A Gospel Perspective for Life’s Trials

Summit family and friends. You are in for a real treat today. Pastor Daniel Simmons take us to James once you try to find perspective. Mr. trials, I mean none of you have had any trials this year at all right listen. I think this can be something that's very helpful and relevant TRIALS were a part of life. Pastor Daniel has his own stories to pull from and who has his walk with God and experience got faith. These kinds of valleys. Let's join Pastor Daniel as he takes us through God's answers how we ought to respond difficult circumstances while those Summit shirts.

I am so glad to be with you today a very happy Thanksgiving. I hope you had a great holiday. If you're joining us from one of our home gatherings were you gathered was the mother Summit family members. If you're just visiting views, dropping by online. We are really glad that you're with us today or maybe you're joining us from overseas or one of our people that that we've sent out over the years and you've come to worship were really excited that you're here with us today.

I just know if you're overseas. We love you and that that the staff and elders discharge the people this church pray for you and were really proud of you.

Hope God is blessing you a great deal. You might be wondering who am I you probably haven't seen me before my name is Daniel I'm one of the pastors here at the church. I don't staff here for about 10 years and and when I started out I was a campus pastor plane of the North Raleigh campus with a whole group of awesome people we saw God do so much and now the North Raleigh campus rolled into the Capitol Hill's campus in. It's been kind of amazing to be here for 10 years and some years, 10 years is a long time and I've seen God do so much when I first came here there was 3000 people last time I checked we we we have 12,000 people and in attendance last February and we have so many more, checking us out online and obscene God bring people to Christ.

I've been seeing God bring their kids to Christ obscene young people get married in and start their marriages off with it.

With a deep faith in God obscene God do amazing things through this church and our community and and one of the things that we pray for continually is not just about filling seats here on the bus, sending people out and we planted churches all of the United States. We planted churches all over the world. So I love being here a love this church 2020 is thrown some challenges our way, but is also given us some opportunities and and we've really upped our game like with with being with our online presence and so you you are a part of what God is doing at our church and we are really excited about that because we know when we believe that the church is God's plan a for reaching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. So that is enough about me. I'm in a pray and then working a dog. Then the father, thank you so much for today. I thank you for your word. I think you for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I think for every single person that is joining in with us today, whether they've been a part of our church for 50 years weathers their very first time. Got up pray that you would you would encourage every single one of us with your word that you would challenge us where we need to be challenged and let this sermon be an opportunity for us to grow in our faith with you and and and to push us out to make disciples where we are not proud of this in your name. Amen orgasm when I was 16 my life radically changed at the DMV, but she didn't think I was going to say that, did you, but it did and it actually changed for the better and it's not because I got my drivers license instead, it's because I failed I failed the eye test. I didn't even get a chance on my 16th birthday to get behind the wheel of a car because when I sat down at the ice attestation. There was an old man behind it. He made me look do it after about two minutes he looked up at me he said you fell the eye test. You need corrective lenses. I was devastated. I thought maybe he would comfort me but I forgot that I was at the DMV. He said next, so I had to get up. I had to do the walk of shame to go tell my mom I could not take the driving test. My eyesight was bad and I had to go get corrective lenses. But here's the thing. I had no clue my eyesight was bad. I mean, I knew that I can had to squint at the TV. I knew that I sat at the front of the classroom because sit in the back. I can see that the board very well but it passed every single I'd test all the way through school. Up to that point. In fact, I had passed the eye test at that same DMV the year before to get my not my learners permit. So I figured that my eyesight was fun so we went to the eye doctor she come to my eyes up. We had to wait one week for me to get glasses. I went back and I'll never forget the first time I put on glasses. It was as if I was seeing with new eyes for the first time I could see distance I could see clarity. I could see death. I got behind the wheel of the car that day with my mom and I was like mom how did I not die this year.

I said we were driving I was like a stop sign actually says stop in the middle of it.

