to turn to James chapter 1, continuing my series in James. We’ll be looking at verses 2 through 4 this morning. That’s such a beautiful song we just sang, He Will Hold Me Fast. One of the reasons I chose it, through life’s difficulties and challenges, He holds us fast. James chapter 1, verses 2 through 4. I’m gonna go ahead and read verse 1-2 as well, even though I preached on a few weeks ago.

So, James chapter 1, verses 1 through 4. Starting in verse 1, James, through the power of the Holy Spirit, writes, James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad, greetings. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Let’s go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, I thank you for this day, and I thank you that we have the opportunity to hear from your word, and that I’m able to preach here today. I pray that you, the Holy Spirit, speaks through me as I preach, and that we learn how to deal with the difficult trials and seasons of life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Corrie ten Boone was a young lady who lived in Holland in the mid-1940s. She was there during the Nazi occupation of it in World War II. And her and her family were believers. And during that time where the Nazi regime was oppressing the Jewish population and many other populations, Corrie ten Boone and her family chose to hide a certain amount of Jews in their home, which was very common in that time. People would hide Jews in attics or different parts of their home. And they hid Jews in their home. And they were discovered by the Nazis. And Corrie ten Boone and her family, some of her family were sent to the infamous Nazi concentration camps.

Corrie ten Boone spent time in two different ones. And though I don’t need to go into graphic detail about the concentration camps the Nazis ran, they were truly awful and brutal and horrific places. Some of the most wicked acts that humans have ever done happened during that time period, and they were done by the Nazis. And she survived both concentration camps. And what’s amazing about her story is that through the midst of the many trials and difficulties and tribulations she faced, she continued to trust in the Lord and continued to have joy.

And when we come to James 1, verses 2-4, we see, and this passage shows us, that God uses trials to grow us, to grow Christians in our faith. It’s important to remember that James is writing to primarily Jewish Christians in this book. And our passage this morning has the first two imperatives of the book, an imperative simply being a command. Like, go do this, go do that. And I forgot to actually mention this in my intro sermon, which when I realized, that annoyed me because it’s so important.

But James has 55 imperatives, and that’s important because it’s the most amount of imperatives used in a New Testament book. which goes to show that it really hits on his big theme, which is telling these Jewish Christians, these Christians, how to live their Christian lives. Do this, do that. Those 55 imperatives are important because he’s telling them how to live in that ever-changing world, to live distinct from the world. This Christian living begins, like we talked about a few weeks ago, with submission to Christ, and from this submission to Christ flows godly living. That’s what James is trying to instruct these believers in. And this passage seems to be part of, you know, scholars will break down units of scripture, and this one seems, James 1, 1 through 11, seems to be one unit, and usually within units you have sub-units.

So I’m taking verses 2 through 4 this morning, that sub-unit. And I have one simple sub-point, have joy. So verse 2, consider it all joy. And the first thing to notice is that in my version it says consider it all joy. Some may say whenever you meet trials. But the point is, trials are inevitable. Hence the title of my sermon. That’s what James is saying here. He’s not saying, Trials will come in this way, or if trials come, this is what you do. They will come. And he’s telling these Christians, they’ll come. It’s a fact of life. It’s part of living in a sin-cursed world. They are a reality of the world we live in. So he’s telling them they’re coming, and he’s telling them how to be ready for them, how to deal with them. Christians will experience trials. He doesn’t say how or when they will come, but there is a guarantee that they will happen. And they should not be surprised when they come.

Look at all the biblical figures who went through trials. David was chased by Saul for years. Daniel was thrown in the lion’s den. Paul was shipwrecked, beaten, and scholars seem to think he was also beheaded. So many, many biblical figures face difficult, difficult trials. And what’s interesting about David, Daniel, and Paul is that all three of these men were being faithful when they experienced these trials. They weren’t punishment for some sin they committed. They were being faithful to the Lord when they went through these difficult seasons. And it’s important to understand that the trials James is talking about here in this passage do not seem to be the kind that come as a consequence for sinful actions or punishment for sinful actions. These are the trials that Christians face and endure through life.

