James 1:1-11

Good morning, Saylorville. It is great to be with you this morning. Thank you for being here. It’s not a mistake that you are here this morning. Before we get started, let’s have a word of prayer and then we’ll get into it.

Lord, it is good to be here this morning. It is good to be in your house with your people. Lord, you are so good to us. We’re so thankful for Jesus. We’re so thankful for this church. We’re thankful for life and for health. And Lord, I pray that you would speak to individuals this morning. Whether they’re struggling, whether they have reached the bottom or they’re doing great today, things are awesome. Lord, would you speak to each one of us individually? Challenge us, encourage us, convict us, through your word. We pray these things in Christ’s name. Amen.

James chapter 1 is our passage this morning and we are going to be looking at verses 9 through 11 is going to be the text that we’re really going to focus on, but I really want to read from the very beginning because if we don’t read from the beginning we lose the context of what James is trying to say to us. So let me start off with verse 1 and we’ll read through verse 11.

James 1:1-11

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (Now here’s the passage we’re gonna be looking at.)

“Let the lowly brother boast in his exultation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like the flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass. Its flower falls and its beauty perishes, so also will the rich man fade in the midst of of his pursuits.”

Now, most of you read those last three verses and say, ‘What in the world is James talking about?’ What is this talking? We’ve got all sorts of different things going on here. We’ve got boasting. We’ve got pride. We’ve got rich. We’ve got humiliation. And let me tell you… I’ve been on multiple men’s wilderness trips up in the boundary waters that we’ve done through the church, and I’ve done youth wilderness trips, and we’ve gone through the book of James multiple times. This passage… does not come up around the campfire. This passage is not the one that the guys say, ‘Oh man, 9 through 11… that was amazing.’ Everybody’s like, ‘Let’s skip that one and go to verse 12’ or ‘Let’s go back to verse 5. Count it all joy in the midst of the struggles.’ This passage is one of those passages where you’re just kinda like, ‘Yeah, yeah, that’s good. Yeah, that’s good, let’s read on and let’s move on to the next one.’

But this passage is a sobering. This is a sobering passage, and I would say message as a whole. As we get into this, I wanna ask you a question. What are you boasting in right now? What are you boasting in? What are you talking about? What are your conversations about? The job? Maybe you’re talking about your kids, talking about the money that I’ve got, the sweet vacation we just went on, my retirement plan is just rocking it right now. We live in a culture that’s all about boasting. ‘Look at me.’ ‘Look at what I have.’ ‘Look at what I’ve done.’ ‘Look at what I’m going to get to do.’ Our culture is in constant pursuit of anything that will give us satisfaction and fill the void. We’re constantly told we need more stuff, bigger stuff, better stuff, and if we get all that, we’ll be satisfied. It’s everywhere. We measure people by their status, by the size of the house they have, the car they drive, the clothes they wear, the vacations they get to go on. Social media doesn’t help with this because we get to see everything that everybody else has and the things we wish we had, and it just feeds the jealousy and the dissatisfaction. The world tells us to build wealth, to pursue an easy comfortable life with enough money to buy sweet things and go on sweet vacations. That’s the American dream, isn’t it? That’s where we find satisfaction.

Well, when we look at James and we look at James 1:9, we need to look at what he says right off the bat and who’s he talking to, right? So he says, “Let the lowly brother boast in his exultation.” So who is James talking to? He’s talking to Jewish believers. They’ve been scattered, right? We read that right at the very beginning. And they’ve kind of lost everything. I mean, they’re struggling. They’ve lost family. They’ve lost houses. They’ve lost friendships. Everything has gotten turned upside down because of the gospel and what was happening in the culture at that time. These people were in humble circumstances. They were lowly. They were like at the bottom. They had like nothing to brag about. They didn’t have great social status. They would have been looked down upon. And they’re going through this trial and… what does James tell them? He says to let the lowly brother or the poor brother boast in his exaltation or take pride in his high position. This is somewhat confusing, James. You’re telling us we’re supposed to boast. I have nothing to boast in. I’ve lost everything. I don’t have the things that everyone else is telling me, but now James he says what I’m supposed to be boasting in. What is he telling them to focus on? What does he say? He’s telling them to remember who you are in Christ. Remember what you have. Let that settle in for just a second. Remember what you have in Christ. If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are so rich. You are so rich if you know Jesus. That’s what James is telling them.

Here’s what he’s not telling them. He’s not he’s not telling them to get more stuff. He doesn’t say get a better job, get a bigger house, buy a new car. We think if we had just a little bit more, everything would be better. We would be satisfied. Life would be comfortable. But how much is enough? How much is enough? When will we actually be satisfied? And James is saying, ‘Listen, no matter what you don’t have, no matter how little you have, no matter the job that you have, no matter how bad the trial gets, you are to exalt or take pride in the fact that you are in Christ, that you have a relationship with Jesus and your true joy, true joy, is found in Christ not in your status or your possessions. Do you believe that? ‘Cause that sounds really good, right? Like I can stand up here and say that. Like, ‘Yeah, Abe. Your satisfaction is in Christ.’ But do I really believe that? Look at what Peter says in 1 Peter 1:3-7

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope, (a living hope) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:30-31

“And because of him, (because of him,) you are in Christ Jesus, who came to us wisdom, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that as it is written, let the one who boasts, (boast in what?) boast in the Lord.”

How about you today, right now? Is Jesus enough? Or are you content in Christ? James is calling these believers to say, ‘Listen, you might not have everything and you might be going through a super hard trial right now, but remember, Jesus is enough. Jesus is the one we put our hope in. Jesus is the one we look to to satisfy us.’

And what does he say then in James 1:10-11, right? So now James is switching. He was talking to these poor people and now he’s talking to these rich people. And what does he say? He says,

“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, (boast in his humiliation) because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.”

James is actually quoting from Isaiah 40:6-8 where it talks about all of this, where he talks about the scorching heat and the weather and life is short and everything is falling away. So he moves from a completely different, from the poor to the rich, right? Now he’s talking to the rich and he tells them to boast. But he tells them to boast in something different. He says to boast in your humiliation or take pride in your humiliation. What does that mean? What is he actually saying to these followers of Jesus? Here’s what he’s saying. Rejoice in your trial because when the trials come, it will cause you to depend on Jesus and not on your riches and on your possessions. Your riches won’t matter. The trials are actually good because it makes you lean on Jesus and not in your things. It humbles you. And at the end of the day, your response, when the trials come, has to be, my hope and my satisfaction is in Christ. And it really takes these two things and levels them out, right? You’ve got the poor person who says, and the lowly person who says, I have nothing. I’m at the bottom. And then you got this person over here who’s like, I’ve got everything. Life is good. Life is great. I got a great family and I got a great job and I’m secure and I’m satisfied and I go to a great church and everything’s great. And when those trials come, those material earthly possessions that we pursue and we go after and we look for for status, those things level the field and we say, what do we have? What do we have at the end of the day? All we have is Christ, right? He’s our only hope. When the trials come, He’s our only satisfaction.

And then James says that this passage, we’re fading away like a flower. Like what, what is this? We’re here today and gone tomorrow. Your life is short like the flower and like the grass. We’re all getting older, right? Amen. I used to have a lot of hair back when I was younger. So I’m getting older, I feel that. I feel that idea of, man, my life is short. I have no guarantee for tomorrow. I have no guarantee of what tomorrow looks like. Your money and your possessions won’t be around forever. Your life is short in light of eternity. The only thing that will last is Christ. That’s sobering. It’s a sobering thought. Sobering to think about.

So what does this mean for you and me? What does it mean for you? Really, to keep life in perspective… life is short. We don’t have guarantees. And when those trials come, It causes us to ask, what are we trusting in?

When I was given this passage several months ago, I was like, ‘Oh, James, I can’t wait to get into James, it’s gonna be great’. Didn’t really have the passage quite yet, but like, James.. I love James. We’ve gone through it and studied it, and I’m thinking of all the great James verses that we talk about and we love, and… then I got this passage. I thought, ‘Man, Lord, like why this? Why this in this moment?’ I never thought James in this passage would come into play like it has in the last couple weeks for me. There’s been lots of stuff happening here at the church; Marriages that are struggling, sin, the effects of sin, we’re seeing that. Serious, serious health concerns that are going on. I’ve got stuff happening at my house. I got trees like falling on my roof, wrecking cars, and I’m thinking, ‘Lord, why now?’ ‘Why now?’ So all of that’s happening and then last week, a week ago today, I was in the coffee cove, like I always do, walking around, talking to everybody. And I came around the corner and my good friend, Nick Long, was standing there, and we started talking. I’ve known Nick for years and years and years and just a little bit younger than I am. And we started talking. We talked about life and the plan and the schedule and the kids and what’s happening with the kids and school… And we have a normal conversation. On Monday morning, the very next day, Nick’s not feeling well at his home… has a seizure and they rush him to the hospital. They do a bunch of scans, they do a bunch of tests, and it comes back that Nick’s got a serious, serious cancer in a lot of places. In a lot of places. One is in his brain, and he’s got brain surgery tomorrow. You can pray for them, for Nick and Katie and the kids. But in that moment it puts everything into perspective, doesn’t it? Puts life into perspective and says what really matters. And Nick’s a planner, Nick likes the schedule. He likes all that stuff. And I was in the hospital with him the other day and we were talking about this passage. We said, ‘You know, right now, none of your stuff matters. Your bank account, your house, your cars… it doesn’t matter in this moment because the only thing that Nick has to grab onto right now and to hold onto… is Jesus. That’s all he has. But I’m proud of him because his focus and his boast and his satisfaction is in Jesus, which is so fun to watch, so fun. Now, is he scared? Absolutely. Is he questioning things? Absolutely. But his foundation is on Christ. His foundation is what Christ has done for him.

