Losing Control and Gaining Ground

We are in week 4 of our series: IN THE MEANTIME
What do you do when there is nothing you can do?
Scripture: James 1:1–8

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:
Greetings.
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Today’s Idea: IN THE MEANTIME, you believe God is working to mature you. We are perfected through perseverance. It isn’t: “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.” Pain doesn't perfect, God perfects. If you do not persevere, you relinquish or give up the lesson to be learned from your pain.

In pain and suffering: 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

All things include our Mountain tops and our Valleys deep. Our perseverance is our determination to trust God during our times in the Valley; times of pain, pressure, and problems.

The interesting truth about perseverance is: the only way to grow perseverance is to increase adversity and in that adversity, we must have hope and faith to endure.

For Example: Runners can only increase their distance, speed, and endurance if they push their bodies beyond their current limits. They must believe that they can achieve greater distances, speeds and increased endurance. Then the result is greater endurance.

Consider Isaiah 40: 28-31

28 Do you not know?Have you not heard?The Lord is the everlasting God,the Creator of the ends of the earth.He will not grow tired or weary,and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the wearyand increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lordwill renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint.

We must have hope during our times of adversity so that our hope becomes perseverance. The more we persevere in times of adversity, the more faithful we become and the greater our reach will be for Christ.

Everyday God is seeking to widen our faith and to increase our faithfulness. Our capacity for Him and our desire to follow Him must grow. Today, we see that uncontrollable pain and struggles in our life are God’s tools to grow and mature our faith so that we become more faithful.

James tells us in the seemingly unresolvable tensions in life, there is something specific we are to believe— something that is difficult to believe.

James 1:1–3

v1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ

v2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face [encounter] trials of many kinds,

v3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Trials test our confidence in God and provide the opportunities to increase our strength in the face of difficulty.

James is talking about the kind of trials that surprise, seem undeserved, and are unavoidable; trials that seem to be everywhere, in every corner of your life.

James is telling us that these types of trials are to be expected for believers.

For men and women of faith, these trials can serve a beneficial purpose . . . if we allow them.

James says to take a deep breath and be glad. Or have the attitude of Joy about them. Why? There is something good on the other end.

God can and will redeem, use, and work through the undeserved, unavoidable, and circumstantial trials of our lives.

Take Joy, knowing that these trials authenticate faith and exist to increase or reveal God’s activity in your life.

God values persevering faith.

This is the kind of faith that most honors God and represents Christ. Scripture focuses on the perseverance of Jesus, to demonstrate to us that it is God’s method of growing and using us.

Let’s look at: Hebrews 12:3 “Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”

Faith that gets a “yes” from God, is nothing compared to faith that gets “no” for an answer but endures anyway. This is the only way to develop persevering faith.

Remember last week Paul’s cry to God to remove the thorn from his flesh. Paul’s faith and reliance on God was increased because of God’s “no.” Paul had to persevere in the pain.

Faith that is tested is faith that can be trusted.

James commands us to do something. This is the first imperative in the text. Here’s our part:

James 1:4
Let perseverance finish its work . . .

Let implies we submit to what God is doing.

Letting go and letting God work is difficult and amazing because we are frustrated and want out usually. My spirit, my mind, and my heart usually resist instead of letting or allowing God to do His work.

So, Let perseverance finish its work. Allow God to complete what He is doing.

Don’t run. Don’t walk away. Don’t quit. If you do, you will miss God and miss what He wants to do in your life. You will miss the purpose of the test.

However, God will complete His part in our life. Philippians 1:6 proves this. 6 being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus

Let’s finish verse 4.

v4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete [meeting expectations with integrity; whole] not lacking anything… [no deficiency/not coming up short.]

Throughout the New Testament, spiritual maturity is measured in terms of persevering faith, not perfect behavior. Spiritual Maturity requires more than Bible knowledge and church attendance. Spiritual Maturity requires faith – persevering faith.