Now sometimes there are consequences and punishments for the sins we commit, but that doesn’t seem to be what James is talking about here. They’re trials of a different kind. And as we read this passage, as we read that we’re to consider it all joy when we face various trials, it should, at least in my mind, it brought to my mind Job. The book of Job, the man Job in the Old Testament, and how he was tested with many very, very difficult trials. And he had not done anything wrong either. He was not being punished for sin.

Job, Job chapter 1 verse 1, shows us that he feared God and was a faithful man. As I’m sure many of us are familiar with, Satan is roaming the earth, he comes before God, and God says, have you considered my servant Job? And Satan throws many different trials at Job, takes away his wealth, his family, and takes away his health. And at the end of Job chapter 1, verses 21 through 22, Job offers this, or he gives this response after facing these trials. He says this, Naked I come from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed Be the name of the Lord. Through all this, Job did not sin, nor did he blame God. Blessed be the name of the Lord. His children died, he lost his wealth, he lost his health, but blessed be the name of the Lord. It’s an amazing response.

The book of Job goes on. He has friends that come alongside him who attempt to offer him advice. They say, Job, you are being tested or you are receiving this as punishment because you committed some sin. And Job’s like, no, that’s not what’s happening. And as the book continues, Job is struggling as to why he’s going through these difficult seasons, these trials. And he begins to question God and wants to know why all these things are happening to him. And there comes to a couple points in the book where God responds to Job. And God basically tells him that he does not have to know why he’s going through these things. And God does not owe an answer to Job. And Job, when we get to the end of the book, he is still faithful to God. And the book of Job reminds us that in the midst of difficult times, we are to continue trusting God. Remember that His plan for our lives is always best. And as we’re in a passage where we’re talking about trials and temptations, we have to remember that as Christians, God’s plan is always best for us.

This morning in Sunday school with the youth group we were talking about 1 Samuel 8. Which is when the Israelites, the elders of the Israelites come to Samuel. They’re disgusted with Samuel’s sons because they’re bad rulers. But they come to Samuel and their response to this difficult situation is, we want a king. And they say, we want a king like the other nations. So in the midst of a difficult time, they run to the way of the world. They don’t recognize God’s plan for them, because God’s plan for them was to be distinct, to be different from the world. But they reject his authority, they reject his plan, and they choose their own plan.

As we continue on from 1 Samuel 8, we see that their plan does not work well. Trials will come, and though this seems like it would be cause for great sorrow, anger, frustration, and worry, They’re actually a cause for great joy. And we need to recognize that people experience truly terrible, awful things. Getting the word that you have cancer, the cancer diagnosis. Getting word that someone, you just lost a loved one. The loss of a child, the loss of a parent, loss of a sibling. Just a few weeks ago, a plane crashed in India carrying over 200 people, dead. Just like that. And trials and temptations and trials and tribulations can vary in ways. There’s financial difficulties, losing a business, losing a certain amount of money, financial crises that hit, a housing crisis that may hit, the losing of a job.

These are all trials and difficulties that people face. And when they come, Our first response is not always joy, or to consider it all joy. It is sorrow, it is frustration, and it is anger at times. And I think it’s important to say those are natural emotions and responses. I don’t think James is saying here to do away with all frustration, because that’s natural. We will be frustrated. But our joy should be greater than our frustration in those situations. And these verses show us that we are to choose joy over fear and worry. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials. Can you imagine being a first century Jewish Christian getting this? You’re experiencing trials and difficulties. And the second verse of this letter, James is saying consider it all joy. Because we don’t want to.

We don’t want to consider it all joy in those situations. How can we, in the midst of that diagnosis, in the midst of that loss, how could we possibly experience joy? But James is telling us we can, and we should. As Christians, we should. Now, verse two, it says, consider it all joy. He just doesn’t say, consider it joy, consider it some joy, he says, consider it all joy, which is a big deal, it’s important. Craig Blomberg, a New Testament scholar, notes this about that phrase, all joy. He says, it refers to the quality of the joy. It’s a pure or entire joy. It’s all of who a person is. All of who they are is joyful. So you’re not just joyful on the outside. On the inside, you’re joyful.

Now, this isn’t you jumping around, jumping up and down, screaming, I’m so happy. There’s a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness tends to be more momentary, when you open up that Christmas gift. As a good seminary student, I always ask for a lot of books for Christmas, and this past Christmas, I got a lot of books. There’s nothing like ripping the paper off and seeing that book you asked for. And it’s great happiness. But it goes away when I open up the next president. But joy stays. And James is not telling these Christians just to be happy or have fun. Happiness is momentary and doesn’t last, but joy lasts. It’s a joy comes from the Lord. A joy that no matter what is going on in your life, in our lives, we recognize and believe that God is still in control. And that’s what joy looks like. Consider it all joy. All joy. You recognize God is in control. It is a continual trust in the Lord. Jesus, in Matthew 5, verses 11-12, gives a similar command.

In Matthew 5, verses 11-12, Jesus says this. This is the Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” So James is saying something very similar to Jesus. Jesus says, blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you. Blessed are you when this happens. Remember, James is telling these Christians how to live in this pagan world, to be opposite. And Jesus, when he came to earth, and in Matthew chapter five is the Sermon on the Mount, he’s telling them how to live in the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven has come. And Jesus’ teachings were so antithetical to that of the world they lived in, the Roman world.

The Roman world was one of conquerors. They pillaged, they didn’t turn the other cheek, and if someone was fighting them, they certainly didn’t see themselves as blessed. But here is Jesus, this man, saying, blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you. And James seems to be alluding to that as well. He says, consider it all joy when you encounter various trials. So it’s not just the loss of a job or a certain diagnosis, but it’s even when people persecute you and mock you. And here in America, thankfully, we don’t face persecution for our faith. There are places around the world do, but we do face mockery for our faith. We live in a modern, post-modern world where skepticism reigns and the miracles of the Bible are chalked up to mythology or just fiction. But Jesus and then James are telling us, blessed are we, consider it all joy. And James actually, throughout his entire book, seems to allude to the Sermon on the Mount specifically a lot. Which, as I said, makes sense. James is telling these Christians how to live in this new, or this pagan world. And Jesus, in Matthew, is inaugurating the kingdom of heaven.

In the Sermon on the Mount, he’s telling them, this is how you are to live. Now being joyful in trial seems like the opposite of what we should do. And one commentator describes James’ teaching here, we’re talking about James, as unnatural. And I like that word. What James is saying, consider it all joy, is unnatural. And I think that’s such a key observation. Because it is. Like I say, when something happens, the temptation of what the world does is they grieve. They get frustrated, they get angry. But the Christian, You and I are to consider it all joy. Remember what I just said a few minutes ago. In the Old Testament, God wanted Israel to be distinct. That’s why he didn’t want them to have a king. They were to be a distinct, different-looking people. We, as New Covenant believers, are still to be distinct. We are to look different from the world. So this is an unnatural reaction to trials, but it is also the godly reaction. Now James is not telling his audience to live and act like everybody else, but to live like Christians. And this verse, verse three, should cause us to ask why we should have joy. And the reasoning for it is found in verse three.

So he says in verse two, consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials. Okay, you told us to consider it all joy, but why? And when we go to verse three, James says this. Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. They are to be joyful in trials because the testing of their faith produces endurance slash steadfastness. Some translations may say steadfastness. And this is the answer to why, this is why people experience trials. Now the word, the Greek word for endurance slash steadfastness in the New Testament usually refers to someone who is unwavered and not swayed from their purpose. Christians should take joy because these trials will make them strong in their faith. If you are a Christian, if you are a Christ follower, you are dedicated to following Him. You should be focused on Him. He is your King. He is your Master. You are a slave of Christ. You submit to Him. Your purpose, your way, is following Him. And the testing of trials produces endurance and helps us grow in that purpose and understanding that purpose so that we’re not easily swayed.

And next week, as we go through verses five through eight, we see that there is the doubting man, the unwavering man, who is tossed to and fro like the waves. But Christians are not to be tossed to and fro. We are focused on Christ. And the endurance given by the Lord helps with this. These trials are opportunities for Christians to grow in their faith. They’re opportunities to get to know our Lord and Savior more and more. As a young married man, I love my wife. July 23rd will be three years we’ve been married, and there are some times where I’m excited to get to know her more and more. And there’s other times where I say things and words come out of my mouth that in the moment I think to myself, this is genius. This is going to fix the problem. And it doesn’t. But those are also moments where I get to know my wife more. Because I shouldn’t have said that. But marriage is beautiful because you should look forward to opportunities to get to know your spouse more and more. But it’s even better and a relationship with the Lord. And these are experiences, these trials, that allow our faith to be purified. Gold smelting.

Now, this passage has probably been preached who knows how many times, and I’m sure the example of gold smelting has been used in conjunction with it many times, but it’s a great illustration. And gold smelting is when they seek to remove the impurities from gold ore. They start by crushing the core of the ore, and then place it in a furnace where the temperature is raised above its melting point. And then once the core is melted, they add chemicals that will help remove the impurities. And this crushing process along with the chemicals helps the impurities to be removed. And that’s a very helpful illustration when we’re talking about trials. With the gold ore, we think of trial by fire, but it helps purify the gold. And God uses trials to help purify us. We have sins in our life. Even as Christians, we struggle with sin. That battle doesn’t go away.

Paul talks about that in Romans 7. We face temptation every day. And sometimes God may bring a trial to help purify us, to show us that the sin is not good. I’m a runner, I love running. I’ve been running, I think, since I was in fourth grade. And most runners typically will run on the heel of their foot, like this. So they come down like this. That’s how the majority of people run.

But a few years ago, when Carrie and I were engaged, she got me, as a Christmas present, a training program to do a half marathon with a coach. And he showed me a better way to run, which is you kind of extend your leg and you land on the front part of your foot, the ball of your foot. And if you watch a lot of professional running, which I do, that is how the best runners in the world run. They extend their leg and they land on the ball of your foot. And I decided, I told myself, I’m going to do this. I want to be a better runner, so I’m going to do it. It’s going to be hard, but I’m going to do it. And that first week, I was probably walking like a robot the entire time because my feet and my calves hurt so bad. Everything was tight. It was like, this is awful.

But after a week, week and a half, I got through it, and my form improved, and I’m a better runner. At least I’d like to think so. I don’t know if I actually am, but that’s what I’m going to say. Through that difficulty, that trial by fire, so to speak, I improved. That’s how we can think about trials. It’s a difficult season that helps us grow. And they’re good for us. Trials should cause Christians to remain faithful to God and to his commands, to hang onto his promises. In those difficult times, we hang onto the promises of God. And this endurance will evidence itself in reliance upon God. So when you’re going through that season, are you relying upon God?

Daniel chapter 6 verse 10, I mentioned him earlier. It shows us that even in the face of great persecution, Daniel still goes to God. Daniel was a man who prayed three times a day, and some of the leaders of the Persian Empire saw that and were upset. So he went to Darius and he made a decree that said, you cannot pray to anyone. You can’t pray to God. Well, Daniel heard about the decree. And in Daniel 6, verse 10, this is Daniel’s response. Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house. Now in his roof chamber, he had windows open towards Jerusalem. And he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God as he had been doing previously. Nothing changed. In the face of great persecution and tribulation, he continued to rely upon God. He continued to bend his knee. in submission to God, to the only one he can truly rely on. And he ends up getting thrown in the lion’s den, and he lives. He trusted God.

And as we move into verse 4, I’m going to read verse 4 real quick. and let endurance have its perfect result so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. So James has told us that we’re to have joy, consider it all joy when you face trials, consider it joy because the testing of your faith produces endurance, and now we need to let endurance have its perfect result so that we’re thoroughly complete and we’re lacking in nothing. And we see that James is continuing his discussion and seeks to explain what the result of this endurance will be. And I want to make note two things. Verse 2, consider it all joy. That considers the first imperative. And when we get into verse 4, now my version, the NASB says, and let. Some versions may say, endurance must have. But those are the first two imperatives of the book. And I’m making, continuing to make note of them just to remember that these are commands he’s giving. They’re not recommendations. This is what we are to do.

