Well, tonight's sermon title is Suffering with Joy and Maturity. Let us go before the Lord one more time in prayer for a blessing on the word on tonight's message. Lord, I pray that when we hear these words, Lord, that we don't just harden our heart, that we don't resist your truth, Lord, that it would penetrate deeply and that it would shape us, mold us, help us to conform into your image, Lord, and that we walk away from tonight's message with understanding these glorious truths that bring us hope and encouragement. Tonight's sermon's gonna be in James chapter one, verses one through four. I'm going to read the entirety of the passage before I get into the text. James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes and the dispersion. Greetings. 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. So the main theme that we're going to walk away with understanding this text is that God and his word is wholly sufficient. This is a very difficult text. It's a very difficult passage because of what it calls us to. It calls us to not just to understand that in the Christian life we will suffer, but it calls us to a particular heart attitude on how we ought to suffer. And understanding that if we are going to suffer in such a way that James calls us to suffer, which is with joy and maturity, then we have to understand this crucial point of God and his all-sufficient work, which is that this this truth, this glorious truth that God is sufficient in our suffering, it seems like it would be an obvious point, but the reality is that today, the sufficiency of Christ and his word is undermined everywhere, and even undermined or neglected and ignored and sometimes even rejected, unfortunately, by Christians in today's culture. The thought that God's word is sufficient in our suffering and it's all that we need just challenges the cultural milieu that we're in today. The cultural milieu that we're in today would say that this word is ancient, right? Not that it's living, alive, and active, but that it's dead. It's not a living word, it's a dead word. It's not active, it's passive. It's something that's written for people 2,000 years ago. What could it possibly tell us about the problems of today? And so this is why when we understand suffering, as James explains it, we must understand that God and his word and his grace is wholly sufficient in our suffering. And when we fail to understand this, it is to our shame. Because as we look around in the culture today, we see with increased numbers and magnitude, there are people everywhere suffering from every single ailment. Not just physical suffering, but mental suffering. Mental illness is on the rise and has been on the rise for decades. And I'm sure all of you can see it. I'm sure every single one of us here knows somebody who is struggling to some degree with these things, whether it's depression, whether it's anxiety and other general anxiety disorders, suicidal ideations, or struggling with things such as anger, resentment, bitterness, despair. There's just a general sense of discontentment and dismay in our culture today, and the church is not exempt. As I said, I'm sure most of us here probably have either struggled with this ourselves or know somebody closely. And when you read the text like James, you have to stop and think, how is it that this culture and within the church, you can see such an aggressive incline and at the same time, this text be true, that we can count it all joy? It seems to be counterintuitive when we think about it. It leaves us wondering what is going on, not just in our culture, in our nation, but what is going on in our lives, in the churches? What is it that is going around that is causing so much just despair? And so tonight, when we're going through this text, I want you to keep that thought in your mind. Because as we're going through this, you're going to see that the Lord, through the letter of James, speaks directly to these things. That this text and the entirety of God's word is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. But before we can fully take this text and apply it to our current context, we have to understand what was the purpose of James writing this letter? What is the background context, right? So the book of James is written by the Lord's brother, James. And the Lord's brother, James, initially was skeptical. He didn't believe that his older brother, Jesus, was the Christ. He didn't believe that he was the Messiah. Growing up with him, seeing everything that he did, wasn't a believer. It wasn't until he had witnessed the resurrection appearance of Christ in the flesh. The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 that Christ appeared to James. And then we see James going from a skeptic, an unbeliever, to who Christ is and who he says he is, to being a key leader in the church in Jerusalem. This is important. Because now we see James as a key leader in the Church of Jerusalem, and now he's writing a letter to the believers, to specifically who he's writing to in this context. He is writing to the Jewish Christians who are spread out throughout the region. And they're spread out because during this time, in the time of the writing of the letter of James, there was a persecution in the region. And we can read about this in Acts 11, verse 19, where Luke captures the situation and historical context of this letter of James. And it says, now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen, and they traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. So the believers at the time fled and they scattered some as far as Antioch. And just to give you a context here, the distance from Jerusalem to Antioch is approximately 300 miles. And the journey would have been done on foot, majority of the time on foot, and would have taken about 15 days. So this is what's going on, that their persecution is so severe during this time that James is writing this letter, that many fled Jerusalem and would rather trek 300 miles on foot, leave everything that they know, and flee Jerusalem, where James is a key leader at the church now. And now James is writing to those believers in the dispersion. So that is the context. So now that we see that James is writing this letter, not just to any particular Jewish Christians at that time, but particularly and specifically the Jewish Christians who were facing and undergoing such pressure from persecution that they fled, all that they know with all their livelihood, 300 miles on foot with their children and everything, and that's who he's talking to. And this is what he decides to say to them. And we're gonna read, when he opens this letter, the very first thing on James' heart as a pastor, as a shepherd, to wanna speak to these Jewish Christians. And as we go through the text, there's two main points that I really want you to understand that this text speaks to today. One is spiritual passions, our spiritual passions, and our current sufferings. Number two, our spiritual growth and sufferings. This passage in James is gonna speak to both of those. And so we read what James has to say to these Jewish Christians. In the very first verse, James gives a simple greeting, tells us who he's writing to, and we know that he's writing to these persecuted Christians that are spread throughout the region. And the very next verse is the very first thing that James wants to say. When he opens this letter, His goal is to encourage these Jewish Christians who have fled Jerusalem because of the persecution. Now imagine this. Imagine yourself having to flee West Michigan, 300 miles plus, leaving everything you know, your family, your friends, your church. Some of you have been here and grown up here at Semaphore Forum for probably longer than I've been alive. You have to flee it. You're persecuted severely. A brother has already died. Stephen's already been killed. Countless others as well. So you can't remain here. It's hostile to your faith. And Pastor Paul decides to write you a letter. And this is the first thing he decides to say in this letter that you guys all receive. And the first thing it says is, count it all joy, my brothers, when you face trials of various kinds. Pause. You're undergoing intense persecution. You have fled, you've picked up all your livelihood, you've left everything that you know, everything that you've grown up with, you've lost friends, your pastor, not me, your pastor writes you a letter, and this is the first thing he has to say. Think about that for a second. Count it all joy. It seems so counterintuitive to be undergoing such suffering and yet count it all joy. And yet there it is. And it cannot be denied. It can't be glossed over. There it is. It's the first thing he decides to say. Is it a mistake? Did James make a mistake? Is he failing to be compassionate and gracious as a shepherd? Think about this for a sec. And the reality is, when you understand what James is gonna say and why it's encouraging to be able to count it all joy, regardless of the suffering that we're undergoing and that we're facing, you will see that James' words is some of the most hope-filled words that we can have amidst our suffering. So make no mistake, James knows very well what he's telling his people. He knows very well what he's speaking to his Um, flock. So when we're faced with trials and suffering, no matter how big it is, we can count it all joy. But what exactly does it mean? So you look at the first word, count. What does that mean? So the Greek word translated count is hegesithe, which means to consider or to regard. So when James says, count it all joy, he says, consider it, regard it as joy. Why? Why is James telling us that when trials and suffering come our way, that the first thing that we must do is not to react with our spiritual passions, but to consider, to think. He's telling us to pause. The first thing that we want to do, what we're inclined to do, is to feel the pressure of suffering, and in this case, persecution, and it's immediately to react with our emotions and spiritual passions. James says pause. You must think, consider, regard, not just emotionally react. Do not give in to your fleshly passions, but rather pause and think so that you can consider this all joy. Essentially, we must use our minds, and our minds must inform our passions. But today, societies train themselves to follow their passions, right? That's the theme of Disney and everything else. Follow your passions. Lead not with your mind, but lead with your quote-unquote heart. Let your emotions guide you through your suffering. That's what society and culture would call you to. The Word of God would call you, brothers and sisters, to think. to consider, to not be led by your fleshly passions and emotions amidst suffering, no matter how grave. Now this is easier said than done, but the reality is, this is what God's word calls us to. To be led with our emotions. Right, that's not the Christian way. We must be, Paul says in Romans 12, renewed in our minds. We must be able to mortify our sinful passions of the flesh. We must think and consider, not with fleshly passions, but with God-honoring passions. And this requires an intentional, prayerful, grace-filled effort on our part. It requires a wholehearted dependence on reliance on the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to see us through our suffering. and to trust and lean on His grace to give us the strength to turn our wrongful passions into God-honoring passions, especially when we're being pressed in from all sides. Most of us don't stop and think in the midst of our sufferings, and we don't stop and think, hmm, I really need to have God-honoring passions right now as I'm contemplating whatever suffering, whatever reality of trial that I'm facing. Most of us don't, but that's the challenge. And the challenge goes further to say, consider it joy. And some of you might be saying, well, hold on, hold on, brother. What about mourning? What about lament? What about grief? Scripture calls us that we can mourn with those who mourn, correct? And there's an entire book in the Old Testament called Lamentations. So what about mourning and lament? Listen carefully. It's not wrong to mourn and lament. Scripture calls us to mourn with those who mourn. That's Romans 12, 15. So the point here, James, does not contradict other texts that says we can mourn with those who mourn and even lament and grieve and weep like Ecclesiastes 3 says. There's a time for everything, a time to weep and a time to mourn. But James is calling us to something higher. What's he calling us to? He's calling us to a certain spiritual maturity that requires us to exercise faith to move past mourning and lament towards joy. It's not contradictory. But at one point in our suffering, we need to get to this point where we can count it all joy. We cannot just freely pick from our own autonomy I don't want to do that. All I want to do is just be in my mourning and grief for what I'm going through. If you choose to do that, you will spiritually stunt yourself because you are foregoing the blessings and the encouragement and the hope that James lays out here for us. The temptation in our flesh would be, I just want to sit here. Grief. And you may grieve, and you ought to. And you ought to grieve and mourn with others and let them end with them. However, your grief and mourning ought to turn to joy. And in case some of you might be thinking, how does this happen? How can all of a sudden when something, when life just comes at me and I'm pressed in on all sides, how can I, in my grief, as intense as it could be in this life, How can it turn to joy? Well, the Greek word for joy here is kara, which means joy or delight. But it's much more than that. There's so much meaning packed in this word. It means so much more than joy as we know it, the kind of superficial feeling and emotion that we typically associate with it whenever we hear the word joy. The Greek word kara has far more meaning and connotation because it's a joy because this, because of God's grace and his favor. That's the connotation behind this word that James is talking about when he says, consider it joy. It's a joy because of God's grace and his favor. In fact, this same Greek word shares the same root word with the word grace found in here. which is Charis. So the joy that James is calling us to is not some superficial feeling of a sense of joy, but an internal deep understanding of God's grace and favor, even in the midst of trials. It's a joy because of the wonderful and powerful grace that God works in all situations. And this grace, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, it comforts us, right? Grace strengthens us. It transforms us, empowers us, sanctifies us. It calls us to a deeper, more meaningful relationship with our Savior, Redeemer, and the creation of all things. or the creator of all creation. So this is not just some superficial feeling of considerate joy. Try to muster up the feelings of joy as I'm suffering. That's not what it is. It is grasping and understanding the reality of God's grace and favor, even in your trials. Easier said than done, but. You're not doing it on your own. Try doing it on your own. You'll run out of energy and motivation very quick, fast, and in a hurry. I promise you. So some of you might be thinking, brother, I've read this when I've been in suffering. I've read this when I've been in trials. Other people have read this. I bought a devotional book on this topic. It didn't do me any good. Because you were doing it in your own flesh. Because I'm more prone to believe that you failed rather than the word of God fail to fulfill its promises. So understanding this, when James is calling us to consider it joy, or count it all joy, when we meet trials of various kinds, it is not just some superficial feeling, but it is a deep understanding of God's grace and favor. It is the grace that the Apostle Paul understood in 2 Corinthians 12.9, when the Lord speaks to Paul, and the Lord continues to speak to us today through his words, saying the same glorious truth that he said to the Apostle Paul. where he says, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. So the Apostle Paul knew this. And I would go on a whim and say that he has probably experienced far greater suffering in this physical world than probably most of us, if