Sunday, November 1, 2009

Sermon: Spiritual Disciplines Most Difficult to Practice: Being Joyful in Every Situation

7/19/09
Spiritual Disciplines Most Difficult to Practice: Being Joyful in Every Situation
James 1:1-4

The letter of James was written to people who, because of their confession of faith in Jesus Christ, had been driven from their homeland.
This was the root of the troubles they were facing
They were dislocated from family, work and familiar surrounding and were suffering the pain of that dislocation
They were faced with a difficult choice-deny their faith in Jesus Christ and return to what was familiar and comfortable or turn their suffering into meaning and purpose

Dr. Ralph Sockman said “In life there are three types of troubles:
1) The troubles we can avoid;
2) The troubles we cannot avoid;
3) The troubles we must not avoid

The believers addressed in James’ epistle are FACING TROUBLES THEY MUST NOT AVOID.
These are the troubles which help us grow spiritually.


What does it mean to “consider it joy”? How can we consider everything joy?
“Consider it joy” means looking at trials in a certain way, evaluating trials in a certain way, and responding to trials in a certain way.

• God created us to be sad and have emotions
• So how can we be happy at sad or other situations?
• Profess faith in Jesus Christ and the family disowns them, lose work etc.
o Pure Joy has a purpose
o Face trials (Fallen into)
o Surrounded (fall in many trials)
• Multiplicity of troubles
• “trials of many kinds”
o Many face trials
• James: consider joy because it is the testing of faith which helps us grow spiritually
• Every story has a villain, bad person
• A world without trouble
• Bible speaks of reality of evil
• Bible speaks of God, who works with evil evaluating trails to out response

Three Troubles
1. We can avoid
2. Accidents
3. James speaks of this
a. Consider it joy is a command
i. Leads to spiritual discipline
b. Have to have a vision of what that trouble means to us
c.
1) Look at Trials In a Certain Way
• Sometimes were surrounded by trails
• They should be accepted with joy because it has something to do with growing up
• Purpose of trial
• Practice spiritual discipline
• First ask: What kind of purpose is this?
• What kind of faith do you have? Is this the faith strong in all circumstances-good and bad?
• Paul says our faith should be in God because God gets us through this
• Romans 5:1-5 – Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
• Suffering produces hope
• Trials looked at in the right way expand life rather then reducing it
• Something that can help you develop
• Hebrews 12:1-3 – Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
o Did Jesus enjoy what happened to Him? No
o But Joy set before Him, the joy would produce resurrection, put death to death
• Matthew 26:42 – He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
o He knew something good will come from it
o It is the foundation, and growing of faith
o See it as a strengthening of faith

2) Evaluate Trials in a Certain Way
• Peter 1:3-7 – Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
• You may suffer grief now (grief tells us that there is pain in a separation) we should rejoice because our faith is being refined
• Perseverance
• Growth isn’t easy
• Peter is saying to look at it joyfully
• Matthew 5:12 – Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
o Its not about what’s happening, but what comes out of it
• In robbing presence of its reality (by looking at the past), and there’s a certain danger
• Make opportunities, and take advantage of bad situations
• If a person keeps looking at the past, then the life becomes meaningless
• Have the tendency to go to the past

3.) Respond to Trials in a certain Way
• Respond by counting joy
• Not lacking anything
• Face with Christian joy
• Joy: is based on an outcome; requires faith and hope which are eternal lasting
• Enjoy: is based on a process; its circumstances pass away
o It is a personal fulfillment
• Flesh wont enjoy pain, but spirit has chance to grow
• The outcome is where the joy is
• Hardships can be enjoyed and inspired from
• You choose your attitude in any given situation
• Consider it all joy (choice)
• Choose your attitude
• Encourages: us to develop
• James reminds us that we find ourselves surrounded by trials we should conscious decisions to confront them with joy
• This joy is not some giddy happiness that denies the reality of trial, but a joy confident in a God who works in all things to bring about good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose
• DON’T WASTE YOUR TRIALS!
• Look at what God’s doing for me
• What kind spiritual disciplines can we develop at this time

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