James, written through the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is telling us what to do. And this endurance will lead to spiritual maturity. James is telling his audience that they are to let endurance do what it is meant to do. Let it run its course. Christians are to be joyful in trials and have endurance. Now this endurance, like the joy, comes from the Lord and will cause us to lean on him more and more. And if you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit residing in you, and he will cause this growth. He will give this endurance. Dr. Rob Plummer, who I quoted him last time I preached, one of my professors at Southern Seminary, he wrote a commentary on James, and he points out that letting endurance have its perfect work means we are submitting to the Master’s sanctifying plan.

And remember, that was a key theme that we found in verse one. Verse one just says, James, a bondservant, or James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s writing that to say, you need to submit to Christ. So letting endurance have its perfect work means we are submitting to the Lord’s sanctifying plan. We’re submitting to his plan, saying, your plan is better than my way. I’m following you over me. Endurance goes hand in hand with the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. He is the one causing the growth. It’s saying, God, you are in control, and I’m gonna let you work out this situation as it needs to be worked out. Submitting ourself to the master’s sanctifying plan. God uses trials so that we may grow in our faith and be more mature. Second, we can be made more like his son. We must grow to trust him more and more in these seasons.

Like I said, people go through truly, truly difficult experiences in life. There are couples who’ve been married one, two, three years, and one gets the cancer diagnosis and dies. Young couples. People dying in car wrecks. I worked in a hospital for close to six years, and part of my floor was the palliative floor. Hospice floor, where people go and it’s end-of-life care. And oftentimes, the individual dying would be one who’s in their 70s or 80s or 90s, and they’ve had a long and full life. But it’s still hard, and it’s still sad. It’s a loved one. But sometimes we had a motor vehicle accident, or maybe a massive heart attack. And those were really difficult, because you’d have the person come in surrounded by family, and it was sudden. We had a young girl come in once who was in her 20s and had a terminal brain tumor. And in those seasons, as Christians, we are still to continue trusting God. In those difficult, difficult times.

Now we’ll notice verse four, it says, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. And this lacking in nothing probably refers to our spiritual state, and that God will supply all we need for this life. Doesn’t mean we’re gonna be rich and have everything we desire. I’m sure this verse could be used that way, but that’s not what it means. If you want a million dollars, that’s not what James is saying. If you want a really nice car, that’s not what James is saying. God will supply what he believes you need for life. That’s what we’re talking about here, which is what you need for life. What God wants for you is what you need and what we should desire. Romans chapter five, verses one through five, which is what Pastor Pyatt read this morning, if everyone would turn there, I want to read that. Because as Paul is instructing the church of Rome in that passage, he’s telling them that they are to exult in their tribulations. Romans 5, verses 1-5, and I’ll start reading in verse 1. Paul writes, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

So he’s speaking to believers here. Through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations. Knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance, and perseverance proving character, and proving character hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Now when we look at this passage in the original Greek, we see the word that’s used for tribulations here is the same word used for trials in James. So Paul and James are talking about trials slash tribulations, those difficult seasons of life. But these trials and tribulations, as he writes, will ultimately lead to hope. And this hope is grounded in God’s love for us. That our salvation was bought by Christ and we belong to him. That we are secure in God’s love and he will not abandon us. And hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

If you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit. He pours out God’s love to us. And if you’re saved, you know you are secure in God’s love. And these trials and these tribulations produce perseverance and endurance. They drive us to God. And the more we’re driven to God, the more we feel secure in him. the more we long to be with him. And trials and tribulations lead to a greater knowledge and trust in God’s love for us. Many of us have been saved for many years, and even if you haven’t been saved for many years, as our life goes on, we realize more and more that when we’re talking about salvation and what happened and God’s love for us in sending Christ to earth, there’s still so many things we learn. And one of the things we learn is that we’re just constantly amazed that He would do that for us.

For us, sinners, who were apart from Him, separated from Him, not wanting anything to do with Him, but He wanted something to do with us. And Christians are to have joy in the midst of their trials because of God bringing about increasing spiritual maturity in their lives, in our lives. And as we look at this passage, And we look to see how it specifically can apply to our lives. It’s important to note that James is talking about a joy that can only come if you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. can only be found in those who have confessed their sins to Jesus Christ and recognize Him as Lord and Savior. That’s part of submitting to Christ, you’re submitting to Him as your Lord and Savior. And the Holy Spirit is the one who regenerates our hearts, He’s given to us, and He’s found only in believers, and is the one who causes the growth when we are in the midst of the trials. He carries out the Father’s sanctifying plan.

Now as difficult as this is, we do not need to live in fear of trials. Like I said, they will come, I’m one of those guys who hates pain. If I stub my toe, it’s like it’s the end of the world. Call the ambulance. I’m going to need medical attention or something. So I dislike pain. So I’m an individual who, you know, I was just talking to Carl Wigman earlier. He just recently had a kidney stone removed. The thought of that makes me just want to cry because of the amount of pain. I can’t just dwell on that, I can’t live in fear of that, and we cannot live in fear of what may come. We have to be faithful in the moment we are, and we have to be dedicated to be faithful in the moments that are to come, no matter what may come. Faithful in all seasons, and be joyful when they do come. And yes, it is hard. It’s hard for everyone. But it’s what we must do.

We must remember that we are to choose joy and endure through these difficult times, knowing that they are for our benefit. And that’s what we need and what’s hard, but what we need to remember in those seasons. And in those seasons of life, go to God in prayer and say, Lord, I am struggling. I don’t know what’s going on, but I know that you’re good. And I know that I need you. pray for the strength to rely on Him, to be able to endure through whatever you’re facing. And this goes for the quote-unquote small trials of life and the big trials of life. And I use those terms, but I don’t want to belittle any trials, because trials are distinct and different for each individuals.

The flat tire on the side of the road is a trial, and it is difficult, and we do need to respond correctly to that. Even to that little thing, we need to have joy. But that pales in comparison to death or a tragic accident. If we’re faithful in the little, we’ll be faithful in the big. Faithfulness doesn’t just start with the big things. It starts with the little. God wants us to be faithful in every aspect of our lives. And in the midst of these trials, whatever you’re facing, you need to remember also that God has not abandoned you or forgotten you. It may seem like it, but he doesn’t abandon his children. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He never abandoned Job, David, Daniel, or Paul.

As we look at those men’s lives, what do we see? We see that God was with them in the midst of those difficult seasons. He never left them. He never said, I’m out, I’m done. Even in the midst of their sinful actions. David was a man after God’s own heart. And he sinned greatly, but God was still there. He never left them. And these trials should cause us to run to God. Run to him in his word. Like I said, prayer. Cry out to God. God wants you to cry out to him. When you read the Psalms, and you read some of the laments that are there, one of the things I’ve realized as I’ve been going through the Psalms this year, is that God does want us, it’s okay if we cry out to God. Look at what David and the psalmists did. They said, God, why is this happening? But how did they end? How did those psalms end? If you read them, they end with the trust in the Lord.

So cry out to God. What does David do in Psalm 3, verses 1-3? He’s running from Absalom, his son, who has usurped him, who has overtaken his throne. And David says this, Now most of us, many people would say, okay, that’s what’s going on in my life, I’m done. But what does David says? He says, Salah, but you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the one who lifts my head. There’s a continual trust there. The one who lifts my head. The one who I lean on. And he is demonstrating complete trust in God. And what this complete trust in God looks like is joy. David is choosing joy. Trusting God no matter the situation. Contentment in where you are. Consider it joy. Consider it all joy.

For you to have joy in that situation, you have to trust God. You may not know exactly why what’s going on is what’s going on. And you may never know why that thing actually happened, that one particular trial or tribulation. But you must not waver in your faith. We must not waver. We must continue trusting. And also in these difficult seasons, We should not run to the world. I was talking about 1 Samuel 8 earlier. Samuel’s sons are put in charge. They’re judges of Israel, and they’re awful. They’re terrible. They take bribes. And the elders of Israel say, this is bad. We don’t like this. And they were right. It was a bad situation. But what do they do? They say, we want a king like everybody else, like the Canaanites, like the Ammonites, like the Moabites, like the people that God hates, that they were supposed to wipe out. They wanna be like everybody else. And when we face difficult seasons and difficult trials, we should not want to be like the world.