I thought it was just red with a white line in the middle of it was like trees. They have leaves who knew I had been completely unaware of how poor my eyesight was and how much better I was going to be able to see clearly with glasses on and that's why the DMV did.the DMV new that if I could not see properly if I did not have a clear perspective of the road and I wasn't to be able to drive very safely that I was knocking to be in a very effective driver but the glass is created. Cleared the created clarity so that I would be safe so that I would be able to drive well and doesn't a clear perspective do that for every single situation we could go through in life like it if you have a clear perspective of the that the situation and the circumstances are going through your to be able to live through it better. You can legally navigate that better and and in the passage that were to look at today which is James 12 through six. It is going to tell us how to do that and maybe the most difficult situation to have a clear perspective and that's the trials and the hardships of life, and I think what this what this passage is going to show us is this is a clear perspective and trials will give you confidence and hope in God, and if you cannot, confidence and hope in the midst of trials your to be able to live through them more effectively you to be able to navigate them well and that's what God wants for you and for me so let's dive into the passage, James one versus two through six says, count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him know she might be thinking right there, you might be thinking that that's a strange jump for the writer of this passage to make.

Talking about trials to talking about wisdom, but I know it seems like… Like that to me when I first read it, but were to come back about he absolutely means to make that jump. Let's keep going but let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

What James wants us to know is that if we can have a clear perspective of trials, then we will have confidence and hope in God, so there's three things that I will pull out of this text for us today.

First, the reality of trials. Second the larger purpose for trials in third how to gain this clear perspective that that that that James is talking about that I've been talking about. So what's the point number one.

The reality of trials, he says, count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith, pause right there. The Bible is very honest in this passage, and throughout all of it that trials are very normal part of life. The Bible never minimizes the reality or the severity of the trials that you face on it it it it is that the Bible basically talks about trials and hardships as if they are just that the very given in life and I really like James is. The word uses when he says when you meet trials. It's as if you're going along in life and you meet someone unexpectedly. You weren't. You weren't thinking that you were going to meet them. You're not sure what to expect of them. When you meet them. You may only. You may only meet them in and they may come and go.

Or you may meet them. They may stay with you for a very long time. But either way it if you are human beings. You should expect to go through trials. The next thing he says is that there are various trials so James doesn't like honing in on one very specific thing James is trying to tell his readers in us that there's all these different types of trials out there and working to face him some trials are going to be small summer going to be really big summer to be minor summer going to be really severe summer to be with us for just a little bit of time summer to be with us for the rest of our life, but there are all these different types of trials, and we are going to go through them and one reason why think this passage is really important for us today is because 20/20 has been one big trial for every single person I know there's not one person that I've met this year that has not is not faced the hardship of life in 2020. It's been hard for me personally, I'm an extrovert. I love the people that I work with a lot of our church allowed to be out and about and I've been forced to sit at home more than I ever have before. That's been really difficult for me that's a little bit of a trial had to watch my kids stay home from school.

I don't love staying home from school.

Schools been a little bit harder now listen if your teacher and I think there's actually some teachers at my kids school that are tuning in today.

I think you've done a great job. I think you have done everything that you possibly can to teach these kids and and and I think you're doing a great job but nevertheless it's been difficult for them and as a dad. It's been difficult to watch them struggle as much as they are and and I know that even in 2020.

There's all different types of trials of people had to face evil are losing their jobs. People are getting sick because people are staying at home together. Some marriages, the cracks that were already there with her starting to come to come to the surface on top of that 20/20 week we've seen the most social unrest in our country that we've ever seen and we've also been through the most contentious election the public any of us have seen in our lifetime on top of that 20/20 didn't replace the trials that we face in 2018 to 2019. It only added to them. So all the trials that we that we would have been facing.

Had 20/20 not been such a crazy year were having to walk through those as well.

The only group that is benefited from 2020.

Our docs I'd like another 25 people that have all gotten a covert puppy to be honest with you we got one. I stood strong all 2019. I said no way no way and then covet head and I was like sure, let's get a dog. I think were put in a picture up for but but literally it's the best time in the world for dogs. There's an adopted left and right. You stay home with them every single day. Durkin three walks today, but for all the rest of us 2020 has stunk pretty bad, but there is good news about trials because God has a larger purpose for trials every single type of trial that you could go through.

God is working in them. Let's keep reading the passage he says for you know that the testing your faith produces steadfastness and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James wants to make it very clear that God is with at work behind every single trial you go through.

Think about that just for one moment with me every single trial you have ever faced, whether big or small.

God is in it. Behind the scenes doing the work in you listens trials happen to you, but God is at work in you. God has a goal and a purpose for every single trial that you are going to face and what that ultimate goal is to build your character. God wants to God wants to work on the inner person and what he says is he says that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness and what that word means like literally it it means to hyper standard means to plant your feet and lean into the hardships that are coming at you and not to back up. This is not mere patients right. How many of you have ever sat on an airplane on the tarmac and the pilot comes over the loudspeaker and he says excuse me weren't going having a little trouble here were to be sitting on the tarmac for about 30 minutes. We just want to thank you for your patience and I want to yell at the top my lungs and that happens I have no choice. I have no control. I simply have to sit there on its passive steadfastness is not passive. I think about when covert first broke and we knew that it was going to be pretty serious and all of the medical workers stayed at their post that that they went into the hospitals they went into the doctors offices to help those that that that were coming down with go good even at great risk to themselves. That is steadfastness that's leaning into the hardships and not backing up.

But steadfastness is not isn't that's not even the end goal. There's more work that God is doing behind the scenes is what he says is is that as you face trials on in your faith is tested, steadfastness is going to grow and over time as you stay steadfast three things God is can be doing three things building three things and you one it says that that you may be perfect and what what what that means is that you would be mature in every aspect of your life. On the second thing he says is that you would be complete or that you would be whole, a theologian name Richard Baucom describes this as the integration between what you believe and what you do that. Your words align with how you live that you're able to say no to what you need to say no to and that you're able to say yes to the things that are healthy for you.

That's the sense of wholeness, of being completed sick. It's a major theme in the entire book of James, and the third thing is not lacking in anything and what that means is not talked about material things he's talking about being equipped to handle whatever it is that life throws your way, that this is the work that God is doing behind all of our trials. This is his goal for you, he's not going to necessarily take away the trial and he certainly doesn't want you to just make it through the trial. He wants to grow you in the midst of the trial. Now this point you may be thinking, Daniel. What you're saying.

Sounds great.

It sounds really good on paper but with where I am and the pain that I'm going through in the trials on facing.

I just don't know how to do what you're talking about. I can't. I can't bring that up from myself. I can't make myself feel joy and suffering are content and suffering and I'm not sure that the work that God is doing behind the scenes is worth the pain that I'm going through next want to tell you that I get it.

I walked that path before we have daughter that his it seems like she has been in and out of the hospital. She is had multiple medical diagnosis and one time when she was six years old. The doctor looked across and said she's got to be in a wheelchair from from now until she's about 18 and I had to wrestle with that.

I had to wrestle with what the Bible says that this is true about God. I know this to be true… Tell people that this is true about God all the time, but I'm not sure how these things can be true in the reality of what my daughter is going through to be true the same time but I did fall for it and I was able to get here. It took time. It took prayer. It took others coming around me but it did happen. I wish that the choice we have, was to choose between suffering and not suffering but the truth is is that our choices between suffering with hope and suffering without help. And that's why think James actually makes the job from suffering to wisdom because wisdom is going to give us the clarity to suffer with hope it's going to give us the clarity and the perspective to see the work that God is doing behind the trials, so let's keep going.

Verse five says if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith and with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. This is where James tells us how to gain the clear perspective we need to see trials properly and you he is very direct and in and in any's on the nose with that we need wisdom. And if we want wisdom.

We simply need to ask, but there's there's a right way to ask. There's a wrong way to ask the right way – requires two things. The first one is that it requires humility seen the spot right here. If any of you lacks wisdom well in order to to to gain wisdom. You need to realize that you don't have a sufficient amount of it.

