Ep. 91 | Faith Works! | James

Listen in as Pastor Eddie Blalock shares today’s daily devotional featuring James 1:1-4. Let’s be Formed by The Word together!

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to Formed by the Word. Many people have a faith that works well on Sunday but struggles on Monday. The book of James was written to bridge that gap. This letter speaks directly to real life, our struggles, our relationships, our speech, our priorities, and our response to difficult circumstances. Over the next several weeks, we'll be walking through James, a practical and challenging letter often called the Proverbs of the New Testament. James doesn't just teach us what to believe, he shows us how genuine faith works in everyday life. James calls believers to a faith that is visible, active, and genuine. A faith that doesn't merely hear God's word but puts it into practice. As we journey through this powerful book together, my prayer is that God would shape us into people whose faith is seen not only in what we say, but in how we live. After all, faith is more than words. It's a life that is being formed by the truth of God's word.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

I love watching a potter working in the soft clay on a wheel. It's fascinating to watch the shape slowly take place and come to life. What starts out as a lump of clay slowly becomes a bowl or a cup or a statue. This artistically shaped clay can look so beautiful just sitting on the potter's wheel. The shape may be perfect, the design flawless, but the vessel's still not ready until it passes through the fire of the kiln. Interestingly, the heat doesn't destroy the pottery, it strengthens it. Without the fire, it remains fragile and incomplete. Well, James teaches us that God often works in the same way. Trials are not meant to destroy our faith, but to strengthen it. Anyone can claim to have faith when life is easy, but the real test comes when life gets difficult. When we walk through the proverbial fire, James reminds us that every fiery trial reveals what is genuine, especially in regard to faith, and produces something stronger than ever before. So welcome to the New Testament book called James. It's named before its author, and the core message of the entire book of James is faith that works. Not a faith that only agrees with correct doctrine, but a faith that actively operates in real life, especially when life is difficult. If the book of James could be summarized in just two words, it might be faith works. Well, let's dive into this incredible book that we'll be studying now for several weeks. Beginning with James chapter one, verse one, it opens this way. James, a server of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad, greetings. This author, James, is most likely James, the half brother of Jesus, who became a prominent leader in the Jerusalem church. He was known for his piety and his prayer life. He wrote this letter probably in the mid to late 840s, making it probably one of the earliest of the New Testament writings that we have. Notice that the recipients are the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. This may seem insignificant, but will really help us understand some of the subjects that James is going to approach in this letter as it refers primarily to Jewish Christians who are scattered outside Palestine, likely due to the persecution following Stephen's martyrdom, and even more likely people who are themselves experiencing great times of persecution. They're going through the fire. The language draws on Jewish imagery but addresses all believers in Jesus. James's primary readers faced external pressures common to early Christians in the Greco-Roman world. And these were things such as poverty, social ostracism, and fiery trials. So James writes in a wisdom literature style similar to Proverbs with practical ethical exhortations. And in fact, it's been referred to as the Proverbs of the New Testament. I like that. The theme of trials launches the letter's emphasis on authentic lived out faith. Its theme, again, is clear. Faith works. James introduces himself simply as a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. This is remarkable to me, being that James was the half-brother of Jesus. He could easily have chosen to use that as an advantage, but he did not choose to take advantage of that standing. Instead of claiming family status, he identifies himself simply as a servant. So rather than offering quick relief to the suffering Christians, James teaches them how genuine faith responds when life becomes difficult. It teaches us that real faith doesn't just believe in right things, it produces the right responses. So these opening verses teach us, I think, three very important things about tests and trials in our lives. It teaches us first that trials reveal our faith, that testing develops our faith, and that endurance completes our faith. So let's dig into those just a moment. First of all, think of this thought. Trials reveal our faith. In verse 2, James writes, Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials. So James begins with a bold command, right? Count it all joy when trials come. This is not a suggestion to pretend everything is fine or to enjoy suffering. It's a call to reframe our trials and look at them through a lens of working faith. It runs counterintuitive to our culture, but it's important that we understand it. James doesn't say if trials come, he says when they come. Some people think that trials are evidence that God has abandoned us, but James argues to the contrary. Often trials, he says, are actually evidence that God is at work in us. A faith that has never been tested is a faith that has never been proven. So we see that trials reveal our faith. Secondly, we learn that testing develops our faith. In verse 3, James adds, Because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. In other words, you can count it all joy. Why? Because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Now the word endurance speaks of remaining under a load without quitting. God doesn't waste our struggles. Every trial becomes a spiritual gem where faith is strengthened. We mustn't quit. Every trial is important. Just as muscles grow through resistance, faith grows through adversity. So trials reveal our faith. Testing develops our faith. And third, endurance completes our faith. He says in verse 4, and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. Wow. God's goal is not merely our comfort in life. His goal is our spiritual foundation, our Christ-likeness. The trial itself is not the destination. Our destination is spiritual maturity. James is teaching us that God often uses difficult seasons in life to accomplish his deepest work. This is faith that works. Real faith doesn't collapse under pressure. It gets stronger. It endures. James is showing us from the very first paragraph that genuine Christianity is proven and perfected in the fire of difficulty, not in comfortable times. Like clay in a potter's kiln, faith must be tried in the fire. So let's make some application if we might. Today, I want to make a suggestion. May I suggest that you take a moment to identify one trial or difficulty you're facing right now, whether it's big or small, and then ask yourself, what am I facing right now? What might God be producing through this difficulty? Am I resisting God's work or cooperating with it? And then this week, every time that trial comes to mind, replace a complaint with a prayer. Maybe something like this Lord, I may not understand this trial, but I'm trusting that you are using it to mature me, to grow me. So here's our takeaway from the first of James. Real faith isn't measured by how we respond when life is easy, but how we respond when life is hard. You see, God uses trials to build the kind of faith that lasts. The test you're facing right now may be the tool that God is using to mature you. Well, just a final thought before we pray. As we journey through this book of James together, we're going to discover what faith looks like in everyday life, in trials and temptations, and in relationships, and words, and wealth, and prayer, and even in service. But James begins with a foundational truth. This is the basis of it all. Genuine faith keeps working even when life gets hard. Remember, the goal of the Christian life is not simply to survive trials, but to become the kind of person God is shaping through them. But that raises a question. If trials are God's tool for growth, then how do I know what to do in the middle of them? Spoiler alert, Jameson's answer is going to be ask for wisdom. But that's next time. Let's pray. Father in heaven, thank you that my faith is not fragile, but meant to work. Help me today to count my trials as joy, trusting that you are using them to build endurance and maturity in me, to complete me. Give me the grace to let steadfastness have its full effect so that I may become complete, lacking in nothing. I want a faith that truly works. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 10:05

Thanks for joining us today. We are so glad that you chose to spend a few moments with us in God's Word. If this episode has encouraged you, we ask that you leave us a review or maybe share this episode with a friend. Also, would you consider sending us a note to let us know what God is doing in your life? Pastor Eddie would love to hear from you. You can find this email in the show notes. Until next time, stay in the scriptures, keep following Christ, and allow your life to be formed by the Word.