James 1:2-4 ² My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

In the last two studies, we have come to find out that James chapter 1 communicates the necessity of enduring various and manifold trials. In addition, we have discovered that God uses various trials for the purpose of bringing about patience perfecting work in us. This means that difficulty, by design fuels our sanctification, into the righteous of Christ practically.

Thus far we have also worked through three of the six normal and expected trials of the Christian life, from the epistle of James. They are as follows…

1. TRIAL ONE: Choosing God’s wisdom and will, rather than being double-minded
2. TRIAL TWO: Letting go of what we hold on to, apart from Christ
3. TRIAL THREE: Satanic temptation

Today we will look into the fourth of the six trials outlined in James chapter 1.

Before that let us consider a reminder from James 1:16-18.

A REMINDER IN THE MIDST OF TRIALS

Amid James outlining the various trials which we are called to endure, for the perfecting of our faith in Christ, we are reminding of something important.

James 1:16-18 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.

In this the Lord reminds us that all things work together for the good, for those who love God and are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). What this means is that anything that leads to the work of perfecting our faith and practice in Christ, is ordered or allowed by God and He sees it as necessary.

In this we understand that even temptations from the world, the flesh and the Devil, if rightly responded to in Christ, bring God’s perfect work in us.

So, why the encouragement before the last trials are delineated?

Because everything we have been taught does not occur in a vacuum, but in the midst of the real felt world around us, and trials are not easy. Our Lord Jesus knew this, as He walked in His perfect humanity (Hebrews 2:17-18, Hebrews 4:15). And even though Christ is the Son of God, He learned obedience through suffering the same trials and temptations we encounter (Hebrews 5:8).

Hebrews 5:8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

Why did God need to learn obedience? It was not because of any imperfection in His humanity, but as God, the Christ would understand the difficulty in obeying the Father, in a world set against obeying God.

He did it to be close to us, and that we would know He knows exactly how we feel, and to teach us how we endure and overcome by the Spirit of the Lord. This ought to lighten the load as we progress further.

TRIAL FOUR: Refusing the wrath of man.

Despite knowing that all these trials occur under the sovereignty of God our Father, we are still called to be on guard.

James 1:19-20 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

You’ll notice the “So then” following those last several verses. The Holy Spirit is communicating, beware of a powerful temptation, when in difficulty and you lack wisdom, are humbled, and lose that which materially gives you identity. Be careful and on guard when you are tempted in various ways; for when there is a delay the enemy will push the button of the wrath of man.

In this temptation, we must apply the wisdom of God from this passage directly.

In the first place “be swift to hear”. This does not mean swift to hear from a person which may be a vessel of trial in our lives, or swift to search a multitude of counselors, which may bring some aid. It means be swift to hear Abba Father leading us, by the Holy Spirit. Remember, this is an identifying characteristic of the sons of God through Christ (Romans 8:14).

The perfecting work of God in our lives, during a trial, occurs as the pain and difficulty causes us to retreat to where we commune with God, ready to lay hold of His will and obey His direction. This is a practical reality, we Christians need put into of once again or for the first time.

God know this reality and therefore orders up and allows many trials in our lives. When we abide in Him during these difficulties we build our relationship of trust in Him.

Proverbs 3:5-7 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In ALL (caps added by me) your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil. 8It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.

The real temptation, in being “swift to hear”, is to declare He will never leave us nor forsakes us, while living practically, as if He is not with us and has forsaken us to fend for ourselves. Our Father speaks to guide us moment by moment, if we will build a pattern of trust and obedience to Him, we will discover this blessed state.

Secondly, we are commanded to be “slow to speak”. This is so necessary and does not mean to be slow to speak to God only. It also means to be slow to speak to those who may be part of the trail, from an adversarial role, or those who are around and may become friendly fire casualties.

More than a few have been guilty of firing of fiery rocket words, as friends and family, when they are not who stoked the fire of the wrath of man in us. Our words matter and we must remember friendly fire is unacceptable to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We also ought to be slow to speak to the Lord when we are in the fire of a trials.

Consider how important measuring our words are to God from Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool’s voice is known by his many words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay paying it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed— Better not to vow than to vow and not pay. Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.

Simply put, this passage deals with those going to a time of fellowship, for the purpose of looking or sounding religious with long prayers, proclamations of what you vow to God, or highfalutin words of men about God, to impress men, God or ourselves.

Although, this is the immediate context and has great value in the frivolous Christianity of our day, concerning church gatherings, the general principal is to be careful and slow to speak when addressing our Father. He knows what we need before we ask, and when in difficult times we can utter contrary words, concerning what is actually occurring. We can utter contrary words to His character and will.

So, we are called to be slow to speak, remember that we will be judged for every idle word which lacks God’s intention and purpose.

Secondly, slow to speak concerns what we say to other who are around us in times of trial. Oh, that we would have the heart of God in this matter.

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Psalms 141:3-4 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies.

I would encourage you to read James chapter three to understand how the Lord Jesus Christ desires us to be swift to hear and slow to speak, for we ought not to bless God and curse men, made in His similitude.

Why is this an issue for us? Because anger is a good God given emotion, yet, when things get personal, we tend to boil in personal offense. This is where we are to be slow to wrath for the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God. When trials are entracted, we steam over how unfair our circumstances are to us. We ought to regard the preacher of Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 7:8-10 The end of a thing is better than its beginning; the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools. Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.

We have been commanded to “Be angry and sin not” (Ephesians 4:26). This means we must seek the Lord, in trials, to know where anger reflects His character and disposition and where it may be dumping out our character and disposition.

No where is this more seen than in Moses striking the Rock, when the YHWH commanded him to speak to the Rock, for water to come forth (Numbers 20:1-13).

Why did Moses disobey God? Was it willful disobedience?

I do not believe Moses’s disobedience was willful, but he was not swift to hear, because he had some inward wrath of man, that was not reflective of God’s character at the time. Let me explain.

Remember that the Israelites being spoken too (Numbers 20) are the second generation out of Egypt. Their parents were those characterized by the LORD as always going astray. That first generation were all dead, with the exception of Moses and Aaron.

Was the second generation just a prone in their humanity to irritate God? Yes, but that is not excuse for the wrath of man, especially when the YHWH desired to deal with them differently, with a merciful foundation.

Therefore, God, In His mercy, would begin their trek into the promised land, with a miracle of mercy that would establish a relationship of grace with them (speaking to the Rock), rather than one based on the staff of law and discipline (Moses striking the Rock).

The only problem is that Moses was still angry at the first generation about the slights, mocking, attempts to kill and remove him from a position he did not want. He was angry also because of that fallen generations unbelief and provoking of the LORD he loved. He responded in the wrath of man, and it cost him.

This trial is very prevalent in delays, when it seems that injustice is winning the day. Despite this we are to overcome, being swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath, as our father’s intention is we work the righteousness of God in Christ.

Be wary of yourself Christians, especially those who live in the united States, where we are seeing freedom to worship Christ vanishing, little by little. It is easy to feel out of control and stew in inward bitter rage, against those in power. forgetting that the LORD could stop it at any time. Ah, but He has not, therefore, let us choose to be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath.