Good morning. I think it's fine. It's fine. Rachel and I have been in California for the past three months for a specific type of cancer treatment that was only available in Santa Monica. We've missed you all a lot and are excited to be home. If you know us very well, you know that we are very social creatures. So isolation from friends and family in a different state created a need for us to build new habits. We learned a ton and spent a lot of the time thinking back through our journey so far, as well as diving into different hard truths about trials. We were prayed for faithfully by many of you, and we felt that support throughout the journey. So it only felt appropriate to share with you some of the things God has been teaching us about standing firm in trials. Let's pray. Father, I thank you for this opportunity that you've given me to share from your word. Lord, I recognize that it comes with a responsibility to share faithfully, and I ask that you would remove any words from my mouth that I should not speak, that are not from you, that do not reflect the truth in your word, and that only what you would have shared with your congregation, with your people, will be shared this morning. I ask this in Jesus' name, amen. My first six years of marriage were amazing. I want to start there because I'm going to say some things that might make it sound like it wasn't amazing, but it was. Just trust me. That being said, Rachel and I had a lot to learn in those first few years. We had to figure out communication, selflessness, humility. I had to figure out how to turn socks inside out. There was a lot that we were learning. We also had a lot to learn about relationship with God. Perhaps some of you have felt this way before, but during those years, we would go through periods where God felt distant. We were always involved in church, reading our Bibles and praying, but there was a sense that God did not feel active. I remember a moment about three years into our marriage where we sat together and we wondered when the last time was that we saw God tangibly at work in our lives, either through answered prayer or through his word in our life. We weren't questioning him or even our faith, we just felt a dryness associated with our side of the relationship and we wondered what we could do to change it. During that time, we would go through what felt like cycles of the little things feeling like big things as we felt tossed back and forth, really by the simplicity of life. I share that to say that what we experienced soon after Rachel's diagnosis and have continued to feel since is a stark difference from those first few years. What we've seen is a closeness and security in our faith that is unmoving. What we once craved is now readily available. In fact, this is an often repeated sentiment for those who have gone through suffering. This morning, I would like to establish a foundation from the word that explains this. And then I'll build upon that foundation with three practical encouragements for those in the midst of suffering and trials. If you have your Bible with you, turn to James chapter one. If you don't have your Bible, you probably have a phone. Open up that web browser, put in James chapter one. I'll be reading from the ESV if you're looking it up. James chapter one, we're gonna start in verse two. And I'm sure you've heard this passage many times. I know I have. Let's try to listen with fresh ears. I know that's difficult when these more common passages are read through. So James chapter one, starting in verse two. 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. Now again, we've heard this verse exposited many, many times, I'm sure. But for today, I'd like to focus on a single critical word, steadfastness. Some other versions translate this word as patience, though I think the more full sense from the original Greek is an active ability to stand firm, endure, or to be constant. So let's stick with steadfastness for the morning. In reading this verse, what I realized only after our trial began is that what James is saying here is that steadfastness, which is the ability to stand firm, is a product of trials. Now, you might be saying, well, duh, Jameson, that's what it says. And I might be a little bit slow, but stick with me. Intuitively, I would think that steadfastness is something provided for trials. meaning you get the ability to stand firm heading into trials, not as a product of them. That difference should feel like a bit of a conundrum, because how are we supposed to withstand, endure, and move on from trials if that ability to stand firm is provided on the back end? Adding to this question about the timing of steadfastness in James, Peter in his second epistle instructs all believers to make every effort to supplement your faith with steadfastness. We're told here by Peter to pursue steadfastness while also being told by James that it's a product of trials. That's a pretty harsh reality if you really think about it. We're not only told to endure trials, but to pursue one of the products of them. Now, I think this can either be an encouragement or a stumbling block. So let me explain why I think this should be encouraging. Imagine yourself on a small fishing boat. You're in the middle of a lake on a calm morning, not a ripple on the surface and no breeze to be felt. You throw out your anchor attached to a rope. You feel it hit bottom as you're letting out the rope and then you tie off the anchor to the boat. As you're sitting there on the calm water, you find yourself swinging around gently. Your view of the shore changes as the boat drifts to and fro. You know you are anchored to a position at the center of the lake, but you feel as though you are adrift by the motions of the boat on the small circle that that rope allows. Every once in a while, you might feel the boat pull against the anchor and you shift direction to submit to the anchor's hold in the dirt, but otherwise, you are free of its hold. Now, imagine you're in that same boat on a fast-moving river. You cast that same anchor out with the same rope. You feel it hit bottom and dig into the ground under the water. You immediately feel the boat respond to the pull of the anchor as it aligns itself so that the current rushes past you. You feel the current bump against the body of the boat, but you sit static in the exact point of the river that your rope allows. Here's my point. In both situations, the boat is the same. The anchor's the same, the rope is the same. The only difference is the turbulence of the water. The stronger the current, the more constant you feel the anchors hold. It's only in calm waters that you could even possibly forget that it's there. That is what trials do in our life. They are the turbulence that makes us both aware and dependent on the anchor in every moment. That same anchor we have from the moment of our salvation all of a sudden becomes a necessity for withstanding the storm. And we're reminded of it as our turbulent life pulls on that rope. Steadfastness is a product of trials like the pull of the anchor is a product of the current. This is why James can say to count it all joy, and Peter can instruct us to pursue steadfastness, because the pull of the anchor provides a sure footing that didn't exist before. For Rachel and I, this explains that feeling of aimlessness and distance from God during our times of peace. It also illustrates why that distance was gone in an instant in that hospital room. Trials are not a curse or a punishment. They are what lovingly reveal the anchor we have always been tied to. This brings us to lesson one, and the foundation upon which we'll build for the rest of the morning. Lesson one, trials reveal our anchor. Trials reveal our anchor. If we can understand and embrace this truth, it will change how we view trials and it will cause us to appreciate the steadfastness that those trials produce in our life. As promised, I'd like to now build upon this foundation with three ways that God practically produces this promise of steadfastness, this recognition of our anchor through trials. So let's continue in our passage here in James where we go from the instruction about steadfastness right into our first example of how God brings it about. Let's read starting in verse five. 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 with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. See here in verse six, that for the man who asks in faith with no doubting that he will receive wisdom from the Lord. Wisdom in this case is one example of a principle found elsewhere in scripture. Let me read a few verses where Jesus himself describes this principle more broadly. This is in John chapter 15. Jesus says, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. Mark 11, Jesus also says, have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, be taken up and thrown into the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours. In James, we're told that God will give wisdom generously to those who ask. And in these other passages, this principle of God granting our requests is expanded way beyond just wisdom. This is amazing and deeply misunderstood by millions of people throughout history. Next week, because I ran out of time, Next week, we will break down this broader principle found in scripture about God's promises to give us what we pray for, but for a moment this morning, just dwell on the powerful encouragement. Put aside how man has tainted verses like these through their health and wealth, name it and claim it, blab it and grab it preaching, and just see God's amazing love on display. Right on the heels of discussing trials, we are reminded that God will give generously to anyone who asks in faith. This is a primary way that God encourages his people through trials. Which brings us to lesson two, part one. Lesson two, part one, God brings about steadfastness by answering prayers of faith. Answering prayers of faith. This was a constant source of encouragement for Rachel and I in the hospital room soon after our diagnosis and countless times since. God's answer to our prayers and the prayers of those surrounding us showed us his active work and love in our lives. Prayers for strength, for perseverance, for patience and peace. As these were answered time and time again, our faith was strengthened and our trust in God grew. That feeling that God is present, that he is with you, that he cares and has surrounded you with his people to love you, that feeling is steadfastness. Back in the passage we just read in James, also note here that the one who asks in faith is contrasted with the one who doubts. Notice the language, he is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. This language is contrasting the man of doubt with the man of faith, who has been steadfastly anchored through trials. Okay, I do, again, think it's vitally important to rightly understand what James means here and what these other passages about prayer mean. particularly as it relates to answered prayer and to separate the truth from how man has altered it over time. So next week, we will focus exclusively on what these prayers of faith mean and what they don't mean. For this week, let's move on to our next practical way that God brings about steadfastness. Turn over to the end of James, to chapter five, to just be a page and a half. James chapter five, we're gonna start in verse 10. James chapter 5 verse 10 says this. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remain steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. James here gives us two examples of steadfastness. First, the Old Testament prophets, and second, he gives us Job. We'll look at these two examples together, but first, let me give you lesson two, part two. God brings about steadfastness by providing others who have gone before. God brings about steadfastness by providing others who have gone before. Now let's look at the two examples that James gives. First, the prophets. The life of an Old Testament prophet was not pleasant. They were mostly poor, destitute, and miserable. Often rejected by the people they came to serve, they were ultimately killed for their words. Nehemiah speaks about the prophets and their typical end when praying with the people upon their return from captivity to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Listen as I read from Nehemiah chapter 9. This is Nehemiah speaking. Nevertheless, they, this is the ancestors of Israel at the time of Nehemiah, were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back, and they killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. Let me read to you one more excerpt, this one from the book of Jeremiah, that I think is a good sampling of the typical life of a prophet. It was Jeremiah 38. Jeremiah was saying to all the people, thus says the Lord, he who stays in the city shall die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life as a prize of war and live. Then the official said to the king, let this man be put to death. King Zedekiah said, behold, he's in your hands, for the king can do nothing against you. So they took Jeremiah and they cast him into the cistern. This is a well for water. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud. And Jeremiah sank into the mud. Could you imagine for a second, you are the voice of God to his people, and this is your life, sinking into the mud. This was Jeremiah's existence. This was similar to Isaiah's existence, similar to Hosea's life, miserable. And yet, they were steadfast. That is why James gives them as an example. Not because they found success in this life, but because they found success in the eternal, in the spiritual, even as they suffered. James gives us another example. A man named Job. Pause for a second. Every time I teach, I think I can be funny. I can write myself jokes. And it's a mistake every single time. So if you were homeschooled like I was, you probably first knew him as Job. Anyways, I'm going to stop doing it. A man named Job. Let me read to you about Job. At the moment that he has lost everything, all his children have just been killed. Here is Job's response. This is from chapter one. Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and he fell on the ground and worshiped. Then he said, naked I came from my mother's womb and naked shall I return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Once again, we see great suffering followed by great steadfastness. For both of these examples, they're not given because of their success over trials, but for their steadfastness through them. There's a principle on display here in these two different examples that James gives. When you are in the midst of a trial, there is very few things more encouraging than knowing others that have gone before. James knew this, which is why he instructs his readers to look to those past examples of suffering and steadfastness. For Rachel and I, there were many, many amazing and incredible people that came around us, who served us and loved us, and that has continued to this day. Far too many to name or try to describe. There are two examples though, early in our journey, that were a unique type of encouragement to us. that I believe reinforced this principle on display here in James. Specifically, they were encouraging because of the similarity in trials they had just been through. These two families were able to be a unique comfort to us as we began our trial. The first example for us was the Moss family. On the day that we received Rachel's diagnosis, they received their first good report for Dick's cancer. We were so encouraged to watch the live stream of the prayer night from the hospital bed and hear about this good news in the midst of our own suffering. It spoke loudly that God is faithful in the midst of pain and that cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence. Beyond that, Trish became an incredible resource to us. They had gone before us and prepared a way in terms of research into natural treatments, doctors to speak with, and just hope during a scary diagnosis. We felt like a sponge, soaking up the courage they had and feeling the anchor in our greatest hope. This produced steadfastness in us. The second family that went before us was the Malinowskis. They had recently been through their own life-threatening health scare with Molly's heart attacks and her subsequent thyroid cancer diagnosis. They had to cope with the unknown of the future, and they had been where we were, scared in a hospital room. They visited us many times throughout that first week in the hospital. I remember them sitting with me in the garden at the hospital one day while Rachel rested. They knew firsthand the quality of coffee at the hospital was not necessarily up to par, and so they were gracious enough to bring me an outside cup. They had no agenda. They weren't trying to make me feel different. They met me where I was, and I listened to their words because they had gone before us. They had insights I hadn't yet experienced. This, once again, produced steadfastness in us. These two examples and many others I could give through this journey are why I say that God brings about steadfastness by providing those who have gone before. As we arrive at our final point this morning, turn back to the first chapter of James, And read verse 12 with me. James chapter one, verse 12. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let's bring this to lesson two, part three. God brings about steadfastness by providing victory. It's lesson two, part three, providing victory. As we look at the way God brings about steadfastness through trials, I'd like to tell you a short story of a young woman. She's a mother of three children and was very unexpectedly diagnosed with colon cancer a few years ago. Her and her husband were strong believers and very involved in their church. When they received the diagnosis, their response was to move deeper into their faith. They found a doctor in Seattle that supported their desires for a more natural approach to healing. She and her husband were an encouragement to others in the IV room and even started a blog to document their journey. They went through many ups and downs. They were declared disease-free and then went through the cancer returning. and all the way they did not give up hope and continued to glorify God through their trial. This story may sound familiar, especially if you happen to know Rachel and I very well, but this is not our story. This is the story of a woman named Anna. Anna sat next to us on Rachel's first day of chemo two years ago. Anna went home to be with the Lord in May of this year. She fought the good fight and the Lord deemed it best to bring her into eternity. Her husband, Sean, has continued a legacy of God's grace since she passed. I'd like to share with you something she wrote a few years before her passing that her husband shared as her eulogy. These are Anna's words. Father, I know that as I surrender everything into your hands, you are trustworthy. You direct my steps and have my best interest in mind. I believe in your awesome power to restore and heal any part of me that you desire. May my life today be a reflection of your love, grace, mercy, and hope as I seek to love myself, my husband, our children, friends, and neighbors today. You, Father, are the primary focus of my affection. I believe today that I am enough, that I am worthy of love and belonging. I'm a courageous warrior. I will not succumb to fear or despair. Thank you, Father, that your mercies are new every morning. You are by my side every step of this day. I am yours. That was Anna's victory. That was the culmination of her steadfastness in the face of her trial. And she was faithful to the beginning of eternity. Everyone's trials and their victories will look different, but their common thread will be steadfastness. The ability to weather the storm anchored to the ultimate peace. This is a particularly important truth for Rachel and I. There's a temptation to see someone's trial that looks similar to yours and to project their victory, whatever that may be, onto your own. But we know that the Lord's plan for us is unique, whatever it may be. This truth about God providing unique victories for each person's trials is on display in the book of Acts. As we look at two disciples that have two very different victories, turn to Acts chapter 12. This will be the last place we turn this morning. Acts chapter 12. We're gonna start in verse one. I'll wait till I stop hearing pages turning. Acts chapter 12, verse one. About that time, Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James, the brother of John, with a sword. Okay, pause there for a moment. So Herod is the ruler that Rome has put in place over Judea. During the early church, he was always trying to win favor with his subjects. who didn't really love that they were an occupied state and not an autonomous nation. Herod knew that the Jews had a unique hatred for the early church. The glass just broke, just shattered. That's fine. It's totally fine. Where was I? Herod knew that the Jews had a unique hatred for the early church. So he decided to begin arresting and killing Christians. Most prominent at this point is James. This was the son of Zebedee. He was one of Jesus's 12 disciples. Let's read on now in verse three. And when he, this is Herod, saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the Days of Unlimited Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. Pause again. Here we see that Herod observes how successful he was at winning favor with the Jews by killing James. He decides to try it again and he arrests Peter with the intention of bringing him before the people to be sentenced. Imagine yourself in Peter's shoes for a moment. James, your brother in the faith and prominent leader in the early church, has just been killed. Herod now turns his sight towards you, and you're sitting in a prison cell awaiting your sentence. Let's keep reading now in verse six. Now when Herod was about to bring him out on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up saying, get up quickly. And the chains fell off his hands. So the night before Peter is planned to be brought before the Jews for sentencing, he's supernaturally released from prison by an angel. The chapter goes on to explain just how unbelievable this escape was and how Peter didn't even believe it himself until he was standing in the street outside. Only then did he realize that he wasn't just dreaming the whole thing. Here's my point in reading this passage. In the same chapter where Peter is delivered from prison, James is martyred. This begs the question, was Peter provided victory and James failure? Of course not. James remained steadfast to the end and he entered into eternity to be welcomed by his savior. Nevertheless, Peter's victory looked very different from James. They were both imprisoned for the same reason by the same man, but their victories from those similar trials could not have been more different. As we look at our own trials, unsure of the victory that will be found at the end, Hebrews has an encouragement for us. Listen as I read from Hebrews chapter 12. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. The race that is set before us. Not the race set before anyone else. Not a generic race, the race set before us. This is so important when learning from the examples of others. Whether it's a trial in our marriage or persecution at work because of our faith or sickness in a family member, that race is unique. And only God knows where the path will twist and turn. It's our job to take that next step and pursue steadfastness through that trial. And we have a promise that it will be produced. and that there is victory at the end. As we close, I'd like to leave you with both an encouragement for one group and a call to action for another. If you are a believer, if you are marked by God as his, you have an anchor that is unbreakable. It provides a sure footing, whatever your storm may be. This should be an incredible encouragement to you. If you don't feel that anchor during the calm eddies of life, know that it will hold you when the currents rise. In the midst of a trial, when the storm is on top of you, know that the anchor you feel will only be reinforced by God's answers to your prayers of faith. by those that have gone before for encouragement, and that God has a way of victory for your unique path, whatever that may be. I have a call to action for another group of people here in this room or online. If you do not recognize yourself as a sinner who has been redeemed by the only Savior, Jesus, If you have never surrendered your dead heart of stone and received a new heart of flesh, you do not have the anchor I spoke about. When you feel adrift, it's because you are. When hardship and suffering come, You will hold to what you can, but nothing is as firm a foundation as the anchor that is only found in Jesus. The anchor that Rachel and I and so many others experience daily. That reality is only available through faith in the God of the Bible. In hearing this, if you have that pit in your stomach that's telling you not to walk out those doors or to leave the recording, if you wanna learn more about how you can experience the anchor I've discussed this morning, Nathan and I will be up here, Pastor Nathan. It would be a privilege to speak with you. You can also find my contact information and the church's contact information at the end of the notes online if you're listening sometime in the future. Let's pray. Father, I thank you so much for these truths found in your word. I thank you that you produce steadfastness in us through the hard things of life, that you use those for our good to help us stand firm where we couldn't before. And Lord, I ask as we go through this week, whether we are in the midst of a trial or heading into one, that you would show us all the ways that you are producing steadfastness in our life, that you would encourage us to continue to stand firm in the faith and to head towards whatever victory you have for us. I ask this in Jesus' name, amen.