And as I think about James in this whole passage, and what it makes me do is just look at life and say, what am I actually living for? What am I actually boasting in? What am I actually pursuing? What and who am I living for? And I think a lot of times we start to think about all of the things that are in our lives and all the things that we look for satisfaction in. And like I said before, it’s easy to stand up here and it’s easy for us to say, ‘Trust in the Lord, and God’s all we need,’ right? Jesus is enough. But I find myself saying, ‘Yes, I know that. I know that and I believe that,’ but I also look at everything else and be like, ‘but Lord, if I just had that, life would be easier, life would be better. I’d be more satisfied. If I could just have a new bicycle, man, I’d really be satisfied.’ I love to bike, right? So like, ‘Oh man, Lord, if I could just have that,’ or whatever it is.

And as I was thinking about this, and I was thinking about like, what we look to to satisfy us, this thing kept coming back to me and I kept wrestling with it. Because we’re so about stuff and money and everything that we pursue. And here’s the question I asked myself, And this stung. This stung. And it’s probably gonna sting you a little bit, but, oh well. Here’s what I question. If my boast is in Christ, and my riches are fading, and my life is short, why do I continue to pursue earthly treasures to satisfy me? ‘Abe, you are rich in Christ. Your boast is in Christ. Your hope is in Christ.’ We need to hear that. It’s not in the things.

We have a core value here at Saylorville that talks about generosity. Here’s what it says:

God owns everything so I will invest for eternity what he has given me temporarily.

God owns everything. It’s not yours. Treasures, talents, time, is all for God’s glory. for things that will last, for things that will have eternal impact. Look what 1 Timothy 6:17-19 says.

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

Matthew 6:19-21 says,

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

What are you investing in? What are you pursuing? What will last? God’s work will last.

I love the fact that this church has been so generous, so generous. God has been able to, God has started multiple churches. We have given hundreds of thousands of dollars away for the work that’s going on in the Engage Network and missions. Those are the things that we should invest in. Those are the things that we should give to. Those are the things that we should be about. Not just our own things, not just our own kingdom, but investing in the eternal kingdom. Things that will last.

Some of you got this in an email this last week. And here it is. This was a little poem. And one of the phrases says this:

Only one life, twill soon be passed. Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Let me read that again. Only one life, twill soon be passed. Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Some of you here this morning are listening to everybody talking about we’re rich in Christ. We’re boasting in Christ. And you’d be listening this morning and saying, I have no idea what that means, to boast in Christ, to be rich in Christ. You’re looking to everything else to satisfy; more stuff, better job, better house, better vacations to satisfy, to give you that thing that says, ‘This is it.’ And if you don’t, if you can’t boast in Christ this morning, let me tell you that the God of the universe sent his one and only son Jesus to come to this earth to live a perfect life, to die on the cross for you, to take your penalty because of your sin. And he didn’t die and stay dead, but he rose again from the dead and he’s alive today. And you can have a relationship with him. You can be spiritually rich in Christ because of what Jesus has done for us. We then can live for him and serve him and be satisfied in him.

Look at what 2 Corinthians 8:9 says.

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

And if you don’t know Jesus, we would love to talk to you. Or talk to the person that invited you, because we want you to be satisfied in Christ, and to boast in Christ and to be spiritually rich.

Let’s pray.

Lord, thank you so much for sending your son Jesus, our boast, our riches. And Lord, may we take inventory. May we look at our own lives and say, ‘What are we pursuing?’ ‘What are we looking for?’ ‘What are we trying to achieve?’ Lord, give us a heart for you, for your kingdom, not our own, for your treasure, not our own. We praise these things in Christ’s name. Amen.