not all of us. And if the Apostle Paul can say this with confidence and hope in the midst of his sufferings, then we too can understand the God who supplied the Apostle Paul in abundance would supply us and encourage us and strengthen us and comfort us, change us, sanctify us, transform us in the midst of our sufferings and trials. Right? That's this whole point that God's Word and the grace of God is the same as it was for the Apostles as it is today. He has not changed. His promises have not changed. But furthermore, in verse three, James doesn't just stop. He doesn't just say, count it all joy, consider it, think it joy when you face trials, and then just leaves it. No, he gives us the very grounding. He gives us the reason why we can count it all joy. And what does he say? He says, in verse three, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. So he didn't just give us the reality that you can't count it all joy. He tells us the reason why when he says for So you read the word for understand what the word for is therefore And it's that what the testing of our faith your faith produces steadfastness So we can count it all joy because of what suffering produces He's not just saying count it all joy when you face trials because you can and because Apostles did and Christians didn't pass nice. No because of what your suffering produces now the challenges then comes is What suffering produces and in this context steadfastness is that enough you might be thinking? For me to experience this kind of joy Because you read it you might think well I counted all joy and maybe you're undergoing some very difficult trials and sufferings and from physical illnesses, sicknesses, hardships with family members, loss of job, career, a number of things. Family members who won't talk to you anymore, older children walked away and have left the faith. A number of things you can be experiencing all kinds of suffering and trials. And you think, is the reality that my suffering and my trial produces steadfastness really enough to see me through? And the answer is yes, absolutely. Why? Well, because it's in God's word. But I'm not going to leave you just hanging there. So what is it about steadfastness, what is it about what trials and suffering produces that can see us through? So what is steadfastness? Other translations translate it as perseverance or endurance. And properly, its meaning is to have the ability to remain or endure under the pressure of trials and challenges. That's what it means. So in other words, steadfastness is the strength that is required for patience and long-suffering to remain constant, unmoved, and unwavering. That's what it is. That's what our trials produce. It produces a constant, unmoving, unwavering perseverance and steadfastness. So when our faith undergoes the painful test of suffering and the hardship of trials, the result is the glorious fruit of endurance, of perseverance. You might be thinking, still, why does this matter? Why does it matter? And is steadfastness, again, is it really enough to carry me through so that I can experience the kind of joy that James is talking about here? And absolutely it is. The reality of our joy in trials comes from what the trials produce. This is a theme, constant. And the same word that we were talking about, joy, here, is found also in John 16, verses 16 to 22. And we're gonna focus on verses 20 to 22, because that passage in John 16, 16, really connects here in James. And so you can turn there in your Bible quickly, if you like, to John 16, 16, and you're gonna see, and we're gonna see, that when Christ is teaching his disciples, he's teaching his disciples, and he answers these exact questions that you might still be having about joy amidst difficult trials, about considering it joy because of what our trials produce. In John 16, 16, here it is. A little while, and you will see me no longer. And again, a little while, and you will see me. So some of his disciples said to one another, what is this that he says to us? A little while, and you will not see me. And again, a little while, and you will see me. And because I'm going to the Father. So they were saying, what does he mean by a little while? We do not know what he's talking about. Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying a little while and you will not see me, and again, a little while and you will see me? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come. But when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice. And no one will take your joy from you so in these verses where christ is teaching the disciples encouraging the disciples christ is making the same points the same two points they will weep they will mourn they will lament but it will turn to joy and that the reason or the justification for their weeping mourning and lament turning to joy is because what it will produce. And he uses the illustration of a woman in labor. She's in painful anguish, but when the baby is delivered, she no longer remembers her anguish because of the joy that she understands in bringing or producing a baby into this world. Do you see that? Do you see the connection? You can be in such anguish, pain, suffering, But the reality is, what it produces brings joy when you understand. So in spite of all the pain and sorrow that we experience in the midst of our suffering, Christ promises that we can have joy. He promises that our trials produce something that far outweighs