How many of you have siblings? I am one of four kids in our family; I have an older brother and two younger sisters. If I told you that one of your siblings was going to be the next President of the United States, would you believe me? If I told you that your brother or sister was going to be a professional musician, can you imagine that being possible? If I told you that one of your siblings was going to discover a cure for every form of cancer, would any part of you be able to trust that this is true? Exactly. I love all three of my siblings and they’ve accomplished some significant things – but becoming the president or a professional musician or curing cancer? I don’t think so.

Over the last 2,000 years, many people have struggled with the belief that Jesus is God, that He is Lord over everything and everyone. But much like us, you can imagine that his family, including His siblings, might have struggled with this the most.

Mark 3:21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

John 7:5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

I get it. They grew up with Jesus. He seemed so normal, so ordinary. How could they possibly believe that He was God in the flesh? One of those brothers was James. How did he go from unbelief to having a book in the Bible named after him? How did he move from doubting the claims of Jesus to being a prominent leader in the Jerusalem church? How did he arrive at the place where this is his opening line in the letter he wrote that we call the book of James in the New Testament?

James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.

When he pens his introduction, you would think he might refer to himself as the brother or the half-brother of Jesus. But that’s not what he does. He calls himself “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” If you are here today and you don’t yet believe in Jesus as Lord, be encouraged by the faith journey of James. He goes from unbelief to full faith in Jesus, so much so that he was martyred for his faith in AD 62.

We’re starting a new series today called When Faith Wakes Up. This happened with James at some point and it can happen to us. And there is good news for all of us who are here and those of you watching online today. Whether you are a little stuck in your faith or you don’t yet have faith, it is possible for your faith in Jesus to be awakened as we begin this series in the book of James.

James is writing this letter to a group of Jewish Christians who seem to be facing poverty and persecution. James pulls no punches in giving us practical wisdom for how our faith is something we live out, not something we merely believe in.

Are you living your faith or just “believing” your faith?

The book of James is much like the book of Proverbs. He gives a series of short, punchy exhortations that cover a number of topics in the Christian life. And for the next 11 weeks, we’re going to work our way through this book. The one request I have for us going into this series – will we receive what God says to us, even when it challenges us, so that our lives might be pleasing to the God we say we believe in? I already gave you James’s greeting in the first verse; let’s look at James 1:2-8 today.

James 1:2-8 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

I’m calling this message “Clear Expectations”. So much of our faith is really about expectation. And I want you to see three clear expectations, from this text, that James is wanting us to live with and live out.

Expect trials to be a normal part of your life.

Expect God to generously give you wisdom as you walk through various trials.

Expect God to be God, in the world and in your life.

It’s been said that disappointment occurs when there’s a gap between our expectations and our reality. If I can be honest, I did not expect to experience the kind of trials and testing that have come into my life. As an optimist, it can be easy to assume that everything should always be up and to the right – especially if I’m following God’s purpose for my life. But James is telling us what so many other biblical writers tell us – we should expect trials to be a very normal part of our lives. In fact, life is hardest for those who expect it to be easy.

James wants us to go beyond merely expecting trials. He tells us to consider or count it all joy when we face trials of many kinds. The call is not to be joyful because of the trial, but because of what the trial can produce in us (v.3). Trials are how we develop perseverance. You only get stronger by going through a test. This is how our faith gets built over time.

I have two pastor friends, one in his 70s and one in his 40s. The man in his 70s pastored the same church for 40 years. And the man in his 40s took over pastoring that church 6 years ago. The younger one said to the older one, “You just have way more faith than I do.” I love how the older pastor replied. “It’s not that I have more faith than you do; it’s just that I have more experience with a faithful God than you do.” The older man had simply been through more things with God than the younger one. We can have joy in our trials because of what our trials produce. This is a page straight out of Jesus’s playbook.

Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the JOY set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God.

What kind of trials can grow our faith? Any of them. All of them. That’s why James says “trials of many kinds”. It could be a financial trial or a health trial or a parenting trial or a trial at work or a relational trial.

Trials are intended to both reveal our faith and to deepen our faith.

If you choose to go deeper, your faith will mature. You will make progress in your formation in Jesus. You will develop the ability to persevere, which is what we’re all going to need most. Perseverance is crucial because the journey is long. Your life is going to involve a lot more hardship and disappointment. Are you building the kind of faith that will help you go the distance?

Who might you become on the other side of your current trial?

While 2026 has been filled with wonderful moments for me, it has also been a year filled with trials. Our home was broken into. Our car was broken into. We’ve had a family member get diagnosed with cancer and have walked with them through that. And there are a few other trials that have come our way this year. Honestly, walking through some of these made it feel like it was going to kill me. I think that’s how the pruning works in our lives. God prunes us in the present so our lives will be even more fruitful in the future. As the philosophers Nietzsche and Kelly Clarkson have noted, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” James says this is what our trials are intended to do for our faith.

Then comes this piece about what to do when we lack wisdom. It seems like James is specifically referring to wisdom related to our trials. Where do you go first when you need wisdom? AI? Parents? Wisdom Table? Scripture? Prayer?

God possesses all wisdom and He loves to give it generously to us.

So what do we do? We ask Him for it. God, I need wisdom for solving this financial issue. God, I need wisdom for how to approach my visa process. God, I need wisdom for how to speak to my kids or my coworker or my friend. God, help me navigate this challenge I’m currently facing.

James goes on to tell us that when we ask God for wisdom, it really matters whether we trust God to give it. We’re told to “believe and not doubt”. The person who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Speaking of expectations, James notes that the person who doubts should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

“Jesus has never met a doubt that He loves.” -Jon Tyson

The level of faith really matters for each of us as individuals. There is a category of things that will not take place if our faith in Jesus is absent. But that’s not the only thing that counts. We want to build a collective culture of faith here at Epic. Pay attention to how Jesus responds to the level of faith he found in Nazareth.

Mark 6:5-6a He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

While Jesus is amazed by our faith being absent, He can also be amazed by how present our faith is in Him. Here’s how He responded to the centurion’s faith when the centurion asked Jesus to heal the centurion’s servant.

Luke 7:9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”

Jesus wants to build our collective faith in Him and this happens best in community.

Responses:

-How might God want to use your current trial to build your faith in Him for the future?

-Where in your life do you need God to generously give you wisdom?

-Prayer: God, heal my unbelief so that I might fully trust you.

James went from unbelief to full faith in Jesus. You can too. Jesus went through the greatest trial in human history, but did so with joy, to bring us into God’s family as His sons and daughters.