How many of you like working out - exercising? I can’t stand you. If I’m being honest, I’m more jealous of you than annoyed by you. I wish I enjoyed working out like you - I would do it more often.

For those of us who don’t like working out, I have learned that those who do hate it just as much as we do. But in their crazy mind - which we can learn from – they have somehow convinced themselves that the benefits of working out far outweigh any pain or hassle that comes with exercise. They are willing to drag themselves to the gym at all types of hours, or go for a run in the rain, or put up with being sore the next day because they know that in the end it will do them good. As Pastor Ben likes to say, they are choosing front-end pain versus back-end pain. They choose challenge, resistance, and sacrifice in order to be stronger, healthier, and built for longevity.

Now, in a similar way, the Bible tells us that we should approach our trials, our problems, our difficulties, the same way that some approach exercise - that we should embrace it because of the good that it produces. It’s pretty hard to believe, but here’s how I would translate what the Bible has to say to some of us. The fact that you are still unemployed after many months of looking for a job, it tells you to relish it. Yes, you are still single despite desiring a life partner, it tells you not to lose heart. Yes, you have just been diagnosed with a scary medical condition, it asks the question, could there be good that comes from this?

I know, it sounds harsh. But don’t take my word for it. Let’s look at the Scriptures and see what it has to say about how we are to view and approach the painful circumstances in our lives.

James 1:2-4

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.

We thought people who enjoy working out are crazy, James is like I’m going to one-up you: Consider it PURE JOY… whenever you face trials of many kinds. Now, let’s start here, what does James mean by trials? Which trials should we consider pure joy?

Now I think it’s important to draw a distinction between trials that come our way due to external factors that we cannot control, and trials that come our way because of our own foolish decisions. One comes from the outside; the other comes from within. In this section James is talking about the trials that come from the outside. If you want to read about the trials that come from within, he calls those temptations starting in verse 13. But some of the specific trials that his audience were facing, that he wanted them to consider pure joy, were things like persecution, poverty, and health issues. Things like that and more, he wanted them to view differently and as a reason for joy.

I think another important distinction is understanding the difference between trials that come from the hand of God and trials that come from evil men and women. Now I have to admit, this is a tough one for us to grasp. We can’t comprehend how a loving God would ever allow anything difficult to come our way. Why would God intentionally put us in a trial? But you understand this in other areas of life. Let me give you three examples from the New Testament that we have some familiarity with. John 15 talks about how God is a gardener who prunes (cuts) the vine – us; the branches – so that we can grow. Hebrews 12 talks about how God is like a parent who disciplines his or her children, whom he loves. 1 Peter 1, He is like a metal worker who refines us like silver and gold in the fire. How is God allowing difficulties to enter into your life any different than those examples which we would say in the end are good? They are no different.

But I want to make perfectly clear that some of the evil and trauma perpetrated against you is not from God. Can some redemption and fruit possibly come from that situation? Yes. But that’s a completely different thing than what I am talking about today. By no means do I want you to hear today that God expects you to find pure joy in those terrible things that happened to you. Not at all!

Henry Cloud has a great illustration in his book How People Grow that shows the difference between the two: between evil circumstances and God-allowed trials. He says, “If I told you that I left an event and someone held a knife to me and cut me and took all my money, you would say, 'That person is evil and dangerous and should be put in jail.' But if I told you I went into a hospital and someone held a knife to me and cut me and removed a cancerous tumor from me AND took all of my money, you would say, 'That person is a hero and deserves all of your money.'" What we are talking about today is the latter; not the former. What we are talking about today are the trials in your life that serve a good purpose.

Now, suffering is never good in and of itself. But as it says in Romans 8:28, God is able to use it for our good. Now before we get to how this works for us, let’s think about Jesus. The Hebrews writer says about Jesus that For the joy set before him he endured the cross… (Hebrews 12:2) It doesn’t say that Jesus found joy in the cross. No. What this is getting at is that there was a joy present as a result of what would come about from him going to the cross. The cross in and of itself was not joyful - just read the account of the agony and excruciating pain that Jesus was in right before and even during the crucifixion. No. The cross was endured because of something greater.

Three reasons Jesus found joy in going to the cross:

He was obeying his Father’s will. Joyful are those who obey his laws…. (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭2‬a ‭NLT‬‬) Contrary to what many believe or would say, joy can be found in obedience to God.

Jesus knew that the cross was the pathway to returning to the Father. Right after it says ‘For the joy set before him he endured the cross’ it says that he ‘sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Hebrews 12:2) Jesus’ life can be summed up in living to please and be with his Father.

But here’s the biggest reason - and this is the one that should blow us away: He found joy in you. Jesus looked ahead and saw you redeemed, forgiven, adopted into God’s family. He saw you freed from sin and shame. He saw you reconciled to the Father. And that vision of you - ransomed and restored - brought him joy even as he hung on the cross. You were the joy set before him. That’s how valuable you are to Jesus.

The only way we are going to find joy in our trials is if we are convinced that what they will produce is valuable - that it’s worth it. And so, to what end does God use our trials? The first thing that James writes in verse 3 is that our trials test our faith in order to produce perseverance. Get this - this is really important. The trial is testing your faith, not how strong you are on your own; or if you have it in you to get through it by yourself. It’s testing your faith - your trust in Jesus. So I’m not saying, Try harder. I’m saying, Trust more. Listen, if you are sitting here, barely holding on because of unemployment or an illness or whatever it might be, you need to hear clearly that the call isn't to muster up more willpower or fake joy that you don't feel. The call is to lean into Jesus, which is something you can do even when you're exhausted and depleted. That’s the test.

Now, our school experiences have taught us that tests only reveal what is already within a student. But what James is telling us here is that this testing actually produces something in us: perseverance; grit; endurance. And I love this next line from him: Let perseverance finish its work… (v.4a) Eugene Peterson translates that section in his Message Bible this way: …don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work… If we try to get out of the test prematurely we will not pass. And guess what? We will need to take it again. We will need to go to summer school. The trial is just going to come back.

Because the actual end goal for our trials, James writes, is to make us …mature and complete, not lacking anything. (v.4) James says that if you and I want to grow – if we want to mature and feel complete; not always feeling like we are missing something - we will need to change how we view our trials.

One of my favorite words in this whole passage in James is the first word: Consider. Why? Because it reminds me of what the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:7 where he writes But whatever were gains to me I now CONSIDER loss for the sake of Christ. Paul’s encounter with Christ caused him to reevaluate what he once valued highly; which were his spiritual achievements and distinctions. And in light of Christ, his evaluation caused him to assign a new value to those things. What was once a win, now he sees it as a loss.

Let me put it this way. Paul looked at what the world celebrates - achievement, status, credentials – and said, 'Because of Christ, I see that differently now. It's worthless to me.' James is doing the same thing but in reverse. He's looking at what the world dreads - trials, suffering, disruption - and saying, 'Because of Christ, you can see that differently too. It can be a cause for joy because what those trials are able to produce in you.'

One commentator wrote this about this passage: Our values determine our evaluations. If we value comfort more than character, then trials will upset us. If we value the material and physical more than the spiritual, we will not be able to “count it all joy when [we] fall into various trials.” If we live only for the present and forget the future, then trials will make us bitter, not better.

So Church, what do you value? If you value growth, the next time you are sending out yet another resume, or dealing with that chronic illness, or walking through a season of loneliness, 'consider' might just mean being willing to ask the question, 'What might God be producing in me through this?' Now hear me, it doesn't take away the pain. But it changes how you hold it. When we ‘consider’ in light of Christ we learn to see beyond the difficulties to the good results that might come through the trials.

Now I know personally that this is no easy thing to do. In hindsight I could tell you how difficult seasons in my life helped me grow tremendously. I grew a lot when I was unemployed for nine months; I grew a lot during that season our marriage was struggling. In all honesty, I look back at those seasons fondly. I’m so grateful for them because they made me stronger and better. But when I’m in the middle of a trial - like I am right now - and I don’t know when this thing is going to end or how it’s going to turn out, it’s much harder to be grateful and to consider it pure joy. In this season, I too am having to consider.

And in that process of considering, I’m learning and changing my perspective - I’m seeing the silver lining and even having moments of excitement about what this challenge will bring about. Here are some of the things that are helping me.

I have learned a ton in preparation for this message. God knew I needed this message probably more than anyone else. He orchestrated things for me to be the one teaching it.

I’m learning and finding comfort from my past trials - seeing how in the end they made me stronger and better.

I’m learning from someone in our church who recently had a tumor removed and is now going through some rounds of radiation - but with a lot of grace, strength, and even joy. She told me, Happiness is different from joy. Happiness has to do with one’s circumstances; joy goes beyond our circumstances. She said that in this season she has a song and a verse that keeps her eyes focused on Jesus - and that is where her joy and peace comes from.

I’m learning from Pastor Steve Stroope, who is Pastor Ben’s mentor. Steve is now in his 70s; but this year has been like no other. In the past year his wife had a stroke, which required emergency brain surgery. A month later, Steve was diagnosed with bone cancer. About a month after that his body nearly shut down during chemo—he almost died. Those three things are just the major trials of a long list of challenges that have come up this year. But at a recent gathering of three hundred ministers, Steve shared all of this and then said something stunning: "I'm not telling you this so you'll feel sorry for me." He said, "You should be jealous of my life right now." As crazy as that sounds, he meant it. What Steve has gained in his relationship with God, his wife, and his church community that has walked with them through this suffering is far more than anything he's lost. He is someone who has truly learned to consider it pure joy.

So the question is, can we get there - can we get to that place where we see our trials differently? This is really important because trials are going to come our way whether we are ready or not. James doesn’t say, "Consider it pure joy if trials come." He says, "Consider it pure joy when they come."

And I know that for many of us, those trials are already here. I know many of you are facing real trials right now. Some of you are in the middle of what feels like an impossible situation. So as we go to pray, let’s ask God to help you see it differently. Let’s ask him to open your eyes to what he might be producing in you.

So go ahead and stand. The vision the Lord gave me in preparation for this teaching, was to invite those of you who are in the middle of a trial right now, and who feel far from being able to consider that thing or even the outcome a reason for joy, but yet you have a desire to get there - you would love to see beyond the painful circumstances to the purposeful good – I believe God wants to strengthen you. I believe God wants us to pray for you. So if that’s you, would you raise your hand. And I’m going to ask the people around those who have their hands raised to lay a hand on their shoulder and pray for them. If you want to share the specific trial that you are in, feel free.

While you are being prayed for, you can also pray this simple prayer: Lord, what good do you want to bring out of this situation? Take a moment to listen. If you hear anything in your spirit about how that trial might be refining you, write it down. And tell someone about it. Let your community walk with you through this.

When James tells us to consider pure joy when we face trials, he's not saying don't pray for your situation to change - keep praying for that. But at the same time, ask God for the strength to persevere and to trust more. James wants to remind us that the trials we face are not enemies bent on destroying us. They're friends that have come to help us develop more and more into the image of Christ. Let's see them that way and allow them to do their necessary work.