the pain of suffering, like that of a woman in labor who is in anguish and forgets her pain because of the wonderful life it has produced. Likewise, our sufferings, our trials produce glorious fruit for the Lord. It's no small thing. So when James is talking about your trial produces steadfastness, he's not talking about any small thing. It's not a bumper sticker, just something to kind of throw around, grab a card and give it to somebody who's suffering. No, these are glorious truths from the Lord. And when we understand what our trials are doing for us and what Christ is doing to us amidst our trials, we can begin to consider it joy. We can begin to count it joy. And this is the reality, that ultimately, there is a glorious joy that far outweighs our pain and suffering, a joy that comes from this glorious promise that the Lord promises in John 16 and here in James, that our trials are not for nothing. This is a common battle. Trials and sufferings comes our way, and the first thing we say is, why? Why? And I have a hunch that the reason we say that is not because we really care for an answer, but because we're opposing it. When we're saying why, we're not really asking why. we're saying in protest, this shouldn't be, if we're being honest. And the moment that we're already doing that, that mentality, that heart attitude is not the same thing that we read in James chapter one, verse two, to be able to count it all joy, to be able to consider and think. Instead, we're being led by our fleshly passions, and we say, why, Lord, this shouldn't be. and forget that we have a sovereign God who has predestined these things before the foundations of the world for our good. But we lose sight of this. We start to think, no way. So the reality is, we can experience a truly deep joy And the Lord promises even more so that no one can take this joy, as he's taught the disciples. He said, you will have a joy, and no one can take it from you. And just as Pastor Paul has been preaching the last few weeks in Romans, a few weeks ago he was in Romans chapter 8, verse 35, and he says, what shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, or danger, or even the sword? The implication there that the Apostle Paul is making is that nothing, nothing can ever separate us from the love of Christ. So as Pastor Paul preached what the Apostle Paul was teaching, more than that, we are more than conquerors, even though you can be facing this kind of suffering, trials, and persecution. So when you encounter the trials and suffering in your life, we need to remember the words of our Lord and of James, that ultimately we can count it all joy, knowing that our suffering produces fruit and cultivates a steadfastness and a strength of perseverance that matures us, grows us, edifies us, and this is something worth rejoicing in. And he continues, James continues in verse four, right, it doesn't just stop, And James continues, and he goes on to say in verse four, that we must let steadfastness have what? Its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. So the suffering that we're experiencing can cause us so much anguish And even though it can cause us so much anguish, James is teaching us that not only can it turn to joy and be a cause for joy, but it also brings forth spiritual growth by teaching us to be steadfast. And James goes even further and says what else it produces is that if we remain faithful and remain steadfast, that's what he means by letting steadfastness have its full effect, that if we remain steadfast, we can be perfect and complete. That also seems counterintuitive to most of us when we're suffering. Because typically, when we're suffering, we're more focused on what we're losing rather than what is to be gained. We look at suffering and trials and hardships as depletion, a removal rather than what we're gaining. We solely look at suffering from earthly eyes and what's being taken from us, rather from the eternal promises of what gain there is to be. And that's the challenge. That is the challenge that this word calls us to. And it further, James says, that we will be lacking in nothing. Now, that is an astounding claim today, especially in today's cultural climate. If there ever was a way to describe our culture today, It would be, I'd say, specifically our culture and how we handle suffering, it would be fragile. Fragile, lacking spiritual resilience, ultimately. And just a few years ago, COVID. really expose the lack of spiritual resiliency that we have as a society today. Unlike societies, especially Christian societies, that have preceded us, who have undergone intense suffering and persecution, right, and gone through these hard times, we have had it fairly easy. Being a Christian today is not really costing us a lot, if we're honest. And it's made us fragile, lacking spiritual resiliency, which is why, when we are suffering, we find it so difficult to be able to obey the words of James here, to consider it joy. Because we lack spiritual fortitude in the face of adversity. But James says that our trials and sufferings ought to be what? Counted as joy, number one. Number two, that they ought to produce steadfastness. And ultimately, number three, that they ought to mature us, our trials ought to mature us to a kind of perfection or completeness. And typically, this is not even something that is discussed amongst Christians when we face sufferings and trials. We don't really talk about it, but