James 1:1-11

James 1:1-11The text

Sunday 11 September 2011

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.[2-4] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.


[5-8] 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. 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. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.


[9-11] Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.


James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:Greetings.


[2-4] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.


Are you asking the right questions?

Why me? Why do I suffer?


What is God doing?What is God teaching me?What area of my life is God challenging and changing?Are you maturing in God?


“Perseverance is not simply the ability to bear things; it is the ability to turn them to greatness and glory...it is the quality that makes people able not simply to suffer things but to overcome them. The effect of testing borne in the right way is strength to bear still more and to conquer in still harder battles.”

William BarclaySunday 11 September 2011

FloodsFiresFamilyFundsFightsFailuresWilliam Carey


"By the way we meet every experience in life, we make ourselves fit or unfit for the task which God meant for us to do."


“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

Luke 6:20-22


F. B. Meyer explained it this way: “A bar of iron worth $2.50, when wrought into horseshoes is worth $5. If made into needles it is worth $175. If into penknife blades it is worth $1,625. If made into springs for watches it is worth $125,000. What a ‘trial by fire’ that bar must undergo to be worth this! But the more it is manipulated, and the more it is hammered and passed through the heat, beaten, pounded, and polished, the greater its value.”


[5-8] 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. 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. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.


Who are you asking the questions?

Where do you go first?Pastor, Uncle, Aunty, Family, Friends...Ask God!


Trials, when handled wrongly, can lead to us thinking and doing the wrong thingsFear, despondency, hopelessness, self protection, anger


1. God gives - Ask (seek, knock)2. God gives - Generously - to all3. God gives - Graciously - no fault in you - no mocking or making fun of you4. God gives - ask in Faith - who God is and what he is like


“Does God promise to give us the outline for our lives if we ask, or to give us complete clarity one every decision we might ever need to make? No, he promises wisdom, namely, the ability to discern how he would have us live...that we will receive the practical knowledge and understanding we need to endure our trials when we ask God whom we know gives without hesitation.”

Craig Blomberg


[9-11] Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.


From what perspective are

you asking the questions?


This is what the LORD says:“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strengthor the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth,for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 9:23-24


How many have been destroyed by prosperity!Many have I known who in a cottage seemed to fear God, but in a mansion have forgotten him...It is no easy thing to stand the trial of prosperity...


James 1:1-11

Spiritual

Transcript of James 1:1-11