This document discusses how Christians can become victors rather than victims when facing trials and tribulations. It covers 5 key points: 1) God uses suffering to develop endurance and maturity in believers. 2) Trials produce perseverance when endured through faith. 3) Suffering makes Christians complete by helping them develop the character of Christ. 4) Believers can become better or bitter when facing hardships. 5) God brings beauty and glory out of chaos and suffering. The overall message is that through trusting God, Christians can overcome trials by allowing their faith to strengthen through perseverance.

2. “Joyfulthrough
Tribulation”
James 1:2-3

3. Victor orVictim?…
•There are five different topics in verses
2-8; we will look at them all individually
•Trials orTemptations
•Perseverance or Endurance (Patience)
•Wisdom, Prayer, and Faith
•How we deal with circumstances of life directly
reflects our individual spiritual maturity
•Joy inTribulation isn’t giggling while the house
burns down…

4. Victor orVictim?
•Lets start off with our weekly Greek
lesson again– remember last week

5. Victor orVictim?
•Peirasmos– translated ‘trial’ and
‘temptation’-- same word– defined as “a
putting to proof (by experiment [of good],
experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline, or
provocation); by implication adversity:
temptation, X try
•So–Through trials, we become one of two things
•AVictim or AVictor

6. Victor orVictim?
•We have the choice of which we become
•Remember Romans 8:28

7. “We know that all things work
together for good, for those who love
God and are the called according to His
purpose…”
Romans 8:28, NASB

8. Victor orVictim?
•We have the choice of which we become
•Remember Romans 8:28
•Oft times when we face trials, we jump in, role up
our sleeves and get to work to beat the situation
•Sometimes we should do that, but mostly, God
wants us to trust Him through the trouble
•If we beat it ourselves, we’d be tempted to try and
take the glory that belongs to Him– lets look at
verses 3 and 4 now…

9. “…3 knowing that the testing of your
faith produces endurance. 4 And let
endurance have its perfect result, so
that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking in nothing.”
James 1:3-4, NASB

10. A. Staying Close to God
•Believe this-all trials and tests are allowed
by God to teach us (providential blessings)
and raise us up, to be people of God
•Have you ever watched someone stand
tall in God’s strength while they are in
tribulation?
•The Apostle Paul reminded us that we can have
confidence that the Lord will take care of all our
troubles

11. “For I am confident of this very thing,
that He who began a good work in you
will perfect it until the day of Christ
Jesus.”
Philippians 1:6, NASB

12. A. Staying Close to God
•Luke wrote…

13. “ And He was saying to them all, “If
anyone wishes to come after Me, he
must deny himself, and take up his
cross daily and follow Me.”
Luke 9:23, NASB

14. A. Staying Close to God
•It’s not easy to crucify our own desires--
whether pride, sexual lust, greed, or all
the other stuff
•But He expects us to– as we talked about…
•A “…bondservant of God and our Lord Jesus
Christ”, the Master’s wishes become ours
•No longer pursue our own desires– we want what
the Master wants

15. B.Training after Training
•Vs 3…

16. “…3 knowing that the testing of your
faith produces endurance [patience,
perseverance, long suffering].”
James 1:3, NASB

17. B.Training after Training
•Vs 3,We should realize and rejoice when
our faith is challenged with trials and tests
because God will pour His strength
into us bringing the character of Jesus with it!
•‘Perseverance or patience or long suffering’ is a
virtue that God prizes highly in man and is only
developed in time of trial

18. “And not only this, but we also exult in our
tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings
about perseverance”
Romans 5:3, NASB
“Not only so, but we also glory in our
sufferings, because we know that suffering
produces perseverance…”
Romans 5:3, NIV

19. B.Training after Training
•Vs 3,We should realize and rejoice when
our faith is challenged with trials and tests
because God will pour His strength
into us bringing the character of Jesus with it!
•‘Perseverance or patience or long suffering’ is a
virtue that God prizes highly in man and is only
developed in time of trial
•That’s why military war games are practiced
frequently…

20. C. Becoming Mature Christians…
•Vs 4,

21. “4 And let endurance have its perfect
result, so that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking in nothing.”
James 1:3-4, NASB

22. C. Becoming Mature Christians…
•Vs 4, I don’t like having to tell you this,
but there is NO SUBSTITUE for suffering
•We learn His character by going through
terrible things like he went through
•We wear out the knees of out breeches, we get
deeper into HisWord, and we serve Him despite
whatever circumstances come along
•To be “complete and lack in nothing” is not
perfection, but maturing and growing

23. D. Better or Bitter…
•Revelation 2:8-11

24. “8 ‘And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says
this:
9 “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich),
and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not,
but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about
to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into
prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation
for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the
crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the
second death.”’
Revelation 2:8-11, NASB

25. D. Better or Bitter…
•Revelation 2:8-11, Smyrna means bitter…
•After its persecution, it became a better
church, despite its bitter persecution
•Polycarp was a pastor of this particular church
•In the first century, this church was percesuted
by Jews, Roman Emperor worshipers, and other
Roman pagans
•This is the only letter from Jesus that praises the
church and has NO condemnation for them

26. E. Beauty from Chaos thruTrials…
•When Adam & Eve sinned against God,
suffering started
• God used original sin to bring glory to
Himself using suffering– when we suffer, we call out to
Him
•C. S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us through our
pleasures, but He screams at us through our pain; Pain
is God’s megaphone to the deaf world.”
•“God cannot use someone greatly, until He hurts them
deeply.”

27. Take Home!
1. Why does God use suffering [trials and tests]
to bring out His characters in us?
•We are like the sculptor’s clay…
2. How can we handle all the suffering?
•In our own strength it is impossible, but
nothing is impossible with God! He gives us
what we need to get through it!