because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience.
11 sermons cite this verse
… Of many kinds Because you know that the testing of your faith everybody say faith This is all about your faith. Who do you believe in you or god? Like the reason he sends test I got this revelation god always sends tests that he knows he can conquer and you can't So that you always have to go to him To be able to do it, but he's gonna do it through you And that's why he said this is gonna produce perseverance See if you learn it at this level You're going to be stronger for the next obstacle that comes Somebody asked me Pastor Mike does serving God get easier I said no you get stronger No, no, no, no, no, no, you missed it The same things that trip you off When you're a baby Christian Or when you're first in faith It doesn't get easier, it'll be the same thing But you get stronger And this is what God is trying to do See, you're going to rise, but there will always be resistance to your rise, but you are resilient. …
… I need endurance to be built in your life. That's why James tells us, James chapter one, verse three, it says, for, you know, that when your faith is tested, how many have people that test your faith? Come on. Y'all know they may be sitting next to you. Just put your hands down. You got people who test your faith. But it says, we know when our faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow because you can forfeit this and not not be patient, not wait on God, not do it. And he said, but let it grow for when endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. This is the thought the Holy Spirit gave me. He said, Michael, if patience is a fruit of the spirit, impatience is a fruit of the flesh. And it hit me. That means that every time I'm in traffic. come on let's be let's be practical because god didn't come for us to live in every time i'm in traffic and that car is just being slow like there's so much more room to go like will you please move that raggedy van and get like out of my way and when i speed up then you want to speed up and then when i slow down you want to slow what are you doing Thank you. …
… my brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience but let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing is there anybody else in the room that wants to be lacking nothing i mean that's uh that's an extraordinary promise it's one of the largest in scripture. But here's, I want you to see this word patience. A friend of mine wrote this tremendous book called Throne Life. And in it, he says, the word translated patience two times in these verses is defined as independent, unyielding, defiant perseverance in the face of aggressive misfortune and thus to a kind of courageousness. Another scholar suggests it's not the resignation of the passive sufferer like our modern use of the word patience, as much as the fortitude of a stout-hearted soldier. One more perspective may be helpful. It's the characteristic of a man who is unswerved in his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety that even the greatest trials and sufferings can deter from. This word patience is almost a military term. …
… And I have a relatively short text this evening from the letter of James, chapter 1. I want to read only verses 2 through 4, and then verse 12, James chapter 1, verses 2 through 4. This is a dark room, and James in any case has a way of hiding in the New Testament. He's after the letter to the Hebrews, and if you've got to 1 Peter, you've gone one stop too far. James, a servant of God, is the way he introduces his letter under the Lord Jesus Christ to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings. That is rejoicing greetings. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that But the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, that you may be mature, lacking in nothing. And 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. …
… this is James 1 count it all joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds trials come count it joy not just good but joy why 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 trial comes lord teach me your way give me what i need to be more like you perfect and complete lacking in nothing and don't just teach me to do certain things and to avoid others no this prayer is much bolder than that i wonder if you caught it again verse 11 teach me your way oh lord that i may walk in your truth unite my heart to fear your name Thank you. I don't want you to just help me do the right things and not the bad things. I want you to change me somewhere deeper than my doing. I want you to change me in here. I want you to unite my heart toward you. I feel how distracted and divided my heart can be, and I want my whole heart to be united and aligned and hungry for you. …
Let me give you the reason, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. Oh my God. I got to find one of these sections that will help me preach this sermon. This is my normal crowd. Let me come over here to this section right here. Because they ain't saying nothing. They ain't giving me no help. They're not encouraging me. So I'm coming over to my tried and true section. Thank you. Thank you for encouraging me. Thank you for walking with me. Thank you for preaching with me. Thank you for saying amen while I'm trying to preach. Look at them jokers over there, quiet as they can be. That's why I can't preach to them over there. But over here, I got this. This is my tried and true section. They know what I'm talking about. Knowing that, knowing that the testing of your faith, let me tell you point one, here's why you need to count it all joy, because it proves that your faith is being tested. …
… the new revised standard version says my brothers and my sisters whenever you face trials of any kind consider it nothing but joy because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance and let endurance have its full effect so that you may be mature and complete lacking nothing then the message bible shouts me it says consider it a sheer gift friends when tests and challenges come at you from all sides you know that under pressure your faith life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. Y'all listening, but y'all ain't listening. So don't you try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. This verse, James chapter one, verse two through four gave me what I need and all I wanna lift for you is one question that this text and all that I just named for you has lift for me. Can I give you my sermon title? …
… And even though the Bible says considered all joy when you're surrounded by all of these trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces this perseverance, and let the perseverance have its perfect work. You know, let it run its course. Let it finish its work so you can be mature, complete, not lacking in anything. But it's been so hard for me to count it joy when I'm surrounded by trials, And yet God says, that's the way I test you. That's the way I strengthen you. That's the way I change your character. And I'm saying, God, but I want to humble myself. I want to do it myself. But then finally this week, you know, I just came before the Lord and I wrestled with him. I'm like, man, am I willing to pray to God and say, God, just do whatever it takes. I must be humble. So God, as we're reading through the book of Job, God, do whatever it takes. And God finally got me to the point where as afraid as I am of pain and suffering, I'm more afraid of pride. …
… Why would we consider this joy, he says in the next verse? For because 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. Okay, why can we find joy in the midst of trials? He says, here's a reason. He goes, because it's the trials. It's the testing of your faith that produces steadfastness. He goes, and let steadfastness kind of run its course so you can be mature, complete. He goes, there's something about the trials that change us. So usually when we go through trials, we say, God, take away the trials. Take away the pain. Change the situation. and what the Bible is saying, no, when the trials come, really we should be praying, not change the situation, change me. Because there's something about those trials that they strengthen us. He says, the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. That's the way you become strong. You don't become strong from an easy life. …
… Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men or women generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for he who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. But let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Now, I want you to get the context of what James is saying here before we come to this matter of wavering faith because it all fits together. And so here's what he's saying. As these who were probably responding to him and talking to him about the difficulty and hardship, talking about the trials, he's writing to encourage them. …
… when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men or women generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for he who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. But let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Every single one of us has had the problem with wavering faith because there's some things that hit us blindsided or hit us right in the front. There's some things that you and I know that we need and we come to ask God for and we waffle in our faith. We say, well, now, here's what he said. Here's what I ask. …