. And therefore, the door of God's destiny is not swinging wide for you yet. But when you connect these things together, God will see you through the storm. I think more quickly than you thought you would get through it when you begin to be a follower of his commands.
Third and final thought here, as I'm running out of time, I've got to see God's delays as my development. This is where the patience comes in. What I call the delay, which would be painful for me, God calls a developmental program. The longer I wait, I believe the better it gets. It's like a fine wine. The longer it ages, the better it gets. And if you've been waiting for a promise for a while, some of you have even forgotten them, given up on them, a dream in your heart, something you were believed before. You need to believe again. You need to rekindle the faint that plant and fanned the flame of faith on the inside again and get that passion back to believe God for even more in your life. But the longer you wait, what I found in my life, the better it is. Liz and I, we moved to Kansas City seven years ago. We did not know his soul. We had a stupid low amount of money that I'm embarrassed to even tell you. Seven thousand dollars. Okay? That's how much it was to our church budget. We sold our car. We have one other car. Store other car. And we just hustle. Met people. Starbucks. I love telling people I was new to town. They're like, "Well, why are you here?" Like, "I had to plant a church." "Would you like to go to this church?" Person by person, step by step. When I see, when I thought we'd come in the town because I just had sex just fire to reach the law. So I had this vision of what I was gonna do. I was gonna be like, I couldn't wait to show up and pastor the whole city. But no one was begging me to be their pastor. God built me over time through rejection, through pain, through insecurities, through doubt. I was wondering if he was even gonna show up. Our first Bible study, we had four people. Second Bible study, we had three people. They kicked went out because I was in sin. They let me back in. I'm just kidding. But over time, over time, and through trial, God's been faithful. Now we see more people saved on a weekend than used to go to the church even like three or four years ago. Something has shifted in the atmosphere of our city because God, not Liz and I. We're not special. God is special. But as special touches on our church right now because what we waited long enough, we trusted long enough, we leaned in long enough. God works through seed time and harvest. And the bigger the tree and the greater the fruit, the longer you wait. The promises of Jesus Christ for your life, the promises of God, they are like the seeds in the soil. They get covered up with a bunch of dirt, packed down and pressurized, and you can't see how it's growing, but it's growing. Mark chapter 4, verse 26: Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is like someone who plants a seed in the ground. Night and day, whether the person is asleep or awake, the seed still grows, but the person does not know how it grows." Back up in my notes is secure in these 5:17: "Anyone in Christ is a new creation. The old life has gone, and the new life has has begun." It's just begun when you surrender your life to Jesus. Here in that developmental process, what you have on the inside of you is the potential of Jesus Christ. As he is, so are we in this world. You have that seed on the inside of you. All the potential of who Jesus is and all what he can do through you. "Christ in me," the Bible says, "is the hope of glory." It's a future glorious thing that he's gonna do. And God plants that potential that's in. The longer you wait in that development process of the soil of the struggle that we're in, the greater the fruit that it's produced. "Don't grow weary while doing," the Bible says. If you don't give up, if you don't get, you're gonna be discouraged. But don't give up. You're gonna be delayed. But don't give up. You're gonna wonder, "God, where you at?" We're yet in all this. Don't give up. You're gonna see other people get to breakthrough before you. Don't give up. The longer you wait, the greater the harvest. The Bible says you're gonna read the harvest of blessing if you don't give up. In the delay, your worry does not make grow any faster. Your worship will though. God is looking for a person of faith that when they've done all they can, those still stands. And when they've spoken every promise that they've have, there's still praise. When they've seen the delays, they won't doubt. They glorify their God in heaven. And the longer you're waiting, the more God is working. The better it's gonna be.
Now, I'm gonna pray. Hey, I hope this week's message was a blessing to you. And if it was, why don't you click on the logo right now that subscribe to our page? And also, we've got the next message coming up. So why don't you click on that too and watch that as well? We'll see you soon.