3 REASONS TO When – Not if.
Trials are coming, must
CONSIDER OUR
TRIALS A GREAT JOY
James 1:2-4
Earthly wisdom would consider trials
great pain, great sadness, great
depression, or great discouragement.
Earthly wisdom says avoid trial and
don’t consider them joy because other
people don’t have the trials you do
(bitter envy, 3:14). Don’t consider
trials joy because you are not exalted
the way you want to be exalted (selfish
ambition, 3:14). You should not care
about endurance and
maturity/completion, you should care
about comfort, being at best equal to
those you envy if not greater, fulfilling
your selfish ambitions for money,
power, comfort, pleasure, recognition,
entertainment, etc.
Earthly wisdom looks at the now and
so it minimizes the value of
steadfastness and endurance. It pushes
impatience and the now or never
syndrome.
Consider your trials great joy (v. 2) but
why (and how)? –
The command is clear in verse 2:
“Consider it a great joy my brothers
whenever you experience various
trials.”
Consider – James is calling for a
mentality and perspective, a view of
life
Think harder in hard times. Look
harder in hard times at what is actually
going on.
Pause your feelings and immediate
reaction and instead think and learn,
consider. Don’t emote first.
Great joy – joy doesn’t mean no pain or
grief (“grieving yet always rejoicing” –
2 Cor 6:10).
Joy and happiness are NOT different.
Joy is independent of the trial itself
“There is nothing in afflictions that
ought to disturb our joy” – John Calvin
(on James 1:2)
come, and indeed are already here.
Various trials – All shapes, sizes, and
colors. A trial is a difficulty
We are not masochists – So then how
can we rejoice? Why should we
rejoice? Some say don’t rejoice in trials
but in what trials bring. I think there’s
truth there but Romans 5:3 says we
rejoice in our afflictions.
In this text we have 3 reasons (and
steps) to considering our trials great
joy.
I. BECAUSE YOU KNOW
THEY PRODUCE
ENDURANCE (V. 3)
You already know this. It’s just that the
knowledge isn’t functional and that’s
why it’s not heavenly wisdom. Trials
are exercises for developing muscles
and strength. This is true for
relationships to church life, to personal
spiritual growth.
Trials are “tests of faith”
Trials confirm our faith
Trials purify our faith in fire
Trials grow our trust in God because
we see the trustworthiness of his Word
and character when we lean on it over
and over again and again.
Example: Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego in Daniel 2.
Psalm 119.67 – Before I was afflicted I
went astray, but now I keep Your word.
Psalm 119:71 – It was good for me to
be afflicted so that I could learn Your
statutes.
Trials “produce endurance”
Trials build and strengthen spiritual
muscle
Trials make you bitter or better. Trials
reveal what you truly value.
“Every bit of the trial can be redeemed
by God for good use” – George Guthrie
(on James 1:2 in EBC, 213).
Endurance is not good enough by itself
II.BECAUSE ENDURANCE
WORKS MATURITY AND
COMPLETENESS (V. 4)
You must allow endurance to complete
its work in you. You are under divine
obligation.
Endurance works maturity and
completeness – Try to get the FULL
benefit of the endurance, and not only
some. Don’t cut it short!
Maturity and completeness means you
lack nothing (not saying you are all
sufficient but lack nothing that finite
humans are to lack this side of the
second coming)
“God will take you where you wouldn’t
go to produce in you what you couldn’t
accomplish.” – Paul Tripp
What is this maturity? This maturity is
being conformed to the image of Jesus
Christ. Look at Romans 8:28-30 –
Question: How do we attain maturity?
We think the path to maturity is simply
reading and prayer. Not so!
All things work together for our good –
For example Joseph or Job.
Why? Because we were predestined to
be conformed to the image of his Son,
and that is maturity, that is
completeness!
The maturity and completion is a
maturity that is attainable now and yet
not attainable until Christ comes again
(Phil 3:15; Matt 5:48).
Question: How does it work? What
does it mean to allow endurance to do
its complete work? To joyfully let God
shape your mind, feelings, habits,
desires, and body while in trial. Trials
heighten spiritual sensitivity and
opportunity to apprehend grace through