scripture calls us to these two things, joy and maturity, spiritual maturity, amidst our suffering. But what does James mean by perfect and complete? Well, the word perfect, which is teleos, means having reached its end goal or to be fully grown and mature. In other words, it's referring to a completeness of Christian virtue and spiritual maturity. And the word translated wholeness refers to a spiritual wholeness. It is a spiritually sound mind that is properly achieved through the gracious work of God in our sanctification. So when James is calling us to persevere in trials, it is for the purpose of our spiritual growth so that we can be perfectly complete, so that we can be mature and spiritually whole and have a spiritually sound mind. So, brothers and sisters, spiritual wholeness is not found in some new behavioral practice, or some cognitive theory, or a newest form of therapy found in psychology. No, it's found here in the living, breathing, divine word of God. This is what the sufficiency of scripture means. That you don't need to add to the transformative work and power of God's word. Some of you might already be thinking of some counter arguments about like, whoa, whoa, whoa. So let me just counter your arguments in your head right now. If all those other things that we see today coming through all these different forms of secular psychology is required and is necessary for our growth, then what was the reality for Christians 200 years ago, 300, 500, 1,000 years ago? The disciples walking with Christ. Were they lacking? Were they insufficient? Because they don't have what we have now, 2,000 years later? See, this is a reality. And this is the truth. And we need to understand this, because if we don't grasp this, if we don't understand the sufficiency of the word of God and of grace, when we suffer, we're not going to immediately think about what James is calling us here to. We will not fulfill this high calling here of our sufferings and trials producing in us joy and spiritual maturity. We will ignore it. We will neglect it. Spiritual wholeness, James is teaching us, is found by wholly depending on the grace of God and the strength of God and the wisdom of God. It is not found in the strength and wisdom of man. Not yours, not the psychiatrist, not the self-help guru, but it is found in trusting in the God of all creation and his sufficient divine word. But if, if, and only if we submit to God's word, truly have faith in the sufficiency of his word, Because if we look at our suffering and we just approach it with this pessimistic attitude, this whole what I referenced earlier, we are focused more on the loss rather than the gain. If that is our attitude when we approach it, then we're going to become blind and hardened to what God's word and what Christ himself would be doing for us, through us, in us. in our trials, we'll miss it. We won't walk in steadfastness or perseverance. We won't continue to grow and spiritually mature. We won't experience this supernatural joy. Instead, we will be burdened, perplexed and despair. And that's what trials are gonna do to us if we try to walk in them in our own fleshly strength. That's the reality. If you're wondering why that this is such an issue in our culture, I would submit to you that it is because we have lost this understanding of the sufficiency of God's word and his grace. That's exactly what it is. But you should be encouraged with this reality. Understanding what James is saying here means that we're not doomed, okay, we're not doomed to spiritual fragility. We're not doomed to just be you know, in despair, or just to be given to depression, anxiety, anger, bitterness, resentment, and discontentment. There's not a single thing in this life that can happen to us that we cannot experience joy, and maturity, and suffering. That's ultimately what James is teaching here. That's what we need to understand, brothers and sisters. So do not believe the lie that in suffering, that there's only grief, that there's only grief, there's only lament, there's only mourning, and nothing else. That's not true. But if you try to fulfill this in your own flesh, you will fail. Prior to me becoming a Christian, I was in the military, and I was in there for 10 years. And I worked in a special operations community. And we prided ourselves in being like, we're can-do-everything kind of attitude mentalities. I had multiple deployments, went through a lot, seen a lot. And when the hardest battle finally came when I was no longer deploying, and I came back from my eighth deployment, and then started my battle with PTSD. And as tough as we all were, there was nothing that could prepare me to withstand and persevere and hold steadfast. Yet I was steadfast in so many combats and so many firefights, it brought me to my knees. And the only thing that pulled me out is because there was some army chaplain who started revealing to me the gospel and the strength that is found in Christ and in Christ alone. Meaning what happened, what Paul happened, what he was told, that from the Lord, that his grace, that God's grace is sufficient. That reality started to come to me and dwell me And then that was the only thing that gave me the strength to make it through, nothing else. And so if some of you were thinking like, oh, what could he know about all these other modern theories? That's because they was all thrown at me. I had many, many, many providers, many, many years, people trying to