A Prescription & a Promise

To begin this morning, I'd like to ask you to share a bit of my experience with me. As most of you know -- and some of you may even be tired of hearing about -- I’m what’s called a celiac. What that means is that if I ingest even the tiniest trace of gluten I get really ill. In my case, that means brain fog and emotional distress. Then there are also the sleep problems, and the digestion problems, and all the rest.

Imagine going to the doctor with all these awful symptoms, as they are getting worse and worse (and you know what is at the end of that kind of trajectory). So you are put through a bank of tests, and afterwards, the doctor calls you in for a talk about their results. “I’ve got some good news and some bad news,” she says. “First, the good news: in a few months -- give or take -- you’ll have your life back, and you can feel as good as you used to feel.” “Right on!” you think, “but… what’s the bad news?” “Well,” she replies, “you will have to be really, r-e-a-l-l-y careful to avoid gluten in all of its forms.” Now at the time of diagnosis I am reasonably certain that no celiac on the planet realizes just how difficult that actually is. The doctor said "a few months," right? That's not how long it takes to recover -- that's only a few days! That's how long it takes to really, truly implement the prescription. But we all manage to do it! We all figure out how to make the doctor’s recommended course of action work for us. Why? Because we all want to give up that painful, exhausting, awful existence and to have our lives transformed.

Well, this morning, the lesson from scripture is a little like that. There is a prescription of sorts in the text we will be considering this morning. And none of us has any idea how difficult that prescription will be. But if we are willing to adopt it, it will be so worth it in the end. If we are willing to follow the recommended course of action of the Great Physician, our lives can be completely transformed for the better by it.

But before we get there, a little bit of history will set the stage. Now I know that many of us are glad to have left history behind in High School, but I do hope those of us who come here this morning as followers of Jesus won’t mind being reminded of his story.

We know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, grew up in Nazareth, we know that he delivered the most revolutionary moral teaching in history -- teaching that is changing lives even to this day, and teaching that has resulted in more benefit to humanity than anything else in history, with no close seconds. It is from Jesus’ influence that we can trace universal literacy, colleges and universities; it is from Jesus’ influence that we can trace health care and charity and relief efforts; it is from Jesus’ influence that we can trace all human rights, including rights for women, minorities, and the abolition of slavery.

Sure: throughout history, churches have messed up again and again. But this reminds me of the appliance salesman confronted by an angry customer, "my washing machine is rusting!" he complained. "Hmm," replied the salesman, "does your washing machine use water?" Well, of course it does, and we all know the corrosive effect that water can have on exposed steel. In the same way, if an organization -- it doesn't matter if it is a church, a union, a school board, a political party or a publicly traded corporation -- if an organization has people in it, then there will be those who put their interests ahead of the interests of others. But the benefit to humanity happens when people set aside their own interests -- something that happens disproportionately throughout history when people are influenced by the one who loved us and gave himself for us.

Because Jesus’ influence isn’t simply due to his teaching. It is also as a result of his example. And that example involved his willingness to die as an innocent victim on a Roman cross, experiencing one of the nastiest forms of torture known to man. But that’s not all! We also know that God raised Jesus to life again! And that’s the game-changer. The eyewitnesses made Jesus’ resurrection the centerpiece of their testimony as they proclaimed Jesus’ message throughout the known world.

Knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt that their Master’s suffering had rebounded to his great glory, the early Christians understood that following Jesus also involved their suffering, with the expectation to also share in Jesus’ glory -- in Acts 14:22, the words of the early church leaders are recorded for us:

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,”

And about those early days of the church, we also read:

"On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria."

And it was not much later than that time that a letter was written to this scattered church -- a letter that we will begin to look at this morning: the book of the Bible we call “James” after the man who wrote it. Now two of Jesus’ twelve disciples were named James (the English form of the Aramaic name Yacov, or Jacob -- the French Jacques is much closed to the original), but this James wasn’t one of them. He was, however, a really big deal in the first century, being the leader of the church in Jerusalem. In fact, this same James recently made the news all over the world because of an archaeological find -- perhaps you remember it from around fifteen years ago.

The discovery of an ossuary -- a bone box, used to store the bones of decayed bodies -- was made public. And this particular ossuary bore the inscription, “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.” Now this was of particular interest because those are the exact relationships of the very person who wrote the book of the Bible we will start to consider this morning. Of course, it is quite rare for a brother to be mentioned in such an inscription --the brother would have to have been rather famous indeed!

As it happens, some experts claim that the inscription on the ossuary is a forgery, some claim that only part of it was a forgery, and other experts claim that the entire inscription is authentic. Now because forging antiquities is such a big deal in Israel, the antiquities dealer who made this ossuary public was brought to trial… but he was eventually acquitted. Of course, that doesn’t prove anything, but it is a fascinating story, and even Wikipedia does a reasonable job of telling it if you are interested.

But given the fact that he is barely ever mentioned in the gospels, you might be curious as to how this James’ writings got into the Bible in the first place. Well, we don’t know the whole story, but we do know that after Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus made a point of reaching out to his brother James. In fact, James is mentioned by name in 1 Corinthians 15 as an eye-witness of Jesus’ resurrection. And that clearly made all the difference. And no surprise. Even today people’s lives are changed when they have encounters with our risen Lord. May such an event be something everyone here can experience!

Now there is a lot more that could be said about James, but instead let's consider what he has to say to us. But before we open it, before we read the first eight verses of its first chapter, I’d like to read just a phrase from verse four:

...that you may be perfect and complete

That’s right: in this short book, James, the brother of Jesus, is wanting to help his readers (you and me) become “perfect and complete.” How cool is that? This is the life transformation that I mentioned at the beginning. I don’t know about you, but I’d sure like to be (even just slightly closer to) “perfect and complete.” But before we take the time to consider what James says about how to be “perfect and complete,” I’d like to make a comment on what this phrase means.

This word that has been translated “perfect” -- well, it isn't an ideal translation from the original language: other translations use the word “mature”, which isn’t bad -- it helps us get the flavor. But this word, more than anything, is related to purpose or meaning. That is, it indicates that something or someone is to fulfill their intended purpose. This means living life as it was meant to be lived. Recently, Mark Zuckerberg said this about purpose:

"Purpose is that feeling that you are part of something bigger than yourself, that you are needed, and that you have something better ahead. Purpose is what creates true happiness,"

The last time I was up here, I mentioned that social scientists have recently investigated all the things that make human beings happy. To the surprise of many, the primary correlate to human happiness was gratitude -- giving thanks. But one of the other few things that correlate with human happiness is a sense of purpose. If we know why are doing what we are doing, we can experience a fulfillment and joy that isn’t otherwise available. And more than that, meaning and purpose have been shown to be the key to being able to hold up under great trials.

It is harder to find a better illustration connecting purpose and well-being than a dog I once met at camp. Kali was bred -- over scores of generations -- this was her true purpose and calling -- to be a companion to people, to run fast, and to play hard. But at camp, there is often a child who is afraid of dogs, which meant that Kali had to be chained up. And one look at this poor dog would immediately convince you that under those circumstances, she was m-i-s-e-r-a-b-l-e. When she was free to be the dog that she was bred to be, however, she was the happiest creature alive. And it is similar with us: there is an amazing well-being found in knowing our true calling.

So now that I’m sure that everyone here is on board with wanting this kind of perfection, let’s now turn to James’ advice on how to achieve it (1:1-4):

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 And let perseverance have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Wow: now I wouldn’t blame you if suddenly you aren’t nearly so enthusiastic about the prospect of perfection. “count it all joy... when you meet trials of various kinds.” If you are anything like me, the inclination is to respond, “you’ve got to be kidding!” Because we don’t like trials. We don’t like hardship. We don’t like suffering. And yes: the expression “trials of various kinds” here implies all those things. But we don’t like any of it. We avoid it. We gripe about it. We blame it on others. The last thing that we’re inclined to do when faced with life-challenges is to “count it all joy.” and that’s a problem.

But this isn’t an isolated instruction in scripture, either. In fact, almost exactly the same kind of instruction appears in both the writings of Paul and the writings of Peter. Let me read them to you: Romans 5:3,4:

we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope

1 Peter 1:6,7:

you rejoice, though now for a little while... you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith… may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

All these three leading pillars of the early church write that we should rejoice in suffering for our own good. We should rejoice in suffering for our own good. We need to understand that this is a really significant theme in the New Testament. But guess what? This is an idea that is just starting to catch on outside the New Testament, too. The number one best-selling book on Amazon right now in the categories of Organizational Learning, Problem Solving and Decision Making is a book that came out a year ago with the title “Principles” (written by Ray Dalio). Let me read a short excerpt from it:

“To succeed we need to embrace all realities, especially the harsh realities that we wish weren’t true. At first, looking at these harsh realities caused me a lot of pain. But … I learned to treat pain as a cue that a great learning opportunity is at hand....”

This idea is such an important one, and it is deeply rooted in scripture. If it is a principle that makes sense in corporate decision-making, how much more sense is it going to make if we acknowledge its Source, being obedient to our Creator, and rely on Him to help it mould us and shape us? We should rejoice in suffering for our own good.

So why is it that people today have such great difficulty with this principle? Let me suggest the reason: we have developed really bad (and lazy) habits of thinking, starting in childhood. In fact, I’d like to publicly apologize to N. this morning for my responsibility (as a parent) in his habits of thinking. Because the fashion these days is for parents to do everything they can to keep their precious little ones from any kind of discomfort. And children, who are almost always smarter than their parents imagine, pick up on this parental obsession, and conclude that avoiding suffering is what life is all about. But that’s not what life is all about.

Now as it turns out, there is one place in our society that understands that avoiding suffering is not what life is all about -- but regrettably it is not in the church! Where do people understand that there can be benefit in suffering? In the gym. I haven’t been to a gym in decades, but I do remember seeing this sign the last time I went, and I bet that these signs are still common in many gyms:

No Pain; No Gain

That’s what we’re talking about, people. Life is full of challenges, and they weren’t sent our way just to make us grumble, let alone make us crumble. God’s purpose in them is to help us find our purpose, to help us mature, to help us become the person we were made to be. And if we were willing to work on this instruction to count trials as joys, we’ll discover that it isn’t so impossible after all, and the more we do it, the more natural it becomes. This is God’s spiritual training plan for all his children.

In the NIV, verse two reads “consider it all joy,” and that word translated “consider” is the same word that Paul uses when he writes (Romans 8:18):

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

And this word “consider” is one that implies an exercise of authority. By using it, James is indicating that we have that authority (over our emotions). And with the authority comes the responsibility to take it seriously and follow in obedience.

Wayne Augustine, a one-time basketball coach at a college in the states, used to tell his athletes, “he is no great athlete who gives his best when he feels like it; anybody can do that. Rather he is a real athlete who gives his best when he doesn’t feel like it.” Of course, that’s what trials do to us: they make us feel like rebelling; they make us feel like giving up. But the real follower of Jesus remembers that our Master endured the cross, despising its shame, for the joy set before him. And with that in mind, we, too, can “count it all joy” even when we encounter the most heartbreaking trials.

And as we do this more and more “[letting] perseverance have its full effect” we will find our purpose in life, and great joy in its fulfillment. Of course, “letting perseverance finish its work” is not just a one-and-done kind of thing, but the challenge of a lifetime.

Now at this point in our text, James seems to change the topic. But he isn’t, actually. After explaining how we can become “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing,” (in verse 4) the Holy Spirit identifies for him the one thing that Christians commonly lack. That is, this is the one thing that Christians could use more of, and typically struggle with having enough of. Verse five:

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

This is such an important verse. When we encounter trials, the difficulties they represent are often compounded by prayers that don’t seem to be answered, aren’t they? The most critical times in our lives are always those when God seems far away, after all. But here we have a clear promise of a prayer that will be answered -- a prayer for wisdom. In difficult times, we might call out to God for Him to change our circumstances, but He is far more interested in changing our attitudes and our ways of thinking. I need to tell you, though: this promise of answered prayer comes with a caveat. Let’s continue reading past verse five:

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, without wavering, for the one who wavers is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

“Let him ask in faith without wavering.” Now you might notice that the pew Bibles render this as “you must believe and not doubt,” and while that isn’t a bad translation, it plays into all manner of modern misunderstandings. First, the “faith” mentioned here isn’t just belief. It never was. It represents a commitment and a dedication. Think of the word “faithfulness” and you get the idea. Second, the “wavering” mentioned here is literally “two-judging” or you could even say “second-guessing.” The idea here is that if we want to receive wisdom when we ask God, we must (naturally) be committed to God’s timeline and strategy for delivering that wisdom to us, and not be inclined to bail out the second things don’t seem to be working according to our plan or our preferences.

This “wavering” (or “doubting”) that we want to avoid might even be compared to the modern practice of “hedging”. You understand “hedging,” I’m sure: that’s when you bet on one horse, but place lesser bets on other horses “just in case”. In the first century, when the book of James was written, “hedging” could also be applied to things more serious than investments. You could “hedge” your commitment to Jesus by maintaining your status in the Synagogue, choosing not to mention that you consider Jesus to be the Messiah. Or you could “hedge” your commitment to Jesus by keeping close relationships with the governing Romans, choosing not to mention that you considered Jesus, and not Caesar to be Lord. This is the type of thing that James is warning against. Because we really can’t expect to have our prayers answered unless we are “all in.”

The church is not called to compromise with the world. The church is not called to water down the message of the cross to be more acceptable to society. Instead, we are called to stand up for the truth in a world that desperately needs to hear it. But it is critical to be wise as we do that, isn't it? May God grant us the wisdom from above as we seek to represent Him.

So this morning, let us come to God asking for this wisdom; let us commit to God without hedging; let us exercise authority over our emotions in life’s challenges. God wants us to become perfected in the image of His Son. Are we willing to commit to his training plan? Are we willing to accept his prescription? When we do, then (and only then) will we become perfect and complete -- recognizing the purpose for our lives, and enjoying the fulfillment that comes from being the people that God intended us to be.