faith.
The way you mature is by knowing the
trials purpose, enduring it with as much
joy as you can, and preparing for the
next trial to come at it with more joy
and greater and clearer perspective.
Sing songs in the midst of pain, trial,
grief, and discomfort! Sing, “In
Moments Like These” or “Blessed be
your Name” or “I love you Lord”
Gospelizers: Don’t just say, “I feel you.
I know it’s difficult.” Don’t just
sympathize, though you should. Say,
“Let me help you explore what benefits
you can reap from this.” (Jay Adams,
Christian Counselor’s Commentary
[which includes James, p. 152).
III. BECAUSE THE VALUE OF
MATURITY IS GREATER
THAN THE VALUE OF THE
ABSENCE OF THE TRIAL (V.
2, 4)
It comes down to what you value: The
joy of trial is like the joy of getting
one’s teeth drilled for a filling or going
under the knife for surgery to save your
life or taking the nastiest tasting
medicine to treat a sickness or dreadful
symptoms.
Two people can count the opposite
thing joy in the exact same situation.
So a player like Kobe Bryant might
grieve that he lost his wife but rejoice
because through it he was able to be the
best player he can be. Another NBA
player may rejoice that although he
wasn’t the best NBA player he could
be or wasn’t able to win a
championship, he still has his family.
Not everyone values the same things
and so people rejoice in different things
and are willing to go through painful
circumstances to that they’d rather not
go through to have what they deem as
more valuable than avoiding the pain
altogether.
What’s so great about maturity? It
means we’re like Jesus Christ. What’s
so great about being like Jesus? We
already have the real Jesus and don’t
need to be like him to replace him.
Answer: Jesus deeply enjoyed the
goodness and majesty of God and so
can we! And it’s better than a pain-free
life because a trial free life is a
spiritually immature and shallow joy in
God kind of life.
Is there anything we want more than to
know deeply, commune with, enjoy,
and love than our Almighty Infinite
Father perfectly revealed in his Son the
Lord Jesus? Is there anything we want
more now? Trials are how we grow in
this!
The only way you will truly consider
trials a great joy is if you want God in
all his glory more than you want to get
rid of your trial. And if you want your
trial God more than you want God,
then to that degree you will be unable
to consider the trial a great joy and
fully embrace this perspective.
Bottom line: YOUR TRIAL RIGHT
NOW THAT YOU ARE IN IS
ABOUT GOD. IT’S ABOUT YOU
AND GOD.
Gospelizers: Help people’s (1) attitude
in response to trial, (2) the purpose and
goal of trials, and (3) that trials are
about GOD.
OBJECTION: The call to maturity is a
call to slavery to God’s purposes and
design. I don’t like his trials or his
intended purpose so I don’t want to
trust him and consider trials joy. I like
my life and goals, thank you very
much.

Response: (1) I don’t think your goals

are better because you can’t avoid trials
and difficulties altogether. We can’t
choose to not suffer in this world. It’s
coming for us all. (2) What meaning do
you have for your present or future
suffering and pain? (3) We will all still
have to go through the door of death
and only trusting the Lord Jesus and
letting his death and resurrection shape
us will we be able to receive the crown
of life and not face the judgment we all
deserve.
Conclusion:
Exposition: What does this passage tell
us about Christ? – Jesus endured trials
with joy for us (Heb 12:1-2) and now
enables us to do it. Jesus is good to me
and gives me trials for my good – he’s
wise.

Application: How am I failing to

rejoice in and live as if this were true
about who Jesus is and what he did? I
don’t rejoice in trials because I don’t
see Christ’s design, I don’t feel his
power, and I don’t want his aim of
maturity. I complain, I wish trials were
gone, and I don’t endure them actively
for growth but tolerate them for lack of
another viable option.

Sensation: How does this text show me

the beauty of God in Christ? God is
good in giving me himself in a way that
I truly get him and not merely his gifts.
If God were so glorious but allowed me
to think I was enjoying him when I was
only enjoying comfort, then I wouldn’t
be seeing a beautiful and accessible
God who lovingly pursues me.