help me, entire teams that the military dedicates to try to get you back and combat ready. Nothing was working. So I've lived it. I'm not just giving you my wisdom, but I have lived this. It's not sufficient. Only God's word is sufficient to see you through. You need to understand this. All those things weren't even scratching the surface. But when Christ came, began to move, and his grace began to transform and empower me, that's where true spiritual wholeness started coming in, that I was perfect, complete, lacking in nothing. Do you understand this? You have to understand this. And so I don't want you to think that when you're facing trials and sufferings that you kind of just have to ride the wave of grief and mourning and lament and kind of just let it have its cycle until it kind of completes itself. And you're kind of just doomed to kind of just like, you know, float against the tide, so to speak. That's not true. That's not true. And that's what James is calling us to, that the trials, if we understand, and if we look to the Lord, if we don't solely focus on our loss, but the gain, begin to consider it joy, begin to understand that God is working to bring about the spiritual fruit in our lives that serves to mature us, then you will understand And you will begin to see and you will begin to understand these trials that God is using them to shape you, mold you, build you, empower you, mature you. And then you can comfort others, strengthen others, minister to others, come alongside others. And then you will see, and you will consider your trials joy. I wouldn't change a single thing that I've had to go through up until this point. You can ask me about it if you want more details. I wouldn't change a single thing. Lost friends, seen many things, I wouldn't change it. They have all shaped and molded me today. And God has used those things to sanctify me. And I can consider it joy. no matter what trials, no matter what sufferings, come what may, I can entrust myself into the Lord of all creation. And that's what we must understand here in James, that ultimately, that God's word has the power to heal, to grow, and ultimately bring life. And the word of God promises to equip us, sanctify us, strengthen us, fortify us, offers us the grace to live faithfully amidst our trials, that we can have joy in these trials, and that we can remain steadfast and unwavering in our trials. And it's not just because so much time has gone by, and now I'm looking back years. Because sometimes we think, oh, in due time, in due time. will be healed, and time will heal, and we'll start to consider it joy. No, amidst the trial. These last few minutes, I'm just going to share a little bit. Some of you already know that Sophia, our three-year-old getting ready to turn four, was in the ICU. And essentially, she was dying. There was no ifs, ands, or buts about it. And you do feel hopeless. You feel like there's nothing that you can do in the situation. Like you just have to idly watch it. Try as you might. And you really do have to stop and pause. Because it was so easy for myself and for my wife. to just kind of feel lost in the situation, forgetting what James says to count it all joy, consider, regard. When we started to stop, put aside the feelings and the emotions for a sec, consider the promises of God, consider and regard all that he has said in his word, and start to see that situation not change, but the way that you're seeing it change. So this is not just something that's, oh, only after a number of times pass by, then you'll be able to count it all joy. No. Even amidst the trial, you can count it all joy. And instead of just focusing on the loss, and we were looking at the reality at that point in time of a major grievous loss. And even then, we can begin, my wife and I were able to begin to go through the word of God and begin to count it joy. Already thinking and seeing and understanding what the Lord is doing. And she's still laying in the ICU bed. And the screen and the numbers and everything's blurting at you and it doesn't look good. And you can still count it joy. Not that she's suffering. but joy in what God is doing if you stop focusing solely on loss and begin to see what God is doing and what you can gain. Do you guys understand this? And in time, you will see that your trials will serve as a living testimony to God's goodness and graciousness. and the strength that he gave you in those moments, and the goodness that he brought about in those trials. Let us pray. Lord, first, thank you for such an amazing opportunity, Lord, to preach your word to this faithful congregation, Lord, whose gathers week in, week out. Lord, I pray that we would hear this message, each and every one of us. All of us need to understand that in our suffering, in our trials, that you are present, you are working, and that you are bringing us a joy, a peace that transcends all understanding. You are working in us a spiritual maturity and a spiritual wholeness. that the outside world doesn't even understand. Lord, help us to hear this message. I pray that it would bring forth much fruit in everyone here and everyone who is hearing, that you would use our trials and our sufferings to your glory, Lord, and to your good purposes. And I pray that you would strengthen everyone here, strengthen their hearts, give them hope, Give them encouragement and show them your goodness and your love and your mercy. I pray this in your name. Amen.