1 Pet. 4:12

James 1:2-4 – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

The command:
πᾶςαν meaning “all,”
χαρὰν meaning “joy,”
ἡγήσασθε “esteem, regard”

“meet,” Gk. περιπίπτω (peripiptō), “to stumble, to fall upon, to fall into”
Lk. 10:30
“Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you fall among trials of various kinds.”

“trials,” Gk. πειρασμός (peirasmos), “a putting to the proof”

a. Trials from the enemy (Lk. 4:13)
Gk. πειρατής (peirates), “pirate”

b. Trials from the world

James 1:13 – “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.”
1 Cor. 10:13

James 1:3 – “…for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

“steadfastness (endurance),” Gk. ὑπομονή (hypomonē), compound word:
Preposition: ὑπό (hupo), “under”
Verb: μένω (meno), “to abide, dwell, continue”
Lit., “to continue standing/abiding under”

James 1:4 – “And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

a. Endurance makes us perfect (Matt. 5:46-48)

b. Endurance makes us complete (Rom. 5:3)
“character,” Gk. δοκιμή (dokimē), “the state of that which has been tried and approved”
“hope,” ἐλπίς (elpis), “confidence or expectation”

c. Endurance makes us more like Jesus
Heb. 12:1-2 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance (ὑπομονή) the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy (χαρά) that was set before him endured (ὑπομονή) the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Takeaways:

1. Don’t rejoice at your trials, rejoice through them.

2. Understanding the purpose of trials doesn’t make experiencing them any easier.