Some people run to drugs or alcohol or relationships. And that’s wrong. But there are more subtle ways that people may deal with these difficult seasons and trials. The Western world is in a, period of time where depression rates, anxiety rates are at an all-time high. People are continually being diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and people have noted how there’s been such an increase. And a lot of dealing with these individuals, sometimes the way they help these people through these Depression anxiety or even difficult trials and tribulations is the world is focused on the actual individual Okay, you need to focus on yourself. So say I’m going through the difficult season.

Okay, I need to focus on myself I’m the one in control of everything. I need to focus on my identities who I am But that is not the right response We can’t fix the problem Now we may have a responsibility to do something with the situation, but ultimately God is in control. I read an article, I was looking up on the internet, which of course you can find anything, weird things on the internet, but I was like, how do you deal with trials? How do you deal with difficult seasons? Because I wanted to see what the world said. And I found an article that said this one lady was describing how she has different identities, and when she’s dealing with a difficult season, she goes to her artist identity. She paints, and there’s nothing wrong with painting or drawing. Pastor Stephen is not saying you can’t draw or paint. It’s not what I’m saying. But the problem is, that was the solution for her. That’s how she fixed the solution. It’s on me, I can do this. I can paint my way out of this. And that’s not the solution. You are not the solution. We are not the solution. God is the solution.

Trials should not push us to go to ourselves. They should push us to God. Your identity should not be wrapped up in what you want, but in Christ. Who you are in Christ. All I have is Christ. And we also need to remember that it’s important for Christians to surround ourselves with other Christians who can build us up. Christians need Christians. People need people. There’s been a couple movies that have come out in the past year or so, and I’ve been impressed with them, actually. You know, it’s the world’s attempt to remedy certain situations, but two movies in particular have dealt with mental health issues that individuals face, which, like I just said, in our society, people are facing mental health issues. And I was curious to see how these movies would handle the situation.

Now, of course, they didn’t talk about the Bible or Jesus or God, but they did say that what people need are other people. They need community. And that’s important. People need other people. We need community. But Christians, it’s even different. We need the local church. We need one another. Go to someone who can pray with you and even cry with you and say, I’m here with you through this situation. Come to your pastors. We’re literally here for you. We want to know what’s going on in your life. Text Pastor Pye all throughout the night. He loves it. He’s probably taking care of his animals anyway. I’m joking. I’m joking. But we need other people. People who can pray and walk through us through these difficult seasons. Trials will come, so choose joy over fear. Yes, it is hard, but that means it will only make you stronger in your faith. Look to God in the midst of trials, and he will supply joy.

I began the sermon with talking about Corrie ten Boom. And after the war ended, she was obviously no longer under Nazi occupation. And thankfully, the Lord used her greatly in the years after the war, because she spoke at many different things and wrote on things and talked about her experiences in the war. But she talked about what it was like for a Christian in those concentration camps, in those places where people were brutally murdered, incinerated, and even experimented on. And this is a quote she said about her time in one of the camps. And listen to what she says. 97,000 women were killed or died in that prison where I was. And there, in that prison, where I saw my sister starve before my eyes, I’ve enjoyed the joy of the Lord because I got more intimately acquainted with Jesus Christ. in one of the most awful periods of human history, in one of the most awful places on earth at that time, Corrie ten Boone became more intimately equated with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And that’s what our desire should be as we go on throughout our life, is in difficult seasons, difficult times, are we choosing joy and seeking to be more acquainted with Jesus Christ?

Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you, and we thank you for your word that tells us to consider all joy. And trials are reality, but I do pray that we choose joy in the midst of them, that we focus on you, and know that you’re in control, and no matter what’s happening, your plan is best for our lives, and that we love you no matter what. And thank you for Fellowship Baptist Church and this community of believers. In Jesus’ name, amen.