You need to have the self-awareness to black men the wisdom that it is going to take to make it through this ad can't produce out from within myself. I can't find it in all the different places on earth. I need to ask God know what one of the job. One of the things that is really true is that is that wise people are humble people just a couple chapters later in the book of James it says not a pros opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

You see wise people consistently humble themselves before the Lord and the Lord consistently pours out his grace and his wisdom on them. You see, one of the primary markers of a wise person is not intelligence, it's humility. Do you want this wisdom when you gotta humble yourself before the Lord and ask for the second thing is you gotta ask in faith, and James uses some pretty strong language here. He's like you have to ask, and you can't doubt when you ask in and I believe that that what James is getting at here is do you really know who you're talking to. When you ask for wisdom like do you know his character because what this passage makes really clear about God is that he's generous is that God longs to pour out his grace on you.

He longs to give you wisdom. This is like one of those prayers that if you ask it in the right way. James says it's a yes every single time. If you will, asking humility and you will ask in faith for wisdom, God will always give it to you.

And that's because the character of God is generous.

In fact, you could actually went where it says in their let him ask God who is generous to all, you could actually in the original Greek, you actually should flip God and generous so so the way that it would read as, let him ask the giving God. You see at the heart of who God is. He's a giver.

He's generous. And when it says in there without reproach.

What that means is, is that you can you can't come to God in him and him ever be annoyed by you asking right like around February or March.

My wife and I always get four or five letters from high school students and college students asking us to give them money to go on trips to go share the gospel with people and usually the first letter were like really excited about using the second letter by the fifth letter, like when these kids think I'm made of money like what they want me to do give mama money to go share the gospel with people overseas that attitude that I have right there stingy God is never stingy. God's justice pleased with you coming to ask him to be generous with you the 10,000th time as much as he is the first time God loves to give if you will humble yourself before God and ask because you know he's generous got wants to pour out his grace on you. He wants to give wisdom to you and this is where I want to to wrap this up today because first Corinthians 124 says that Jesus is the wisdom of God. So when you come you ask God in humility and faith, for wisdom, you're not merely asking for God to give you information because what God is going to give you in that moment is a relationship God is God's knocking to put information in your head. He's going to come and walk alongside of you, he's gonna heat. He's gonna walk with you in the midst of the trial and is it. Isn't that what we really need in our darkest moment isn't what what we need is not fax we need someone to come alongside us, who is powerful and strong and compassionate and loving and remind us that we are never going to be forsaken. He is going to remind us that we are never going to be left alone in the greatest confidence that we have in this is that is that God is absolutely using our trials to change us, but the reason we can trust that so much is a God used his trust changes when you look to the Bible when you look to the Old Testament you will see many times when God's heart is broken when God himself is going through trials and in every single one of those he never gives up on his people can never abandons his people and then at one point in history, God came down and he took on flesh and lived among us is a man and if you ever read the Gospels, you'll see that Jesus went through many trials and then he went through the ultimate trial. See when he went up on that cross. He was he was he was mocked he was shamed. Even the people that loved him most in this world abandon him, but he did that for you. He did that so that he could have a relationship with you.

God's greatest desire for you is that you is that you and he would be close is that you would have a close deep intimate relationship with him. And that's how we can know when we are in the midst of the worst trial in the in the darkest moment of our life. If God was willing to face the worst trial they could ever be imagined for us there is no way that he would ever abandon.

So what I want you to know right now is it it if you are not a believer.

If you're searching if you've kind of been curious in your joining us because you feel like you're on a journey that all the things that God has been doing in your life up to this point all the trials that you have. He's been wanting those to work in your life to bring you to know him and for the rest of us.

For me and for you if you're a believer, the trials pretty much do the same thing but just that what they are meant to do is to draw us into a deeper relationship with him where where where we know where we know him and depend on him in a deeper level.

And through that we become more and more like him. That's my hope and my prayer for us.

We pray God I pray that you would give us the clear perspective of our trials that would bring hope and remind us that there is a bigger purpose behind our trials that you are working in our life through each and every child that there is to God, we thank you. I would love you continue to work in our lives else in your name. Amen