What will you endure, with the attitude of Joy, for the sake of God’s kingdom?

This is modeled in Christ. Biblical Example: Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Jesus endured with Joy because He believed the greatness of what God was doing transcended the pain he was experiencing.

Our pain and suffering should be filtered through the eyes of the cross; to see the value, discover the comfort, and find the strength to carry on.

Jesus’ encouragement is when we hold on to faith in adversity and endure, we can achieve greater things.

John 14:12:

12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

The greatness of what God wants to do in our lives must also transcend the pain we experience.

James recognizes how difficult this is. So, he says:

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

In times of tension, I don’t want wisdom, I want relief; Or I want to know what to do . . . how to survive.

But James says to ask for wisdom. Did you notice the one thing that James did not ask for? Relief or removal.

Wisdom is the ability to see current circumstances within a broader context or through a divine lens. It is seeing beyond the hindrance and distractions.

Every parent knows the power of this kind of wisdom.

•Our children think the world is coming to an end because of what seems to be an unresolvable, forever crisis: a friend issue, a breakup, something you will not let
them wear.

•We see them being tempted to do something that we know they will regret. Quit, drop out, go out, compromise, give in . . .

•We think, “If you could see this from the standpoint of an adult, someone who has been where you are, you would understand, take a deep breath and soldier on.”

•This is how our heavenly Father sees our lives. James says: “If you will ask God
for the ability to see as He sees, you will find the perspective you need to persevere.”

v6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt . . .
v6 . . . because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Perhaps he had Peter’s adventure in mind.

Circumstances cause us to doubt. Is there a purpose? Is there hope? Is it worth staying?

v7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Not because God is mad . . . but because wisdom takes our eyes beyond current reality to the broader context of our lives and our children’s lives. Doubt fastens our eyes to now, to see only what is present and not what is to come.

v8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable [hesitating, uncertain, and restless] in all they do.

James’ point: If you take your eyes off what God is up to, you will doubt. Flinch. Look for a way out or fail to allow God to grow you.

Remember Peter and the doubt he experienced when he took his eyes off Jesus and put his eyes on his surroundings.

Matthew 14:27-31

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

A couple key points to remember as we close this message:

God is growing your perseverance because it is growing your capacity to be used for God.

The true test for one’s faithfulness is endurance with the attitude of Jesus- Joy. It is not how much we serve, give, or do for God. Therefore, take Joy in what YOU believe God is doing and not what you see.

If you are unsaved, trials and hardships are God’s way of bringing you to Him. If you are a believer, trials are God’s way of making you more like Him.

Pray for wisdom to see your pain and problems through the lens of the cross to increase your persevering faith.

Home Study Guide

Losing Control and Gaining Ground
Scripture: James 1:1–8
We are in week 4 of our series:
In the Meantime
What do you do when there is nothing you can do?


Questions to Consider

1. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Is this true? Does our pain perfect us? If not, what does perfect us?


2. The only way to grow ______________ is to increase ________________.

3. James tells us to consider it _________ _________ when we face trials of many kinds.

What would this look like practically in your life? Think of a past trial. Did you consider it as James instructs? How differently would your outcomes have been had you followed James instruction?

4. What kind of faith most honors God and represents Christ? _________________ _________________

5. What is James commanding us to do in James 1:4?

6. What is the result if we follow James’ command in James 1:4?

7. Spiritual Maturity is measured in terms of ______________ ____________, not ______________ _________________.
What does that mean for you?

8. Why should we filter our pain and suffering through the eyes of the cross?

9. What does James tell us to ask for in times of tension?

Discuss and Apply
Take time to discuss your answers with your group.

10. Discuss ways you can apply what you have learned to your everyday life.
* How can you take what you have learned and encourage people outside your church family to gain ground in adversity?




These questions can be used for personal study and/or Small Group discussion. We’d love to hear how you are putting them to use. Let us know at fbchurch@yahoo.com

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